Latin Swing's Last Lion  Johnny Pacheco Returns To The New York
His Salsa Once Changed  Dapper, charismatic, and 68 years young,
Johnny Pacheco is one of New York's cultural lions, a Juilliard
alumnus who revolutionized the way Afro-Latin swing, a/k/a
salsa, was perceived around the world. One of the last of a
vanishing breed, Pacheco holds a torch that now shines as much
for fallen comrades like Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Héctor
Lavoe, Celia Cruz, Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez, Charlie Palmieri,
and José Fajardo as for himself. Simultaneously at work on a new
solo album and a biographical memoir spanning his life at the
epicenter of Latin club music, Pacheco is far from hanging up
his clave. This week, he appears with his conjunto-style
orchestra to inaugurate regular Latin nights at a spanking-new
midtown venue—LQ at 47th Street and Lexington Avenue.  His group
Tumbao Anejo spent much of 2003 gigging in the five boroughs and
Puerto Rico. In 2002 they were doing that plus playing dates in
Europe, Florida, an