Salsa is dead, reggaeton is dead: Long live the rolling Afro-Latin music thread 2009

Really those comments are beyond parody.

i wrote the same on my blog re SHO
AH, yes. Since NO ONE WANTS TO DANCE, say that YOU DONT WANT PEOPLE TO DANCE TO IT!!!

you forgot one
"Tego Calderon,"I'd rather be doing hiphop/salsa/bomba".

Maybe they'll do an album with Autechre.

the dance trivializes what we do

this is amazing

Wow

http://stevebroback.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/sprockets.jpg

The next Spanish Harlem Orchestra album title has leaked!

¡NO SOY LA RUMBA!

Featuring "Bailadores (Get Off My Lawn!)"

Hey New Yorkers (I'm in suburban DC): A message from author/musician Ned Sublette

Today-Saturday at 4

i will be speaking today (saturday) at 4 p.m. at columbia university, at an ethnomusicologists' conference called "sound in circulation." the title of my paper is "the movement of music through the afro-atlantic world in the prehistoric era before sound recording."

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cmsc/

the hard-working daphne carr, who put it together, sent these directions.

>Philosophy Hall is best got at by the 1 to 116th. Walk through the main
>gate, up the left stairs towards Alma Mater statue, walk right towards
>the east on the terrace. There's a Rodin statue in the courtyard where
>Philosophy Hall stands. There will be a number of yellow landscape
>sized posters on the door announcing the gig. Inside main floor left
>side. You're on at 4pm and Chris Washburne is going to intro you. We
>roll at 10am, breakfast is served. Bring a posse!

all right, posse, you heard the lady. . . .

Speaking of presentations, Seattle area resident Rev will have to brief us on the following at the EMP Pop Conference April 17th:

>> iReggaetón! Perreo and Beyond
Venue: JBL Theater
Reggaetón and especially perreo, the genre's doggystyle dance, has been accused of facilitating corruption. This discussion, keyed to a new book, links sympathetic and critical observers from the humanities and social sciences, visual artists and genre performers, and a perspective from Jamaica.
Moderated by: Alexandra Vazquez
Featuring:
Carolina Caycedo, "¡Reggeatón! Perreo and Beyond"
Wayne Marshall, "¡Reggeatón! Perreo and Beyond"
Raquel Rivera, "¡Reggeatón! Perreo and Beyond"
Sonjah Stanley-Niaah, "¡Reggeatón! Perreo and Beyond"
Alexandra Vazquez, "¡Reggeatón! Perreo and Beyond

nice, i've been waiting for the book to be available already

http://www.dukeupress.edu/cgibin/forwardsql/search.cgi?template0=nomatch.htm&template2=books/book_detail_page.htm&user_id=3813148904&Bmain.item_option=1&Bmain.item=17490

Speaking of presentations, Seattle area resident Rev will have to brief us on the following at the EMP Pop Conference April 17th:

>> iReggaetón! Perreo and Beyond
Venue: JBL Theater
Reggaetón and especially perreo, the genre's doggystyle dance, has been accused of facilitating corruption. This discussion, keyed to a new book, links sympathetic and critical observers from the humanities and social sciences, visual artists and genre performers, and a perspective from Jamaica.
Moderated by: Alexandra Vazquez
Featuring:
Carolina Caycedo, "¡Reggeatón! Perreo and Beyond"
Wayne Marshall, "¡Reggeatón! Perreo and Beyond"
Raquel Rivera, "¡Reggeatón! Perreo and Beyond"
Sonjah Stanley-Niaah, "¡Reggeatón! Perreo and Beyond"
Alexandra Vazquez, "¡Reggeatón! Perreo and Beyond

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― curmudgeon, Saturday, March 7, 2009 6:08 PM Bookmark

oh btw, I have my hands on a copy of the book and am in the process reading it

of

Fauxmarc, did you go to Jowell y Randy? I know you said you weren't crazy about them, but I got the impression since the show was within the city limits you were thinking of checking it out anyway. I did not find any newspaper or blog writeups of the show online.

i did not, it's still a minute or two to get out to ibiza at the edge of northeast, and i'm lame about leaving downtown.

Arlington me was busy at home with parental duties. Speaking of Arlington, El Canario is gonna be at the Salsa Room, formerly Cecialia's, on March 21st. I have seen him a few times, opening for Celia Cruz once and I forget where the other time. I liked him live.

i actually move to nyc next week, and although i'm coming back and forth over the next month, the 21st i'm supposed to do the stuckonsalsa + clavekazi spring fever jam at clavekazi's studio on new york avenue (411 NE, same spot as "the warehouse"). no live music, but djs neo, renzo, bruno, lee el gringuito and the elite rumbero, and a rack of the dancing community, should be a good time.

