Rolling Afro-Latin Music 2017: Salsa, Bomba, Merengue,Reggaeton, Bachata, Latin Jazz, Bolero and more

Another year

Vamanos pal hilo Rolling Afro-Latin Music 2016: Salsa, Bomba, Merengue,Reggaeton, Bachata, Latin-Jazz and more

Last year

Added bolero into title, but not Cubaton (decided the latter is covered by reggaeton).

Thanks

I hope something worth talking about happens this year, other than the deaths of musical giants.

From timberamayor's new timba thread over on salsaforums. This is from last year, but given the speed at which the subject of this thread moves, I think that's okay. Some nice things going on, on this:

https://www.facebook.com/170477913015585/videos/1303029873093711/

The vocals are the most appealing part for me.

Interesting Bandcamp article on Puerto Rican punk-salsa group Orquesta El Macabeo...

Just realized it's been over five years since the last Michael Stuart album. How about an album of him singing some new salsa dura and not more tribute to this tribute to that?

http://www.latinomusiccafe.com/2014/07/27/michael-stuart-rocks-with-return-to-salsa-single/

Yep. Saw this 2014 one-off song from him. He did some live gigs in 2016, but no album.

I completely missed that song. Will need to listen a few times. On first listen, it seems more serviceable than truly noteworthy.

N#d S*blette has been raving about this group who have been visiting NYC this weekend. They're at the SOBs club in NYC tonight and the below is from the club's site

SEPTETO SANTIAGUERO

As diplomatic tensions thaw, the dance floor heats up with the U.S. debut of one of Cuba’s most essential bands. Winner of the 2015 Latin Grammy for Best Traditional Tropical Album, Septeto Santiaguero honed its sound at Santiago de Cuba’s famous nightclub Casa de la Trova. Balancing reverence for tradition with an adventurous streak that has sparked collaborations with salsa stars like José Alberto “El Canario” and Rubén Blades, the band knows how to keep crowds moving wherever they go.

Pareles in NY Times :

Septeto Santiaguero, which was formed in 1995 to revive 1940s- and 1950s-style Cuban pop with a slight twist: adding a conga drummer to make it an eight-man septet. Driven by conga and bongos, topped with acoustic guitar and solos plucked on the tres, with trumpet cheekily answering the singers, it was sly, romantic, definitively Cuban and not just for local delight.

they were... fine? don't get the hubbub.

Cubanophiles will be that way.

Balancing reverence for tradition with an adventurous streak that has sparked collaborations with salsa stars like José Alberto “El Canario” and Rubén Blades

Are they supposed to represent "the new?" Pretty cutting edge. (Not that there is much of a cutting edge at this point.)

^ That reminds me of a friend interviewing Marcos Valle and asking if he would be playing mostly old stuff and he said "no, I've got some more recent stuff too" and as an example mentioned a single of his from the 80's.

Residente from Calle 13 has a NSFW video for his new solo song "Somos Anormales". Its ok

Ugh; Willie Colón comes out pro-Trump.

“I think he should have more salsa at his events.”

Ugh; Willie Colón comes out pro-Trump.

Some refreshingly sensible comments from him there, though I wouldn't criticize performers who want to boycott the inauguration. Considering who Trump was running against, I am relieved he won. He's not the only lifetime Democrat to vote for Trump.

But then again, I don't believe in open borders either.

Considering who Trump was running against, I am relieved he won.

OK, bye now. I have no interest in continuing this conversation.

I don't agree with Rudiph either. Trump's Supreme Court nominees will not be helpful

Just watched some video of afro-Venezuelan singing and percussion ensemble Betsayda Machado y la Parranda el Clavo at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Good stuff

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/20/arts/music/residente-calle-13-solo-album-interview.html?_r=0

Residente traced his genealogy and traveled to those various parts of the world linked to his heritage to record his new solo effort. Plus he discovered he's 3rd cousins of the Hamilton director Miranda. I haven't heard the new album yet.

I forget whether I have heard Don Omar song that's #1 on a Billboard chart

I was the only vote for Ile: Canibal in the Voice critics poll song/track list

This year is the 20th anniversary of Silencio = Muerte: Red Hot + Latin. Remember when "rock en español" was a thing?

