Rolling Afro-Latin Music 2015 and onward: Salsa, Bomba, Merengue,Reggaeton, Bachata, Latin-Jazz and more

(Oops. Didn't edit that cut and paste properly.)

good enough to get the point across about all that music

http://www.billboard.com/photos/6686047/50-most-essential-latin-albums-past-50-years/6

There's probably another thread I should put this on

Never liked Mana

More from Billboard

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/latin/6693102/bogota-music-market-colombian-artists-you-need-to-know

Interesting list. I've heard 13 of those, and there are a few more I'd like to check out.

N#d S#bl%tte on Egram and Cuban music and the US

Cuban music was repressed in Miami through terrorism -- I remember one DJ who played Cuban music on a non-commercial station there checking his car in the morning for bombs -- through repudio (organized mob action), through blacklisting of performers who traveled to Cuba, and under an absolute ironclad boycott enforced by Miami broadcasters, who wouldn't even take payola to play it, and ultimately by advertisers. "I'll play it when there is a free Cuba," said one Miami program director to me on the phone when I brought him NG La Banda in 1992, in tones of moral righteousness that I have never otherwise heard in hit-driven radio, about any issue.

It had consequences. The greatest, most innovative Latin dance music of the 90s -- Los Van Van, NG La Banda, Adalberto y Su Son, Charanga Habanera, Paulito Y Su Elite, Manolito y Su Trabuco, and many more -- achieved musical immortality, and built fan bases in cities all around the world, but they didn't get the kind of commercial rewards they merited, as mainstream outlets pretended this music just didn't exist. The genre of timba was mediatically silenced while it was at its apogee in about 1992 though '97, contributing to the climate in which the Buena Vista Social Club movie could popularize an image of a Cuba bereft of contemporary culture, though nothing could have been further from the truth.

Cuban artists occasionally wound up as a low-priority release on one or another major label, typically acquired as part of a foreign catalog from a third country, but generally were not heard on major labels or on US radio or TV, for reasons that had nothing to with content. (Though there was also the fact that the artists were generally blacker than most of what's allowed on corporate Spanish-language TV, which seems to take place in some Spanish-speaking white universe.) There still seems to be a commercial radio boycott of Cuban music in the US, but now that people under 30 don't know what a radio is and have stopped buying records, it matters much less.

Oops,didn't c & P the section on Egrem (now spelled right) just the latter portion

It had consequences. The greatest, most innovative Latin dance music of the 90s -- Los Van Van, NG La Banda, Adalberto y Su Son, Charanga Habanera, Paulito Y Su Elite, Manolito y Su Trabuco, and many more

It may be the most innovative, but I still think these bands are all overrated (yes, including Van Van). I wish there had been no embargo so that I wouldn't have to hear timba boosters belly aching about how their music missed its chance to become wildly popular with Latin music fans in the U.S.

The only Palmieri on the 50 album list is the mediocre collaboration with Tito Puente?

Looks like a number of the salsa selections are collaborations. Too many glitzy glossy balladeers on that list for me, but other choices are of interest

This is a quick, third-quarter reminder that all available tracks mentioned on this thread (and/or an album selection from each listed) are being updated to the thread-specific Spotify playlist as posted. I just did another top-to-bottom sweep prior to posting this message and have revised as of today with everything that's been added since first mentioned. Subscribe if you're into it!

It's 62 tracks, over 4 hours long.

Rolling Latin / Afro-Latin 2015 Thread Spotify Playlist

So cool that you're doing this!

Dafnis Prieto and band's new Latin jazz effort Triangles and Circles

Finally listened...It's a decent jazz record.

Listening to LaFourcade again as she is on a North American tour. Album starts strong and despite a few weak cuts near the end, it satisfies in that guitar-pop manner she has long done. I guess as long she just sings in Spanish, she will never get much Pitchfork or other crossover love.

Here's what was said about her earlier this year here--

------------ ----------------

Natalia Lafourcade's new album Hasta La Raíz comes out today. I'm listening to it on Spotify and it's fucking great; will probably buy it from Amazon MP3 by day's end.

https://open.spotify.com/album/6DWTUm9rifRvl5PTyNMwqV

― the top man in the language department (誤訳侮辱), Tuesday, March 17, 2015 1:53 PM (6 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Cool. Like her too and will give it a listen. My only concern in advance is that she was a bit uneven live when I saw her perform last year.

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, March 17, 2015 1:58 PM (6 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

It's a very produced record. Not in the sense that it sounds of-the-moment; it's got a classic '60s vibe (strings, heavily reverbed guitars, etc.), with very few concessions to the 21st Century.