Dj Bruno is very knowledgeable

Um, RIP Ralph Mercado.

Back when I was just starting to get into salsa, I think most of the CDs I bought were on the RMM label (Ralph Mercado Media), mostly since that's what dominated the selection at the HMV and Tower's I went to (and of course I really didn't know what else to look for or want at that time).

Did everybody hear this Afro-pop feature on bugalu?

http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/75/Bugalu

I caught it last night and it has some great snippets of interview with Joe Cuba. (Apparently parts of what became "Bang! Bang!" were lifted from what the audience itself started yelling when it was performed.) Also, Johnny Colon talks about a conspiracy to silence bugalu.

Here's an excerpt featuring the Joe Cuba segments:

http://odeo.com/episodes/24292355-Bugalu

Here's a new Fania reissue that was on my wish list. (I haven't actually heard the whole album.)

http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/12483.10?yoY7EFWs;;393

This looks like a good collection of newish merengue, but I'm awaiting further input from la mulata rumbera:

http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/23517.10?M3vaGRWb;;411

Not really into hearing "wiggle wiggle wiggle just a little bit" in English; I wonder what I'd think of a lot of this stuff if I understood Spanish.

That Larry Harlow reissue with Berrios and Faddis on it does look nice.

Howdy y'all

I will check out that merengue release and report when I get a little more time.
For now, aint nothin like sunshine, blue skies, warm days and SALSA. Salsa CLASICA!

Tito Nieves BEFORE he fell OFF!

God I love cowbells!!

Merengue in the news!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090325/ap_en_ot/crespo_plane_incident

"I don't recall doing that"

R.I.P. awesome timbalero Manny Oquendo

RIP

How come all these guys have issues (re: Crespo)? (Not so much all these Latin music guys, but all these celebrity guys.)

RIP Manny Oquendo.

think you will like this blog full of Kwaito house, Suicide meets Cumbia http://generationbass.com/

Anyone see Juan DeMarcos and his AfroCuban Allstars on their first US tour in years. The membership has changed somewhat

02/17/2009, Tacoma, WA, Broadway Center for the Performing Arts
02/18/2009, Olympia, WA, Washington Center for the Performing Arts
02/19/2009, Longview, WA Rose Theatre
02/20/2009, Eugene, OR, Hult Center for Performing Arts
02/22/2009, Arcata, CA, Arcata Theater
02/24/2009, Chico, CA, Cal State University/Chico
02/25/2009, Berkeley, CA, UC / Berkeley
02/26/2009, Berkeley, CA, UC / Berkeley
02/26/2009, Davis, CA, UC/Davis
02/27/2009, Cerritos, CA, Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
02/28/2009, Santa Barbara, CA, UC / Santa Barbara
03/02/2009, Tucson, AZ, University of Arizona
03/03/2009, Mesa, AZ, Mesa Center for the Performing Arts
03/06/2009, Austin, TX, Paramount Theatre
03/07/2009, Dallas, TX, Titas
03/10/2009, Iowa City, IA, West High School
03/13/2009, Madison, WI, Overture Center for the Arts
03/14/2009, Grand Rapids, MN, Myles Reif Performing Arts Center
03/15/2009, Minneapolis, MN, Orchestra Hall
03/18/2009, Urbana, IL, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
03/20/2009, University, IL, Governers State University - Center
03/21/2009, Toledo, OH, Valentine Theatre
03/22/2009, Cincinnati, OH, Aronoff Center / Procter & Gamble
03/24/2009, Oxford, OH, Miami University - Hall Auditorium
03/26/2009, Trenton, NJ, War Memorial Patriots Theatre
03/27/2009, Greenvale, NY, Tilles Center for the Performing Arts
03/28/2009, New York, NY, Town Hall Theatre
03/29/2009, New Bedford, MA, Zeiterion Theatre
03/31/2009, North Bethesda, MD, The Music Center at Strathmore
04/01/2009, Charlottesville, VA, Paramount Theatre
04/02/2009, Hampton, VA, American Theatre
04/03/2009, Greensboro, N, Carolina Theatre
04/04/2009, Atlanta, GA, Variety Playhouse
04/07/2009, Ft. Pierce, FL, Sunrise Theatre
04/08/2009, Ft. Pierce, FL, Sunrise Theatre
04/08/2009, West Palm Beach, FL, Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Arts
04/09/2009, Tampa FL, Ferguson Hall
04/11/2009, Miami, FL, Knight Concert Hall

http://www.rockpaperscissors.biz/index.cfm/fuseaction/current.bio/project_id/401.cfm

I saw the dvd of an AfroCuban Allstars tour from a couple years ago I think, decent if unsurprising Cuban big band sounds(horns, flute, tres, bass, piano, timbales, percussion, vocalists). I 'm gonna see 'em tomorrow night. The Rock paper scissors link above has all the musicians listed.

