A beloved figure in the Rochester Latin music community, Victor Antonetti Sr., died Friday at the age of 77.
Antonetti was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Rochester in the 1950s. He later founded Orquesta Antonetti, a band that soon became a big part of the burgeoning Salsa music scene.
“He brought, you know, that essence, that desire of Salsa into the Rochester area, and introduced, in a lot of ways, Salsa music to non-Hispanics,” said Hector Arguinzoni, a local Salsa singer and musician who worked with Antonetti for years, and a longtime DJ on Poder radio in Rochester.
Antonetti’s son Victor Antonetti Jr. has been leading Orquesta Antonetti for a number of years. He said that when his father started the band, he often had to draw on Eastman School of Music students who hadn’t really been exposed to that kind of music before.
“We had a lot of rhythm section players, but we didn’t have a lot of horn players, so my dad would constantly go to the Eastman School of Music and grab students and introduce them to Salsa,” said Antonetti.
He added that there were “some great musicians, like Byron Stripling, a director of the Count Basie Orchestra, even Jeff Tyzik played with my dad’s orchestra.”
Jose Gonzalez was a bassist in Orquesta Antonetti for decades and remembers that his friend’s love and devotion to music rubbed off on his sons.
“To make sure that they became great musicians, and they are,” Gonzalez said. “They've made it to the big charts with big bands, not only still carrying the legacy of Victor Antonetti Sr., but they're also still carrying the name for the Latin community.”
Gonzalez spent some of Antonetti Sr.’s final moments with him, as did his sons, who brought their instruments and played a mini concert for their father in his living room.
Antonetti Sr. recently received the key to the city from Rochester Mayor Malik Evans, who said that Antonetti’s artistry and leadership have inspired audiences and bridged cultures.