― the top man in the language department (誤訳侮辱), Tuesday, March 17, 2015 2:06 PM (6 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Still need to get to that. On my list

― curmudgeon, Saturday, March 21, 2015 3:31 PM (6 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Finally gave Lafourcade a quick listen. I like it too, and like Venegas it has that timeless Latin-American indie-pop feel that they both can do so well. Trying to figure out why they do it more impresively than many folks singing in English---better craft, better melodies...

― curmudgeon, Thursday, March 26, 2015 2:17 PM (6 months ago) Bookmark

the Lafourcade album i getting some sort of re-release now.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/latin/6708068/natalia-lafourcade-latin-grammy-nominations-hasta-la-raiz-leonel-garcia

It’s been a huge week for Natalia Lafourcade -- and one in which she hasn’t slept much. But that’s quite all right, because the Mexican indie pop darling has been celebrating her five Latin Grammy nominations, including album of the year for Hasta La Raíz and song and record of the year for its title song.

It was a rather unexpected triumph, since Lafourcade hasn’t had a presence on the Billboard charts in years, but it’s also a reaffirmation that great music from quieter artists is still being recognized in a major way.

The magic is in Lafourcade’s collaboration with fellow Mexican singer-songwriter (and former Sin Bandera member) Leonel García, who scored the most nominations (six) this year -- three of them for Lafourcade’s “Hasta La Raíz,” which they co-wrote. The two had worked together on several past projects, including García’s Todas Mías album in 2013 and her own tribute album to the late Mexican icon Agustín Lara Mujer Divina in 2012.

Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club® has been invited to perform at The White House this Thursday, October 15, in celebration of Hispanic Heritage month, where a delegation of about 500 dignitaries and politicians from around the world will be hosted by President Barack Obama.

All the press release news you need to know...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESri9bP7qcI

Winstar?! My first thought was: get out of here! But I guess it's from the name of a famous car.

I heard a bunch of new "tropical" music in my room while I was out of town, on a Music Choice channel (odd operation), so I still need to sort through some of that, but I notice there is an awful lot of new reggaeton that sounds like a weaker version of Jowell & Randy from a few years back. Meanwhile, an entire pop bachata industry should be giving thanks every day to Aventura. I am ready for it to go away. And everyone is wearing leather jackets. I am hoping the younger Dominicans in NYC will come up with something new and exciting. (Maybe they already have, and I probably simply haven't heard it.)

I'm not sure I have ever been right when I've said about some pop music trend: this can't last.

Like some of what I heard by Jory Boy. Haven't listened to the album yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz3obZL2IGo&list=PLOKZoLC5WhHcgnmOkouuBF3Sx6hbrUVyQ

(Jury is still out.)

It may be that I was just hard up for music.

OK, this is one I heard and specifically like, now that I've listened to a bit of it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbv6G6V2hfM

but I notice there is an awful lot of new reggaeton that sounds like a weaker version of Jowell & Randy from a few years back. Meanwhile, an entire pop bachata industry should be giving thanks every day to Aventura

Yep, can't really add to this, but that's my take on this as well

http://latinjazznet.com/2015/06/12/reviews/cds/tropical-report/ruben-blades-new-album-son-de-panama/

with Roberto Delgado's band

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/latin/6678596/ruben-blades-salsa-alter-ego-fear-the-walking-dead

I haven't listened to this yet...Blades is keeping busy

Not seeing Blades album on Spotify. Spotify search engine can be weird. Will check again later and elsewhere

New Grupo Niche album. Have not heard it yet, but I think they are still a force to be reckoned with.

http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/25820.10?NrgkSHwE;;397

OK. On closer inspection it seems to be remakes, or mostly remakes at the very least, but that's not necessarily all bad. They've done worthwhile remakes of their own material in the past. I'm surprised to find there are still good Niche songs that I either haven't heard or don't recognize. Haven't looked on Spotify yet, but there it is for now on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYo6c9kMpvM

I am not too interested in Blades at this point, but I might give a listen at some point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHosLW2NlYg

For the Spotify playlist, I am requesting that you stick to the more driving tracks. I don't generally like when Niche veers toward the salsa romantica end of things. Of course, this is just a request. You can do what you want. I think some of those more salsa romantica songs are actually more popular in Colombia than a lot of my favorites.

But anyway, other highlights (besides El Coco) for me would be: Mi Negrita y la Calentura, Primer Mensaje, and Primero y Que. Maybe a couple at the end too, but I need to listen more.