Less crossover interest but things like the LAMC still happen

Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC) ... JULY 11th - 15th, 2017 NEW YORK CITY REGISTRATION COMING SOON

plus this:

http://www.npr.org/sections/altlatino/2017/01/11/509141239/the-alt-latino-spring-2017-new-music-preview

Café Tacuba and others

Oh, I know it still exists - the new Chicano Batman album is great. I mostly meant "a thing" as in "a thing you could get English-language editors to give a shit about."

Sadly, too many editors (and music critics) seem to be only interested in English language indie, plus pop and rap

Cuban acts remain trendy for some fests and concert halls. This is from the just announced New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest where Meghan Trainor and other big pop names will headline while on a smaller stage:

CUBA COMES TO JAZZ FEST:

Los Van Van ; Chucho Valdes Quintet ; Gente de Zona; Pedrito Martinez and the Rumba
; Telmary y Habana Sana of Cuba; Adonis y Osain del Monte of Cuba; Septeto Santiaguero of Cuba ; Changüí Guantánamo of Cuba; Septeto Nacional Ignacio Piñeiro of Cuba; Daymé Arocena of Cuba ; Conga Los Hoyos of Cuba; Grupo Caury of Cuba ;

I just turned in a Q&A with a Cuban metal band to Bandcamp. I included their answers in the original Spanish, alongside the translations, in case anyone reading was interested.

Winner

Donde Están? by Jose Lugo & Guasábara Combo

Best Tropical Latin Grammy winner at last night's award show

Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album: Ilevitable.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/latin/7686370/jose-lugo-surprise-latin-winner-grammys

the award went posthumously to Lugo and his Guasábara Combo for Dónde Están?, his last album before he succumbed to cancer in June 2016.

Lugo, a pianist, producer and bandleader, was no stranger to the Grammys; in 2006, Gilberto Santa Rosa’s Directo al corazón, produced by Lugo, won Best salsa album. And Lugo himself was nominated for his album Guasábara in 2010.

But death is powerful when it comes to awards. Already respected as a musician, Lugo was suddenly front and center after battling cancer, and losing, at only 56 years old.

from that Billboard article: Fonseca, fresh from winning a Latin Grammy (for Best tropical song), seemed a shoe-in with his adventuresome Conexión.

Still haven't listened to those 2 but intend to

Eh the Fonseca album's pop sheen is too gloppy

Finally listened to the Grammy winning late Lugo and his Guasábara Combo-- Dónde Están?.

Nice solid salsa and a cut near the end that has a Brazilian carnival drums feel to it.

Ben Ratliff, former NY Times critic and others liked his late 2008 “Guasábara” (Norte) album that has a mini-orchestra on it with 9 horn players and 5 percussionists plus guest vocalists.

A current freelancer for NY Times on Latin jazz folks like Pedrito Martínez, Alfredo Rodríguez and Arturo O’Farrill and David Virelles and bassist Luques Curtis. Martinez is a great rumba percussionist and more.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/arts/music/grammys-latin-jazz.html?_r=0

gio's good people and a solid writer

He used to be down here in the DC area and yes, good people. As for what he's writing about--As I have previously noted here--too much Latin jazz seems formulaic to me in a manner that does not wow me, but I will give a shot to listening to some of the folks he mentioned that I have not previously heard.

Salsa can also be criticized as formulaic, but I like that Pedro Lugo farewell release more than most Latin jazz.

Jose Lugo I mean.

Listened to a bit of Jose Lugo and his orchestra on the 2008 Guasábara album. Good stuff. He's not quite hard enough salsa I am guessing for some, but his arrangements aren't wimpy either.

Listening now to last year's album. They sound like they'd rather be playing bad Latin jazz. The rhythm is solid though.

Lugo was an arranger and band leader at times for singers like Santa Rosa and Manuelle that you have rarely praised, so I don't expect you to be impressed

Lugo did lose in the Latin musicians only Grammys held earlier:

Best Salsa Album
Grupo Niche, 35 Aniversario
WINNER: India, Intensamente India Con Canciones De Juan Gabriel
José Lugo & Guasábara Combo, ¿Dónde Están?
Bobby Valentín, Mi Ritmo Es Bueno
Johnny Ventura, Tronco Viejo

He also used to play with another nominee there-- Bobby Valentin

I also have less idea of what's going on because: I still haven't made it back to dancing (health); descarga.com is gone; I haven't been involved in any private online discussions of Latin music for a long time; I haven't been involved in any under the table Latin music file exchanging for an even longer time; I almost never listen to the radio (I could stream WRTI's salsa show at least); I am no longer in touch with any "salsa friends," etc. I've also tried a lot of Latin music by now, and I have a clearer sense of what I like and don't like, and there are simply large areas of it that aren't going to do much for me (like timba, or most charanga, or most bachata, etc.).

