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

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

x-post re Grupo Niche... Haven't seen 'em but I think the current version keeps touring alot so I'm guessing they're still good

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.

From what you said about them, it didn't sound like you cared about them yourself. They aren't just retro. Their Step Forward or Steps Forward album, or whatever it was called, dipped into timba, and so it was not only BVSC boring but annoying because of the timba elements.

...is the current incarnation of grupo niche any good?

I think they could be worth seeing. Mind you, the one and only time I saw them was a few years back. I'm not sure if the lineup has changed significantly since then.

I finally got to hear all of Grupo Fantasma's Sonidos Gold, and it's definitely one of my favorite albums from 2008. I think they handle cumbia best, but their extended salsa track "Rumba y Guaguanco" is good as well. Their sound is heavy on surf guitar, afropop/funk/ska horns, and sometimes dubby production. They're kind of derivative, but things end up sounding fresh enough. I definitely recommend checking it out. It's not primarily salsa, and it might appeal more than a straight salsa album to people who prefer, boogaloo to salsa (not that it's boogaloo, but in a way it's in a similar spirit). But their Afro-Latin percussion sounds pretty hot to me. (There is a cameo appearance by Larry Harlow, though it's nothing too noteworthy.)

http://www.myspace.com/fantasmatics

Whoops, I missed your post-All Stars-concert post, curmudgeon.

Henry Knowles from New York City, the most famous Salsa DJ in the world will be the special guest DJ Friday at Divino Lounge 7345 Wisconsin Ave. Bethesda, MD.

Should I go to this?

he holds a seeminly popular after-work mondays in new york i've been meaning to go to but haven't checked out yet, might be ok

More on Grupo Fantasma: one thing they do more than I realized until I sat down and listened more closely is to switch up from one rhythm to another (most often, well twice at least, cumbia to salsa). The fact that I hadn't really registered how much they do this reflects how organically its done. Build tension: jump to a different rhythm. They also blend genres, like afrobeat and samba (which blend pretty easily). I'll have more to say when I get some technical issues resolved. (Notes at home but I've got a virus on my old flashdrive and probably on my PC, etc. etc.)

And as curmudgeon pointed out previously, they are favorites of Prince, who had them playing at his place in Las Vegas for an ongoing gig.

Re: Group Niche (not sure why I didn't say this before), I'm wondering if Osvaldo Román is still with the band. Since he has this solo album (with Diego Gale), which doesn't sound too promising judging by these clips:

http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/23510.10?sKFo6jRB;;446

probably not, everyone on the flyer looks really young

Another thing about Grupo Fantasma: although comparisons are frequently made to the Fania All Stars (probably because of the Larry Harlow connection), some of what they are doing seems to me to have way more in common with 70s Eddie Palmieri. The abrupt cut from the rumba intro. on Fantasma's "Rumba y Guaguanco" is kind of like things you will here on, say, Palmieri's Lucumi Macumba Voodoo. Also the reverb and effects and stuff seems more Palmieri-ish. At any rate, nothing here really reminds me of the Fania All Stars (though I admit there's a good chunk of their catalog I haven't heard).

More on Sonidos Gold:

01 – El Sabio Soy Yo. Funk intro. then moves into cumbia/reggae. “Surf guitar” or “detective movie music guitar” or whatever you want to call it.

02 – Levantate. (Cumbia/salsa) There’s a rich layering of sounds here, even some violin in the mix. Builds up mid-track and switch-up to son clave.

03 – Arroz Con Frijoles. (Samba/afrobeat into samba) 3:04 switches up to pure samba (or at least it sounds that way to me).

04 – Bacalao Con Pan. (Funk/salsa) I guess that’s funk guitar? Vocals go off kind of sonero-like. More of a clave feel comes in at about 2:00 minutes in, though it’s still got one foot in funk somehow.

05 – Rumba y Guaguanco. (Rumba/salsa) Is this really rumba per se or some sort of orisha song? I'm still not sure. Heavy reverb on the vocals. The clapping seems untraditional (too simple to be traditional Afro-Cuban rhythm?) but works nicely. Maybe salsa producers should take note on the successful dub-like production here as an alternative to certain purist notions of salsa dura production. This is really really hot by the middle. Some unhinged-in-a-good-way trombone. Quite a bit of trombone throughout the album actually.

06 – Rebotar. (Cumbia con clave) This melody reminds me faintly of the old (much-quoted in salsa and Latin jazz solos) bolero “Historia de Amor.” No idea if that’s intentional. Switch-up at 3:08, into something more clave-inflected. Long vintage (farfisa?) keyboard solo. & back to cumbia.