Also, you are very fast! I was shocked to see tracks from the album there already.

I'd like Spanish fries with that too.

There was some discussion over at salsaforums about how timba sounding or not this track is. At any rate, it does pull together a slightly novel blend of elements:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9kNd8EVMv8

Here's Oscar D'Leon and here's El Mola was on Bannakumbi's debut.

(I was adding a "who" but somehow clicked on send. Must have been some delayed scrolling.)

"As one of today’s most unique and prepared artists and musicians, Jorge Villamizar is a household name across the Americas and the Caribbean." (Wikipedia)

(El Mola is not really one of my favorite parts of that Bannakumbi album, but anyway. . .)

I was thinking that right now there are three political/social and/or economic trends that could lead to new developments in musica antillana:

• The US opening to Cuba, allowing more communication and collaboration to and from Cuba.
• The influx of Dominicans into NYC. This is already breeding a number of minor bachata stars. Maybe something more interesting will come of it. (One can hope.)
• The economic deterioration of Puerto Rico, which is likely to lead to more Puerto Ricans moving to mainland United States. I am not happy the Puerto Rican economy is in such dire straits, I am just pointing out that it could lead to some sort of new developments musically, especially if large numbers of Puerto Ricans relocate to the US.

I am not going to make any specific predictions (I'm sure they'd be wrong), but I think we could see some clearly new developments ten years from now.

(Sorry, I think the Bannakumbi album I am talking about what not actually their debut.)

my first First Listen listen to Grupo Fantasma's Problemas(Oct. 30) immediately had me walking into the club, eyes all over the place behind my shades; eyes all over the joint all over me too, with searching horns, especially: nuanced but never navelgazing, reaching and pushing, rough-edged and thoughtful and alert. Haven't gotten equally into all tracks, but several things are remarkable (intriguing fade of penultimate, which I'd love to hear further explored live; casually complex flair of finale, for two). The bolero version of Los Beatles' "Because" ("Porque") will get them played and maybe interviewed on World Cafe etc., but they go way past that all the time. Listening on sub-sub-audiophile headphones and distractable work computer, but pretty sure it's pretty good:
http://www.npr.org/2015/10/21/449220567/first-listen-grupo-fantasma-problemas

Even better so far (think I mentioned this before, but hey)
http://www.stereogum.com/1804712/stream-malportado-kids-total-cultura/mp3s/

That's the side-project band from punksters the Downtown Boys. I like 'em better than the Downtown Boys.

Ruben Blades with Roberto Delgado "Son de Panama" album is on Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCCNx07drdQ

I think some folks including me talked about that Malportado Kids release back in May; but on the Downtown Boys thread

•The influx of Dominicans into NYC. This is already breeding a number of minor bachata stars. Maybe something more interesting will come of it. (One can hope.)

Bachata has become so successful as it features young heartthrobs singing sappy songs that appeal to Latin radio & tv; fans of all ages from everywhere who like melodic songs (its kind of the successor to salsa romantica) and it has just enough rhythm and edge to appeal to others.

But yea, hopefully there will be something more. Some of the Cubans and Puerto Ricans in NYC who seek to do something "different", end up just playing formulaic (to some of us) Latin Jazz

xpost Yeah, I agree re preferring Malportado Kids to Downtown Boys---for one thing, the lead singer seems more confident/less brash-to-strained in the former---do I mean "less punk"? No. And the DBs certainly have their moments.

OT: Since Ned Sublette gets a lot of mention here, three may be interest in his impressive looking new book:

http://www.amazon.com/American-Slave-Coast-Slave-Breeding-Industry/dp/1613748205/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1446145695&sr=1-1

Ned and his co-writer, wife Constance, are doing some bookstore and university appearances for this effort

Ned's such a great writer and thinker - will definitely have to check that out.

Amen. He also produced some amazing shows for Afropop Worldwide, and, while not as relevant to this thread as some other tracks (some of his other solo guitar excursions) on his wonderful Kiss Me Down South, the following, though also relatively laidback, is pretty cool ( with other Ned on this page, suce as "Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other, " later covered by Willie Nelson for Brokeback Mountain)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0Q7JjcsF_A

I still need to check out Cowboy Rhumba.

His current book apparently covers how the Confederate South wanted to take over Cuba.

Unrelated-- As a Grupo Niche fan myself, I need to check out that latest one, and some other stuff Rudy posted. Plus that Grupo Fantasma Texas group Dow mentioned (and that others have discussed here over the years)