La Vaquita was also featured in Gourmet magazine a year or so ago. The mole is to die for; I've heard raves about the pollo de crema and the flan. I hope all that publicity means they will never close. Little known fact: you can call your order in.
Photo credit: Lisa Brockmeier
I still mourn the de facto end of El Paraiso, on Alston Ave., which used to be run by that lady and her daughters who appear to have moved on. In the kitchen, she always had a giant bowl of masa dough from which she crafted all her various delicacies by hand. I've never had an empañada that was so light and crisp, so absent of dull, residual grease despite being fried. Heaven.
Last I was there, an interloper was selling only tacos, and those made with store-bought tortillas. Pirata! Someone has told me since that the wonderful, random murals on the bunker-like concrete structure have been painted over; no more floating Corona bottles on an electric lime-green background. I guess it's really over.
I'll be guest hosting WXDU 88.7 FM's Sunday Morning Jazz Show this week, from 10 am - 12 noon.
I'll be tinkering in the kitchen, but hope to feature some new jazz records by Latin artists as well as some of my favorite straight ahead jazz. So, tune in this Sunday at 10 am to WXDU (streaming at www.wxdu.org) for jazz with a side of rice and beans!
Movement Tent: 1:15 - Ms. Suz the Storyweaver 2:00 - Bilingual Storytelling and Music with Alex Weiss 3:00 - Hula Hooping Workshop with Jacquie 4:00 - Acrobatics Workshop with Galumpha 5:00 - Rora the Clown / La Payasita Rora 5:30 - Baile Folklórico Magetzi
There will be a lot of children's activities, health and information fair, food vendors and the whole 9 yards. Admission is FREE, only a small parking fee of $2 per car which goes to Shakori for donating their space for this community outreach fair.
I think one of my wildest dreams just came true. Not only that, I learned the word for "high jumper" in Norsk (= høydehopperen).
Shout out to all my mambo-loving, Dagbladet-reading brothers and sisters! Velkommen til Onda Carolina, and keep supporting Latin music in your Scandinavian wonderland...un cariño especial a los caribeños allí.
What's next? Will Judge Sonia Sotomayor herself check in with an opinion? You never know...
The Cobo Brothers are turning their monthly social into a Summer Latin Jam in June, with live salsa by The Latin Project. Dressy attire is requested for this party at Durham's George's Garage this Saturday (6/13).
Keep in mind that only a LIMITED NUMBER of discounted tickets are available in each price category, so when they sell out, they are gone (which could happen before the closeout date). Mambo Dinamico dancers will perform between live sets:
SCHEDULE - 11:00pm - 3:00am:
Latin Project's 1st set @ 11:30pm Mambo Dinamico Dance Company performance @ 12:30am Latin Project's 2nd set @ 1:30am
I've heard The Latin Project recently and they're an old school salsa band in the Puerto Rican mold, with seasoned musicians from Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham area, and South Carolina. These are the guys who came up with the parking lot plenazo (view video here) in their spare time between sets at Carmen's in April.
At George's this Saturday, salseros and mamboniks can expect to get their money's worth; this will be a solid dance date.
It's an interesting phenomenon how Latino markets often run completely parallel to the mainstream Anglo music industry, united (and divided) by language demographics rather than geography.
Jody Rosen explores it in this recent New York Times profile of Anthony Santos, the Bronx-born urban bachata star of Aventura. I first heard his name about 10 years ago from my friend Milli, who said that all the jukeboxes in her Brooklyn neighborhood were playing Anthony Santos.
"As the hits have piled up, the band’s critics have been replaced by followers — American-based, pop-oriented bachata acts like Xtreme and Toby Love, a former Aventura backup singer."
The forecast is for sun and low 80s tomorrow in Raleigh, perfect patio weather for Carnavalito's outdoor concert, 3-5 pm Saturday afternoon at the Mosaic Wine Lounge.
It's part of a whole day dedicated to Nuyorican Discotheque and Latin Jazz, as the Mosaic Spring Music Fest nears its close on Sunday.
UPDATE added Sunday, 6/7:
Fun, fun, fun dancing on the Mosaic patio Saturday afternoon. Here pianist Phil Merritt rises to the occasion for his solo cameo:
This tune "Dear Old Stockholm," which has well-known versions by Stan Getz and Miles Davis, has been a Carnavalito standard since their 1999 Tu y Yo CD.
The Nasher Museum at Duke University is free on Thursdays, with a cash bar open from 5:30 pm.
Tonight (6/4) theremin player Steve Burnett will give a free talk and performance at the museum.Burnett will elucidate on the history and workings of the theremin at 6 pm, followed by live music from 6:30-7:30.
The event is sponsored in conjunction with the new installation "Video Quartet" by Christian Marclay (which features a theremin).
Thanks to WXDU deejays Jay Caldwell and Steve Burnett for this tip!