So the Washington Post has a cover story re how the White House and Congress, over opposition from Congressman Menendez(I think that's his name, Cuban-American Democrat guy who represents New Jersey) is going to loosen restrictions on visiting Cuba and sending money to people there. Menendez says that European countries and others never had the embargo/sanctions the US had and Cuba is just as dictatorial.

Saw Juan de Marcos' latest version of the Afro-Cuban Allstars tonight. 2 hour show in an 1,800 or so seat hall. Kinda uneven but still worth it--I liked when they stuck to classic Afro-Cuban dance music (or even almost timba sounding variations)but de marcos was eager to let everyone show off their Latin-jazz chops. So that meant solos by everyone--all three trumpeteers, the two trombonists, numerous piano solos, timbales, congas, bongo. The piano player,Nachito Herrerra, was good-alternately offering lively and cinematic, and melancholy tones plus classic Latin rhythmic fingerwork. The three vocalists who were onstage for various songs ranged in age--so the young one added some raps and got salsa romantica, the oldest one was the sonero, and the other one blended the best of older and younger. They also did Latin meets Motown group choreography with a few modern gyrations thrown in. The sound was good-so when all those horns were roaring together over the clave beat there were some awesome moments. De Marcos also talked a bit (he likes Obama, likes allowing Cuban-Americans sending money home, and he still hopes for freedom there). He also slow-danced and salsa'd with his wife whom he thanked for helping get Buena Vista musicians back in forth to the studio in the '90s. The Cubans and others in the audience who wanted to dance finally got a shot for the final 2 numbers.

5/29 La Historia Continua - Gilberto Santarosa & Victor Manuelle 9:00PM $41-$81 at George Mason Patriot Center

Can these guys pack a 5,000 seat DC area gym in 2009? I'm skeptical

i think it's possible, especially out in nova as opposed to dc proper. speaking of names coming to nova, toby love in annandale of all places.

Oh, the Star Lounge in Annandale! I picked up a flyer once for that place. The Star Lounge and a place in Springfield, VA and a place in Woodbridge, VA (senile me has forgotten the names) have been booking acts over the past few years. But unless you listen closely to radio ads on El Zol or find the postcards/flyers you will never hear about them. No ads in Spanish language area newspapers and they certainly aren't informing the W. Post or City Paper. I wonder if these gigs are on Facebook now (sometimes googling I find them on Myspace). Maybe I'll have to give in and get a Facebook site.

I think Love played Star Lounge Valentine's Day though. He didn't bring his urban bachata to Manhattan either- his NY area shows were at Jan. 31 - Ritz Theatre, Elizabeth, NJ; Feb. 6 - Passion Night Club, Hartford , CT
Feb. 13 - Angel Lounge, Brooklyn , NY

yeah, i tend to only find out through myspace bulletins

i get all sorts of party invites etc via facebook, its a pretty good source of latin music insider info if ur hooked into the grapevine

u think victor manuelle cant fill a 5000 seat place?

Alright, maybe I'm wrong.

So nobody else cares about De Marcos' AfroCuban Allstars? Too retro and not pop or street enough or Buena Vista backlash or all of those reasons I guess.

i just don't know of them, a woman in my class went out for her birthday though. having to sit around and not dance for most of this sounds painful.

also, any opinions on the spam allstars, "Miami’s hardest-working Latin-fusion band"? their album was recommended to me in miami last week by a woman working a record store after asking for some hard stuff. i'm pretty eh on it, they come off as very fusion / jam-bandish but according to their website http://www.spamallstars.com/ they seem to be getting around.

Yea, they sound like watered-down funk w/ a touch of 'electronica'

again with the va: voltio in falls church april 23rd

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/107/l_0b25dd974cf745cfb6e1a2b251cb18f4.jpg

That's where the audience and the promoters are, but you know that. Thursday's become the big night to do events of all styles it seems.

...is the current incarnation of grupo niche any good? just found out they're playing el morocco in harlem on april the 18th

http://www.clubplanet.com/Events/115111/El-Morocco-Concert-Series-presents-Grupo-Niche

Pretty good Josh Kun piece from today's NY Times on the success of Regional Mexican bands (and especially Los Pikadientes de Caborca, who I haven't heard) in selling music via cellphones:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/arts/music/05kun.html?ref=global-home

"Dr. Phil" started this thread that never quite took off--
OK, I'LL start it: Rolling Banda/Duranguense/Narcocorrido/Flashy Matching Suits Regional Mexican Thread 2009