I first heard the suave bolero "Sylvia" as a kid, on a 45 by San Antonio's Sunny and the Sunglows — Sunny Ozuna's band before the Sunliners. I always assumed the credited songwriter, Paul Lopez, was a member of the Sunglows and had knocked out that fine instrumental. But then I recently came across the song on a 1958 album recorded in L.A. by René Bloch, the prominent Latin jazz saxophonist (and rabbi(!)...but that's another story). Anyway, finding Bloch's version made me curious about how that song had ended up on albums by bands in San Antonio and L.A. Turns out the songwriter, Paul Lopez, is an L.A. native. According to Steven Loza's book, "Barrio Rhythm," Lopez, a trumpeter, graduated in 1942 from Roosevelt High School and then attended the Juilliard School and the Pablo Casals Conservatory in Puerto Rico. While in his early 20s, he played with Woody Herman and Stan Kenton. He then moved to New York where he played with Latin bands led by Noro Morales and Tito Rodriguez, and jazz outfits fronted by Max Roach and Billy Taylor. Lopez moved back to L.A. in 1955 and also began playing behind some of the biggest acts in Las Vegas. L.A. trumpeter Bobby Rodriguez filled in some more blanks for me: he and Lopez — also an arranger — collaborated on a couple of albums together in the early '90s, leading the H.M.A. (Hispanic Musicians Association) Salsa/Jazz Orchestra. Lopez is 90 now and, according to his website, released his most recent album just three years ago. I still don't know how Lopez's "Sylvia" got to Sunny Ozuna in San Antonio, but I'm glad I found René Bloch's version. (I don't know who played on which "Mucho Rocks" tracks, but the credited musicians include Teddy Edwards, Willie Bobo, Mongo Santamaria and Lalo Guerrero!*)
(*Turns it wasn't the notable Mexican-American songwriter/performer, but an L.A. bass player by the same name!)