Rolling Afro-Latin Music 2023: Reggaeton, Salsa,Bachata, Bomba, Latin Jazz, Merengue, Urbano and more Latinx

We Like It Like That: The Story of Latin Boogaloo (2015) + a conversation with filmmaker Mathew Ramírez Warren.

Don’t remember seeing that doc and missed the Ned S zoom talk last night

Need to listen more to Karol G new album

Ned S*blette is excited about--

Music in NYC: Miguel Zenón + Luis Perdomo, Joe's Pub, Aug. 24, 9:30 p.m. I never miss an opportunity to hear these two masters play together. This is the launch event for their El Arte del Bolero Vol. 2 duo album.

Plus he just saw Ruben Blades uptown at the United Palace at 175th street ---
Rubén's voice is intact at the age of 75. At this NYC stop on his tour, he sang full voice for two and a half hours over the Roberto Delgado Big Band without taking so much as a sip of water that I could see, or leaving the stage, or bringing on any duet partners.

It was great to be able to hear this concert uptown. Most Spanish-speaking countries were in the house (there's always a roll call), and the audience knew seemingly all the catalog, singing along even with "Amor y Control" (1992). The penultimate tune of the night, his superhit "Pedro Navaja," a Threepenny Opera takeoff from the blockbuster Siembra album with Willie Colón in 1978, is a movie's worth of short story that's my favorite model of how to get a lyric to arrive at a perfect coro. If you know Latin music at all you know la vida te da sorpresas, sorpresas te da la vida, ay dios . . . He also sang "Mack the Knife" -- did I imagine this? no, he really did -- in his own English version. He kept the audience on a tight leash, announcing up front that there would be no encore, and on two occasions reprimanding people who shouted out the names of hits while he was talking.

The concert closed with his 1988 "Patria"

The one song I heard streaming from the new Zenon and Perdomo was really nice pleasant jazz. They are covering fave songs from new and old Spanish speaking artists and uh doing that .

I am liking the poppier songs on the Karol G album better than the more reggaeton ones

Seeing hype for Dominican producer / artist Diego Raposo but haven’t listened to new album yet

My Sunday night old school radio listening was nice as always. WPFW has a mambo show from 6 to 8 and a salsa dura 70s onward show from 8 to 10 eastern time

Cool!

i'm going to check that out!

WPFW shows are also archived on their website for 2 weeks. Worth checking out those 2 Sunday night shows.

ty

Listed as Latin Flavor Classic edition DJ Jim Byers

Latin Flavor Pa’lante edition DJ Daniel del Pielago

https://wpfwfm.org/radio/programming/schedule-grid

pretty into these guys recently

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxcav4kIByo

i realize that white hipsters doing vintage cumbia might not exactly fit but w/e

cumbia is definitely a white hipster thing these days but yeah it can still sound good

While listening to multiple versions of the reggae song "No, No, No," I came across a group called Boogaloo Assassins, who were a similarly retro-minded thing (I guess I'd compare them to the Dap-Kings, but for 1960s boogaloo/Latin soul) about 10 years ago. Not sure if they're still around:

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

Here's a performance from 2017:

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

Looks like Boogaloo Assassins are still around. They're Los Angeles based I see on their website

https://www.boogalooassassins.com/

I am listening to Colombia salsa vets Grupo Niche 2023 album “Niche Sinfónico”, recorded in collaboration with the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia

https://www.breakinglatest.news/news/symphonic-niche-a-dialogue-with-the-national-symphony-orchestra-of-colombia-news/

Nice!

It's their greatest hits by band founder and songwriter Jairo Varela who died in 2012; and by trombonist and arranger and co-founder Alexis Lozano who left the group in mid 80s , but it sounds good

X-post - finally listened to Diego Raposo album that J Lopez of Rolling Stone was touting. It’s ok — a mix of electro club beats and a bit of Latin pop.

Best Latin nominees for MTV video awards
Anitta – “Funk Rave” – Republic Records
Bad Bunny – “WHERE SHE GOES” – Rimas Entertainment
Eslabon Armado, Peso Pluma – “Ella Baila Sola” – DEL Records Inc. / Prajin Parlay, Inc. Grupo Frontera Bad Bunny – “un x100to” – Rimas Entertainment
KAROL G, Shakira – “TQG” – Universal Music Latino
ROSALÍA – “DESPECHÁ” – Columbia Records
Shakira – “Acróstico” – Sony Music US Latin

Brazilian Anitta won.

