There is a 10
year anniversary upon us here in Philadelphia. It isn't any date
you'd remember unless you have been an active enthusiast of
the changing salsa movement that has invaded Philadelphia in the
last 10 years. Don't know what it is? Let me give you a hint. It
has been that since Brasil's on Chestnut St.in Philadelphia's Old
City neighborhood opened its doors and left complete control of
entertainment to one man. Anyone who has been to Brazil's for some
hardcore dancing on a Wednesday, Friday or Saturday night may not
know the name, Jay Rockwell, but they know the music.
In the early
90's the Philadelphia club scene was rocked by New York's bad boy
of the beat Jay Rockwell. "When I came to Philly there was
no Salsa or Meringue scene" says Jay. "Sure there were
small parties here and there but nothing on the scale that I had
been used to in NY. My vision was to change all that."
But before we
get into the present, we have to start from the beginning. Hailing
from Brooklyn, NY Jay came from a family strong in their faith as
well as work ethic. "I had a strong desire to be involved in
anything thing that had to do with music" recalls Jay. "I
sang in the church choir and I even started my own band when I was
15 called 'the 128th St. boys.'" By age 19, Jay's interest
was captivated by a new form of musical expression. DJ'ing.
Modern DJ'ing was in it's infancy in the late 70's but had such
an impact on Jay that it changed his life forever. On weekdays in
the early 80's you could find Jay out buying the latest dance records,
taking them home and practicing till the wee hours of the morning.
All this hard work and dedication paid off when he was asked to
be a guest DJ at a block party called "Mista Magic's Rap Attack"
thrown by WBLS NY and hosted by the legendary Spoonie G. "Thousands
of New Yorkers rocked out to my set that day" says Jay. "After
that day I knew my life was never going to be the same." Jay
was right. After his set he was approached by radio personality
"The prime minister of reggae" Ken Williams and two weeks
later Youth and Action Radio in NY was born with Jay sitting comfortably
behind the decks. This was the start of an illustrious DJ career
which spanned for over 5 years. "I was spinning everywhere
in New York" Explains Jay. On any given Friday you could find
Jay sweating behind the decks at The Funhouse, Crisco Disco, The
Roxy, Studio 54, Galaxy and Bassline he even had the privilege of
spinning at the world renowned block party which at the time was
being hosted at The Saint.
"The only downside to all of this was my home life. DJ'ing
and raising a family don't mix very well" explains Jay. "I
wanted more for me and my family so I retired the decks and returned
to school. The decks didn't stay in retirement for long. Jay's reputation
had preceded him in his newest state of residence, New Jersey and
before long he was being asked to Host shows at places like Fire
Island and The Monster. While Jay was pleased with these accomplishments,
there was a bigger prize he had his eye on, the Philly club scene.
"My
career was flourishing in 1994" says Jay who battled 15 other
DJ's to land a much coveted gig at Philly hottest new club, Gotham.
But overshadowing all this success came the tragic death of his
daughter Jessica and wife Jackie, both who passed in 1995 from difficulties
with cancer. "I was beside myself and I still tear up every
time I think about that time in my life." says Jay, "But
the tragedy and adversity in my life have made me a much stronger
person, I love you Jackie, I love you Jessica" whispers Jay
as he looks up into heaven as if to see his two angels looking back
at him.
Jay's Philadelphia
reputation continued to grow and soon he was hosting salsa shows
at the club South Beach when in 1998 was approached by Waseem Kalla.
Waseem liked Jay's sound and energy and offered him an opportunity
to come to Brasil's, a club struggling to create a salsa night in
the newest Philly scene. Jay was more than happy to help and within
a few months, had lines out of Brasil's waiting to get in and check
out this hot New York DJ. "I had a blast" says Jay. "Waseem
gave me complete control of the sound, entertainment and music of
the club and I took complete advantage of that."
Jay wasted no
time in renovating the sound system, lighting and décor.
Jay's unique New York style was very apparent in the club and the
crowd loved it. Jim & Leah from Rittenhouse Dance Academy used
to teach on Wednesday night at Brasils 4 years prior. Wasseem, the
previous owner approached Sonya
Elmore and asked if she wanted to teach on Friday nights and
then eventually on Wednesday nights. Sonya
and
Jay began a night which soon became the hottest salsa night in Philly
and, after 8 years shows no signs of slowing down. "The success
of Brasil's is no accident" explains Jay. "I worked my
butt off to make all my nights the best they could possibly be"
To look at his
long list of accomplishments you'd think that Jay would be a man
content with his present state but you'd be wrong. "Music is
my life" says Jay "I want to be involved in all elements
of it; production, performance and management, and I am" Now
working in the same studio where Fat Joe cut his latest album, Jay
seems at home behind the sound board orchestrating his latest creation.
He won't tell me what it is but whatever it is it's sure to grip
the salsa scene with the kind of force that only Jay Rockwell could
provide.
"My ten
years here in Philly have been really fun. I've had good and bad
times but
in the end I'm still here doing what I've always done. Make people
dance and have a good time." Beginning this Memorial Day till
the end of 2006 Jay and Brasil's will be celebrating a decade of
Salsa in Philly and cordially invites everyone to come out and mingle
with the many of Brasil's patrons who have helped make this scene
what it is today. |