Víctor Pérez

When the film West Side Story was released in 1961, New York's reviled Puerto Rican community gained some visibility and, over time, both in Spanish Harlem and the Bronx, neighborhoods plagued by poverty, drugs and crime, Hispanic identity was reborn and strengthened, thanks to a syncretic and intentionally popular music that eventually conquered the entire city.

Valuable testimonies, unedited images and Billo's iconic music depict his life from 1937 and throughout the following five decades, during which he immortalised Caracas' current affairs, public figures and historical landmarks in his musical arrangements.