6moons' resident expert on Tropical Music
Juan A. Moreno-Velázquez is an award-winning journalist who specializes in entertainment reportage and the Latino community. His incisive reporting captured The National Association of Hispanic Publications, First Prize Award, for Outstanding Reporting on the Hispanic Community, during the year 2001 for the series "The Legend of La Lupe", which served as inspiration for the play La Lupe: My Life, My Destiny. In 2002, Moreno repeated this accomplishment, this time winning the top award in Entertainment for his story, Los Pleneros de la 21. In 2003, Juan received another First Place Award, this time in the Business category for his story on Arbitron.


Moreno was also awarded the prestigious Hispanic Media Top 100 for the year 2002. Two years later, success met with a strange invitation. Velázquez's bid on a Garrard 301 turntable on audiogoN encountered heavy behind-the-scenes machinations by one Jules L. Coleman set to derail our elegant Niyawker's efforts no matter the cost. Subsequent e-mails exchanged between the heavy bidders established instant mutual recognition, in the public domain as well as with common ground on audio, music and vinyl in particular. Pushing his enthusiasm for the moons on the unwitting journalist, Monsignor Coleman takes credit for derailing the former's steady career into the outer orbits of the deep sixes.


A graduate of the College of the University of New York and Fordham University Graduate School of Public Communications, Moreno has conducted considerable research on the music industry and is considered a musicologist of renown who specializes in Tropical Music. He is a former Professor at the University of the Sacred Hearth in Puerto Rico where he taught Marketing and Communications courses.




An authority in the field, Moreno has participated in television during Grammy commentary for FOX as well as NY 1, and worked with countless radio shows where he has discussed different issues in the music business and their effects on Latinos. As a journalist, Juan has been the Entertainment Editor at el diario/LA PRENSA, the largest and oldest Spanish language daily in the city of New York as established in 1913.


Currently, Mr. Moreno writes a popular weekly column, Cuadrando el Cuadrante, which is published every Tuesday and specializes in commercial radio and its treatment of Latino issues. He is the author of Demystifying a Diva: The truth behind the myth of La Lupe, released in November 2003. He has also coauthored the movie script A Fall to Grace, a movie adaptation of his book on La Lupe.


He has begun his second book, Dos Reinas, Un Trono, which depicts the life of Celia Cruz, and is doing research on a third book project, Salsa, the Golden Years. In collaboration with Mr. Salsa, Izzy Sanabria, Moreno is also working on a compilation of interviews with outstanding stars and important personages of the Latin scene. In addition, Moreno is the editor of The Life and Times of the Legendary Joe Cuba, A Contemporary Music Icon, a book based on the life experiences of the famous band leader.


For the 6moons readership, Juan Moreno has volunteered to contribute reviews in his beloved area of Latin or Tropical music, promising to heat up our world music pages with mucha salsa caliente. Gracias, Juan!
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