I've also finally gotten to like a lot more electronic dance music, too, particularly house. So I've got some sort of rhythmic fix from a different direction.

Timba continues to make hardly a dent with Latin music audiences in the United States. I guess I shouldn't gloat, since salsa itself is so niche. But timba is micro-niche in the U.S. anyway. There are a lot of disaffected salsa fans out there, like me, but most of them do not seem to be gravitating toward timba.

Some interesting observations here (including the comments):

http://socialdancecommunity.com/calling-it-quits-why-some-social-dancers-are-hanging-up-their-dance-shoes/

I'm ambivalent about a lot of this, but I do remember noticing that the focus of salsa performances and competitions seemed to hurt the social salsa scene. I started to see people just practicing their dance troupe moves with their dance troupe partners, rather than circulating with lots of different dancers. I suppose it's fine if people want to just dance with the same people (sometimes that works better for couples), but the performance focus tends to degrade social dancing. And I'm not even one of these people who wants to go out and have extroverted "fun" while dancing. I don't necessarily want to chat and drink and so on. The dancing is the social fun for me.

They also talk about the ridiculous competitions between dance teachers and schools. I saw some of that. A major salsa event with lots of famous live performers, but some people stayed away from it because there was resentment over the instructor who had been invited to dance on stage, or something like that. Lots of ridiculous petty politics.

On the other hand, if something were to bubble up from the underground, it would be difficult to find out about it. People on salsaforums.com are talking about discovering albums a year or two after they've been released. Here's one I hadn't heard about before that's not bad. Singer sounds Cuban (a little too Cuban for my tastes--don't like that authentic rumba-derived whiny old lady inflection, but it's not too bad here):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=894cTN7QKXk

I agree with this:

but I still think, as I always have, that it doesn't make much sense to lump salsa in with most rock en español, Latin alternative, Latin pop, etc. I think the genres that developed in Latin America and have a clearly African-derived rhythmic (generally some variety of clave, not necessarily the familiar son clave) framework belong together.

I am kinda interested in Latin trap, pop, bachata ...so maybe should just start a thread for that; and use this one for salsa, timba, etc

While the Artes de Cuba Fest starting tonight at Kennedy Center in Washington DC doesn't have the obscure Afro-Cuban acts that author/musician Ned Sublette has been taking people to see on his tours of Cuba, there's some good stuff-- Los Van Van on May 19 at the Eisenhower, Tiempo Libre for free May 20 and more--

Wednesday May 9-Yissy & Bandancha (Cuban jazz percussionist and band add electronica, jazz fusion, & funk) at 8 at Eisenhower Theatre

Thursday May 10-Adonis Gonzalez (Atlanta-based Cuban classical pianist) and percussionist Mauricio Herrera for free from 6 to 7 at Kennedy Center Millennium Stage

Yosvany Terry Afro-Cuban jazz Sextet at K. Center Terrace Gallery at 7 & 9 (both shows sold out)

Friday May 11- the flute & strings & percussion led danzon Orquesta Miguel Faílde,for free from 6 to 7 at Kennedy Center Millennium Stage

Saturday May 12-Cuban jazz Piano Marathon featuring Aldo López-Gavilán and Jorge Luis Pacheco (part of Artes de Cuba) at 7:30 PM at the Terrace Theatre (ticketed event)

Sunday May 13- Aymée Nuviola, Miami-based timba-pop vocalist with Dr. Ed Calle, saxophonist at Kennedy Center Terrace Theatre (ticketed event)

Tuesday May 15- La Dame Blanche (Paris-based Cuban hiphop singer & Latino percussionist) for free from 6 to 7 at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage

Wed. May 16-Balladeer Haydée Milanés and her trio are joined by her father—singer, songwriter, and guitar player Pablo Milanés at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theatre (ticketed event)

Thursday May -17
Luis Faife and D.C. Cuban All Stars for free from 6 to 7 at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage

The female duo of La Reyna (Reyna Mercedes Hernández Sandoval) and La Real (Yadira Pintado Lazcano) (Cuban rap) at the Kennedy Center Terrace Gallery at 7 pm and 9pm (ticketed event)

Friday May 18th -Dafnis Prieto Si o Si Quartet at the Kennedy Center Terrace Gallery at 7 and 9 pm (Cuban jazz) (ticketed event)

the López-Nussa Family--Harold (pianist), Ernan (pianist), Ruy (percussionist), and Ruy Adrian (drummer)-Latin jazz at the Terrace Theatre at 7:30 pm

Saturday May 19- Los Van Van (see above)

Sunday May 20- Tiempo Libre (see above).

Pianist Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theatre at 7:30 pm

https://cms.kennedy-center.org/festivals/cuba/events

Kennedy center put opening night on Youtube it appears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj-njGQZwbs

Omara Portuando, jazz pianists, the flute & strings & percussion led danzon Orquesta Miguel Faílde,f

Some good stuff there once you get past the 15 minutes of talking intro from Kennedy Center types and such. Aymée Nuviola, Miami-based timba-pop vocalist is good, and she also later plays piano for Portuando. Jazz and classical and more too.

That looks pretty good. I just noticed that the ALJO (or ALJE as you called them) are on tour in California right now, I think

Kennedy Center called O'Farrill's group ALJE for that show only, for some reason.

I didn't see it. Have seen him/them in the past. I did see Cuba's Los Van Van on Saturday at Kennedy Center and other than a few syrupy pop songs, they were great. After their set, I caught some of the Jose Pepito Gomez band upstairs in the free Noches Cubana room. Gomez is a Cuban who moved to NYC I read. Good not great. At 11 something I left (after their second set). Naturally I later saw on Instagram a short video of some of the members of Los Van Van sitting in with them in the 3rd and final set later that night.

I kinda like Miami's Tiempo Libre timba and pop band. I still need to see the Youtube of their gig from Sunday at the Millennium Stage.

I also should probably check out the Cuban jazz players (now living in NY) Dafnis Prieto and Yosvanny Terry, although I'm less a jazz guy.

Prieto has a new big band album that's really good.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article210253224.html

A few Republicans dismissed the folks performing at the festival as “agents of the state” (Cuba) and complained that the Kennedy Center featured them and that they got visas.

Some of the artists who performed live here now though like Prieto.

x-post--That Prieto big band effort is nice. Threadgill and Steve Coleman as 2 of the horn players.

He just had his smaller group at the Kennedy center Cuba fest, not the big band, alas.

Threadgill, Coleman and Brian Lynch were special guests with the big band.

I still like Eddie Palmieri's 2017 album more.

Maybe I should have or should still start a 2018 thread! But maybe more pop or trap, reggaetón...

Liking J. Balvin, Becky G, Bad Bunny

Puerto Rican rapper Ozuna guests on a lot of hits

i really like the song "oye mujer" by raymix. i heard it for the first time a few months ago but apparently it originally came out, like, years ago?

"Oye Mujer" is a 2018 remix with Juanes of a 2015 Raymix track that incorporated traditional sounds

the version i heard didn't have juanes! guess i'm just very late as i often am

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/07/style/bomba-puerto-rico-music-dance.html?hpw&rref=fashion&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well

Puerto Rican bomba drums music and dance lives

bomba drumming and dancing at La terraza de Bonanza in Puerto Rico

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj0mF5_Mhm0

At a Coney Island NY beach on Sunday afternoon, I heard lots of reggaeton coming from beachgoers portable speakers. More than rap or other popular sounds(though there was a lot of Drake too).

Listening to latest album by pianist Harold Lopez-Nussa called Un Dia Cualquiera. Eh, it’s ok Cuban Latin Jazz. Nice enough I guess, but nothing new and nothing that really wows me. Ned Sublette likes it.

Thread needs some fresh blood:

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

DJ Snake feat. Selena Gomez, Ozuna & Cardi B • Taki Taki

(Don’t know where Snake got this beat from, but kudos, it’s a great track)

Speaking of Ozuna, this is my favorite track of his current album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wykqGblj1og

Ozuna feat. J Balvin & Natti Natasha • Sígueme Los Pasos

...and speaking of J Balvin, this is my favorite track of his current album, which is great (it's not called "Vibras" for nothing):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FlRsN4cyF0

J Balvin • Tu Verdad

J Balvin and Ozuna have been killing it with their singles and collaborations in the past couple of years.

