Piano
PianoFlash 90

American pianist and singer Larry Harlow, who had a long career as an influential salsa musician, has passed away at the age of 82.

Harlow, known as “The Marvelous Jew,” was instrumental in creating an innovative piano style that blended of Afro-Cuban music and jazz that propelled him to record over 50 albums and produce 106 albums for various artists over a five decade career.

Harlow died after 32 days in the hospital due to complications from a kidney ailment, his wife Maria del Carmen Harlow posted on his official social media page.

Harlow was born Lawrence Ira Kahn in 1939 in Brooklyn, New York in to a musical family. His mother was an opera singer and his father lead a band at theLatin Quarter nightclub under the name Buddy Harlowe.

Harlow went on to excel at various musical instruments, focusing on piano, and studying Afro-Cuban music in Cuba in the late fifties until the Cuban Revolution forced him to leave. His orchestra Orquesta Harlow was extremely popular and was signed to the famous Fania record label in New York.

During his long career as a salsa bandleader, Harlow was given the honorary nickname “el Judio Maravilloso” (“The Marvelous Jew”).

He also produced albums for his label mate brother Andy Harlow, including the hit song “La Loteria” – the biggest selling single in the company's history.

Harlow was nominated for a Grammy for his 1977 salsa song “La Raza Latina.”

He was also behind the creation of the Latin Grammy Award.

In 2000, he was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame and in 2008 he was awarded the Latin Grammy Trustees Award.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)