The Karol G & Shakira song Video TQG won in another category that is was also nominated for

i'm seeing these folks tomorrow night

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrdyMfZ5ycw

Lone Piñon - La Julia

Man, this Festejation gig at Terraza 7 right now is totally happening.

Band was already sounding great with four percussion players, then they had a special guest from Perú Negro.

There was also some tap dancing and now an awesome cajón solo.

Now Edward is playing some Neil Jason-level virtuoso funkiness.

And somewhere in there he was quoting something which I think was “Popcorn.”

I like Afro-Peruvian music. That sounds great

Maybe there will be or is a clip on FB.

will take a look.

Saturday Washington DC event:

Sat. Sept 16 in DMV DC-Memoria, Salsa, y Resistencia w/ a talk (& documentary ) by Marcos Echeverria Ortiz on the Afro-salsa Oiste Project on hidden salsa music history w/ National Park Service's Melissa Hurtado and dj'ing by Leon City Sounds @ 2 to 5 @ Mt Pleasant Library.

I summoned you

Oh thanks

https://pitchfork.com/news/shakira-karol-g-bad-bunny-rosalia-and-more-nominated-for-2023-latin-grammy-awards/

Latin Grammys awards ceremony will be in Spain for the first time, which has angered some

https://nominations.latingrammy.com/Nominees-24th-Annual-Latin-GRAMMY-Awards-2023.pdf

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/ralphie-choo-supernova/

Ralphie Choo- Spanish pop rap reggaeton flamenco

Lots of listening here to catch up on

Some NYC gigs that author Ned S*blette in interested in

eptember 22 (tonight!): Pablo Mayor + Folkore Urbano, the first of this fall's Uptown Nights Latin Music Series at Harlem Stage.

September 26-27: Sammy Figueroa feat. Aymée Nuviola and Kemuel Roig, Dizzy's. Music from his new album, Searching for a Memory. (see below).

September 28: Pedrito Martínez, DROM, 8 pm

Musician/ author Ned likes Sammy Figueroa album too

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-latin/jimmy-humilde-slams-latin-grammys-corridos-tumbados-1234831675/

WHEN THE LATIN Grammys announced its nominees last week, the corridos tumbados of Rancho Humilde’s top acts were notably missing from its list. Not a single project from the likes of Fuerza Régida, Natanael Cano, or Junior H made the cut.

On Monday, Jimmy Humilde — the head of Rancho Humilde and an early champion for the urban-leaning música Mexicana subgenre — lashed out against the Latin Recording Academy for snubbing his label’s acts, describing the leaders of the Academy as out of touch with the culture and music.

NPR tiny desk news

NPR Music's' Alt.Latino is celebrating Latinx Heritage Month with an incredible "El Tiny" takeover of the concert series for the third year in a row with an all-star lineup that includes Becky G, DannyLux, Alex Cuba, Villano Antillano, Rawayana, J Noa and Ivy Queen.

RIP Jon Fausty engineer on lots of Fania salsa releases and other Latin music over the decades. He won some Latin Grammys over the years.

https://x.com/richieperc/status/1707930185494884420?s=46&t=u2ZSlsY3trRV36IPP6jNDQ

http://www.jazzconclave.com/i-room/fausty.htm

The first Latin thing I recorded was in 1968 or '69 I believe. It was a big Latin band by the name of the Cesta All-Stars. It was for Al Santiago. That was the very first time I saw a set of timbales. I had no idea how to approach it. I'm sorry to say that it was a tremendous disaster in the studio. In those days I was recording on one inch eight track. I had no concept on how it was supposed to sound. I think I ended up with a bass and piano track. The baritone sax somewhere else. It was just horrible.

GR: A nightmare to mix?

JF: Definitely! It was also a nightmare to record. It was just so loud, so many cowbells. I just didn't have a concept. Later, in 1969, I started working in a relatively inexpensive recording studio by the name of Delta Recording. Since it was so inexpensive, all the Latin promoters would go in there and record these groups. It was really a fly-by-night business in those days. I was the chief engineer there. Because of the price, we had a large Latin clientele. That's really where I got my chops. I learned about Latin music and the mathematics involved in the music. That was my introduction to the world of Latin music. In the end of 1971 I started my relationship with Fania Records. That is where it all developed and I blossomed. I started working with the real heavyweights.

wow

Like Larry Harlow, Fausty was another Jewish guy from New York who became respected in the Latin music world for their skills

I was thinking Irv Greenbaum.

Oh , that’s probably a better comparison