There's a trend that's appearing this summer of reggaeton/trap with an almost minimal, soft sound... the lyrics are worthless but the beat for these makes me happy and wishes the trend continues:

Kevin Roldan - PPP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vET7J3oc5sI

Anuel AA - quiere Beber

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTtBmo5EbEk

Lalo Ebratt - Mocca (There's also a J Balvin remix but I like the original better)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeRwVpzd2G4

Also not really reggaeton but really like beat by Dillon Francis feat. Ximena Sarilñana. Moombathon I guess?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLM9brT5_w0

Wow Moka, I was just about to post that “Mocca” track too, just fell right in love with that one. (in my case it would have been the remix, because of its video, but both versions are great)

Also my friends are really into Rosalia (She also has a guest spot in Balvin's Vibras):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rht7rBHuXW8

Really interesting combination of flamenco style vocals with 'urban' rhythms. Even the video is really cool in how it combines typical Spain iconography and takes it down and mixes it in a modern setting.

I remembered people posting about her somewhere, turns out she has her own thread!

(and yeah, the Balvin + Rosalía track "Brillo" is another Vibras highlight. With him, it's come for the bangers, stay for the vibes)

Yes to DJ Snake feat. Selena Gomez, Ozuna & Cardi B • Taki Taki

#1 on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart

https://www.billboard.com/charts/latin-songs

Awww man, Dog Latin hating on "reggaeton-lite" (Taki Taki and Despacito) in a separate thread

Don’t let it bring you down.

I'm not.

Grrr, I missed the Latin Grammys last night. J Balvin was nominated for 8 awards but only got 1. Jorge Drexler got 3. Victor Manuelle won the salsa one.

I will look for video clips and more articles online

https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/11/16/arts/ap-us-music-latin-grammys.html

I like Uruguay’s Jorge Drexler—pop rooted in folk and Brazilian bossa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpG5dR3cp9w

Awwww

That’s what the Salsa Dura DJ at Terraza played to ring in 2019.

From the NPR jazz critics poll, the separate Latin Jazz category--I have only heard the Sanabria and the Palmieri efforts, but gonna try to listen to some of the others (although that may lead me to come back here complaining that Latin Jazz is stuck in a rut and seems so formulaic

Latin
1. David Virelles, Igbó Alákorin (The Singer's Grove), Vol. I & II (Pi)
Votes: 21
A vibrant compendium in which Virelles disinters the rich musical traditions of his hometown Santiago de Cuba. Unexpectedly, his boldest album. The 35-year-old pianist has spent the last decade channeling Afro-Cuban folklore through a jazz prism, producing records that operate as open-ended mysteries. Here, refreshingly, he eschews abstraction in favor of fealty to the past. Though the traditions Virelles explores are fading from Cuban culture, this effort, fiercely rhythmic and thrumming with energy, is deeply alive. —Matthew Kassel

2. (tie) Dafnis Prieto Big Band, Back to the Sunset (Dafnison) 12
2. (tie) Miguel Zenón, Yo Soy La Tradición (Miel) 12
4. Bobby Sanabria, West Side Story Reimagined (Jazzheads) 8
5. Carlos Henriquez, Dizzy Con Clave (RodBros Music) 7
6. Eddie Palmieri, Full Circle (Ropeadope) 6
7. Elio Villafranca, Cinque (ArtistShare) 5

The Virelles album is on Bandcamp but not Spotify. Haven’t checked where else. Virelles went back to Cuba and recorded with elders, including vocalists I think, for this. 1 track I heard on Bandcamp was nice enough in a very old-school Cuban way. More dance and traditional than jazz.

Isn’t it time for a new Rolling thread?

I guess so. I resisted in the past since not too many folks post, and I wasn’t keeping up the genres represented, but I guess yearly threads do make some sense. Not a lot of new salsa these days that I follow; Latin Jazz hangs on, while reggaeton and bachata seem to thrive, and Latin Trap has become very big

I say go for it!

Ok, here it is:

Rolling Afro-Latin Music 2019: Reggaeton, Salsa, Bomba, Latin Jazz, Bachata, Merengue, and more