07 – Cumbia De Los Pajaritos. (Cumbia Instrumental) Solid cumbia beginning with lots of reverb-y guitar. Pretty dubby overall.

08 – Gimme Some. (Funk) Maybe most outright funk so far, though still bolstered by Latin percussion. Plays off Santana's "No One to Depend On" and, I think, "Evil Ways." A little obvious sub-James-Brown yelling, for fun. Lengthy saxophone solo.

09 – El Desconocido. (Cumbia) Killer cumbia beginning. Lots of electric guitar (with effects) in this one. This was the track I heard on the radio that really caught my attention. I like this at least as much as the tracks where they mix rhythms.

10 – Se Te Mira. (Salsa) Salsa type percussion. Then in with horns and clave. This really is some kind of salsa/funk mix I guess. Sneaky intro to “Soltero” at the end of “Se Te Mira.”

11 – Soltero. (Cumbia) Cumbia. Heavy on trombone.

12 – Perso Fra I Mesquites. (Instrumental somethingorother?) I’m not really sure what this rhythm is, but I feel I surely should know. But the sound is very South/western surf guitar ish. Squelchy guitar effects. I think the unexpected violin soloing saves it from descending to mere filler status. Not sure how to label the violin playing which seems “eastern” to me somehow but maybe not.

One of these days I'm gonna walk out on you people and start a (mediocre) blog.

Ha. RS, I like that Grupo Fantasma cd too, just haven't listened to it in awhile.

Anybody else check out all (11 I think) of those Panamanian reggaeton cuts over the Neyo "Miss Independent" sampled rhythm? Wayne links to 'em on the wayne and wax blog/website.

not sure which post you're referring to. also, did not realize the book is out!

Near the bottom of his April 3rd posting. They may be Panamanian dancehall reggae artists and not reggaeton.

Re the reggaeton book, while Wayne is certainly holding it in his hand in a photo, when I went to Amazon it said it was not available yet.

RS, I like that Grupo Fantasma cd too, just haven't listened to it in awhile.

Weird. Why haven't you made any comment about it (aside from mentioning that Prince likes it) in the time I've been bringing it up? Apparently for a lot of people it's just very average. I think it's above average.

I thought I did, but maybe not. Maybe cuz it's a 2008 cd, I thought I said something about them back then. I wrote a Washington City Paper preview item for 'em a little while back, and years ago when they had a slightly different membership I reviewed their free show at the Kennedy Center for the Washington Post. Back then I posted this on a thread:

Haikunym, interesting you should just mention cumbia and its relation to ska and polka as I just saw the Laredo, Texas formed,Austin-based mostly all Mexican-American Grupo Fantasma do a nice set of mostly all cumbia(although the singing was just ok). They told me afterwards that they're into old-school Colombian cumbia as well as cumbia they've heard in a few surviving dive bars across the borders which they say are attended largely by dancers and hookers.

Like Bio Ritmo, they've been trying in DC to reach a crossover Anglo audience, playing rock clubs like Black Cat rather than Latin clubs.

What do you think of the singing on Sonidos Gold? I think it's pretty solid. The rest of the music is strong enough to carry it, anyway. The vocals aren't exactly spectacular, but I like them.

I think because they do funk, cumbia, Santana style stuff, and salsa and have backed Prince, and do lots of gigs aimed at English-speakers, they get ignored or dismissed by some purists no matter how good they sound. Now I've never been crazy about their vocals, but they're better on Sonidos Gold then I remember them in the past. I think they're a good party band. Others may sincerely think they're just average.

I heard one song from the new Jimmy Bosch album last night,“Mujeres Manda,” featuring Johana Castaneda. I was not impressed with either the track overall or her vocals.

I also heard a cut from the new album by Choco Orta album, but I didn't even regonize it as such until it was announced. It didn't make much of an impression, but judging from the samples here, I might want to buy this anyway:

http://music.barnesandnoble.com/Ahora-Mismo/Choco-Orta/e/094922112156/?itm=1

(Otherwise, KUNM's salsa show (which isn't really just salsa, more like the range of what we (theoretically) discuss on this thread) often plays way too much timba for my taste and I often end up turning it off long before it ends.)

Well, Grupo Fantasma are somewhat peripheral to salsa per se, but on this album anyway they seem pretty solidly rooted in cumbia. I haven't heard any of their earlier albums. I do think the salsa tracks are good though. I think the end result of their mixing different styles of music is not the mish-mash some might expect.

Based on the stingy audio clips I've heard, I do think there are going to be at least a couple songs I like on the new Jimmy Bosch CD.

So at long last you're calling off your Jimmy Bosch fatwah?