Abriendo Puertas

Performer: Gloria Estefan
Artist: Luis Enrique; Don Grolnick; Rene Toledo
Engineer: Scott Canto; Eric Schilling; Ron Taylor
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel includes: Gloria Estefan (vocals); Juanito Marquez (conductor, 12-string guitar); Kike Santander (acoustic guitar, cuatro, keyboards, bass, jug, guacharaca, bells, hand claps, percussion, background vocals); Rene Toledo (12-string guitar); Roberto Pereira (Paraguayan harp); Ed Calle (flute, clarinet, alto, tenor & baritone saxophones); Gonzalo A. "Cocha" Molina (vallenato accordion); Tony Concepcion (trumpet, flugelhorn); Teddy Mulet (trumpet); Dana Teboe (trombone); Don Grolnick (electric piano); Jorge Casas, Salvador Cuevas (bass); Edwin Bonilla (kick drum, snare, floor tom, congas, bongo, shekere, timbales, guiro, maracas, clave, wind chimes, woodbox, hi-hat, cowbell); Luis Enrique (bata drums, congas, conga quinto, bongo, shekere, timbales, guiro, clave, small bells, percussion). Producers: Emilio Estefan, Jr., Kike Santander. Recorded at Crescent Moon Studios, Miami, Florida and Right Track Recording Studios, New York. ABRIENDO PUERTAS won a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Performance. Personnel: Gloria Estefan (vocals); Kike Santander (acoustic guitar, cuatro, keyboards, guacharaca, percussion, bells, background vocals); Juanito Marquez, Rene Toledo (12-string guitar); Jackson Fondeur (tamboura, congas, guiro); Mario Ochoa (tamboura, congas); Barry Finclair, Donna Tecco, Marti Sweet, John Pintavalle, Sandra Park, Elena Barere, Joyce Hammann, Charles Libove, David Nadien, Paul Peabody, Laura Seaton, Richard Sortomme, Bruce Wethey, Alfredo Oliva, Gene Orloff, Jean Ingraham, Jan Mullen (violin); Sue Pray, Julien Barber, Mary Helen Ewing, Ira Weller (viola); Ellen Westerman, Jeanne LeBlanc, Richard Locker (cello); Ed Calle (flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Tony Concepcion (trumpet, flugelhorn); Teddy Mulet (trumpet); Dana Teboe (trombone); Don Grolnick (electric piano); Edwin Bonilla (drums, congas, bongos, claves, cowbells, hi-hat, guiro, maracas, shaker, shekere, timbales, chimes, wind chime); Archie Pena (snare drum, hi-hat, percussion); Luis Enrique (congas, bongos, claves, guiro, shekere, timbales, percussion); Diana Serna, Cheito Quinonez (background vocals). Audio Mixer: Eric Schilling . Recording information: Crescent Moon Studios, Miami, FL; Right Track Recording Studios, New York, NY. Photographer: Alberto Tolot. Arranger: Kike Santander. Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors) is Gloria Estefan's second Spanish-language album released in the U.S. Abriendo Puertas is about opening doors to the myriad Latin American cultures; therefore, this album features several different Latin styles of music from different parts of the world, including Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, and the Caribbean. The music combines salsas, merengues, boleros, Afro-Cuban rhythms and chants, and other styles, resulting in a varied, sunny, and delightful album. This set differs from her other Spanish albums because at least half the songs are holiday tunes, with ample reference to Christmas and the New Year (the ballad "Mas Alla" even has Christmas bells in the background). In Latin America, Christmas is in summer, and so, in essence, this is a summer holiday album, which is quite an unusual concept for North American audiences. The songs are naturally positive, with well-meaning wishes for the New Year being a concurrent theme throughout the album. Estefan, as is always the case on her Spanish albums, sounds completely at ease with the material. The music on this album is traditional; therefore, there are no true American-style pop or club/dance songs, which is fine because the album should be taken and enjoyed for what it is -- a bright, multicultural Latin American semi-holiday album. ~ Jose F. Promis

Entertainment Weekly (10/27/95, p.95) - "...those who choose to accept the challenge implicit in the title (which translates as `opening doors') might find this spirited collection of salsa and other south-of-the-border styles as invigorating as it is esoteric." - Rating: B Musician (11/95, p.95) - "...has expanded her musical world view to include nearly the whole of Latin America....Estefan's rhythmic sense is stronger than ever. simply put, this is some of the best music she's ever made."

Gloria Estefan began her career as the lead singer for Miami Sound Machine, which found great popularity in the 1980s with its salsa-tinged dance music, and she went on to be a Latin crossover success story. Estefan has since gone solo and experimented with romantic ballads, Latin-inspired pop, and smooth Afro-Cuban Spanish-language albums, but her greatest strength lies in irrepressible, danceable party music.

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