Read his story--an Onda Carolina exclusive!--of how the song was written in 1998 about Cuban Olympian Javier Sotomayor, and how Kolve's band Mambo Compañeros developed from its beginnings on Norwegian television and remains one of Norway's leading salsa bands.
The first part of our conversation reads like an Abbot and Costello routine, so I've left the comedy of errors intact, as we both try to understand why we seem to be talking about completely different songs! In a sense, we were...
Kåre was just bidding dinner guests farewell in Trondheim as I called him Wednesday morning at 10:30 am Eastern Time (US):
Sylvia Pfeiffenberger: You’re on your way to a rehearsal, is it for Mambo Compañeros?
Kåre Kolve: Yes.
SP: How did you produce this song so quickly, and when did you start writing the Sotomayor Mambo?
KK: Why?
SP: When. Like how soon after this nomination?
KK: Oh. I wrote it way back in 1998.
SP: The song? But not the lyrics?
KK: What?
SP: Did you add these lyrics for the occasion?
KK: Well some of them, yes. I got a little help with the Spanish and also had some contribution from the lead singer, he’s a Cuban guy.
SP: Which one is it, Alexander [Fernández] or Luison [Medina]?
KK: Yeah, Alexander.
SP: Ok. So he added some lyrics to a tune you had previously written. KK: Yes and there’s other guy that is called…uh…uh…he helped me to translate into Spanish some of the words there…
SP: Not Luison but someone else?
KK: Cortes!
SP: I don’t know this name.
KK: I think he’s written on the record somewhere.
SP:Cortes?
KK: He’s called uh, Cortes, is his last name. His surname is…oh, I can’t remember…
SP: That’s ok. Is he a member of your band?
KK: No, no, he was just a friend.
SP: What do you do in the band, what’s your instrument?
KK: Saxophone player.
SP: Do you normally write tunes?
KK: Yeah, I do a lot of writing.
SP: Ok. 1998, what was this track originally called? Was it on your album in a different form, in a different version?
KK: Ehh, excuse me, one more time?
SP: Was this tune on your earlier album in a different version? Did it have a different name? Have you recorded this song before?
KK: Ehh, no, it was just during the uh, the first time we uh, played it was actually on a Norwegian TV show…
SP: Oh really?
KK: Which was hosted as an athlete's show. And Sotomayor was one of the guests.
SP: You’re kidding me. So she was a guest on the show, back then, and you wrote the song for her?
KK: Well, I think you misunderstand a little bit.
SP: Ok. I’m trying to get the picture…
KK: Are you talking about the…
SP: Sotomayor Mambo…
KK: …the minister of the…?
SP: Well, she’s the nominee for um…well, I don’t know who you wrote the song for. But over here, they’re playing this song for Sonia Sotomayor, the...
KK: OH!
SP: …nominee for Supreme Court Judge.
KK: Oh! Well, the song is, originally I wrote it for the high jumper, the Cuban high jumper—
SP: No kidding!
KK: …Javier Sotomayor.
SP:Laughs. Ok, well, I knew there was going to be some story here, I was trying to get to the bottom of it!
KK:Laughs. I was thinking a little bit about it because I thought it was a little bit strange that you uh…
SP: Why am I calling now for this song…
KK: Yeah, because, yeah, I mean, it was released in 2002-2003. I was thinking something maybe happened with Javier Sotomayor, or something like that. But I was thinking also about the new minister, or no, this is a court…
SP: Yes. Who’s the new minister that you mentioned?
KK: Yeah.
SP: Who is that?
KK: Didn’t you uh…?
SP: Oh you mean our, in the US.
KK: In the US, yeah.
SP: Well she’s the nominee for our Supreme Court, so she’s a judge.
KK: Yeah.
SP: Ok. All right. This, you didn’t re-record it with different lyrics or anything?
KK: No no no. This was actually, if you catch the lyrics, you know, it’s all about the high jumper. He’s still got the world record in high jump.
SP: There was a couple words in [the song] I didn’t get, that didn’t make sense to me, and now I’m understanding why.
Both:Laughter.
KK: Oh, yeah yeah yeah. So this is a kind of contribution then to uh, because he’s one of the most famous athletes from Cuba, and uh, since we were playing on this show and he was a guest, you know, and so I wrote this song as a tribute to him.
SP: How interesting!
KK: And actually, after he returned to Cuba, and some years later, he started his own salsa band, which he called Salsa Mayor.
SP: Oh, no wait a minute! No way! Because I know that band, but I didn’t know this guy’s name or that a guy in the band was an athlete…
KK: Oh really? Laughs. Yeah I think he’s got a record in high jump, you know, I think it’s like 2.45 meters.
SP: So he’s got records and records. KK: Yeah I think he’s still got it, he’s had that record for 15 years or something.
SP: Ok. And Salsa Mayor, is that the same band, with you know, Maikel Blanco? That band?
KK: No, no.
SP: Oh, it’s a different one.
KK: Yeah this is a Cuban band.
SP: Yeah, but this is a Cuban band I’m thinking of…
KK: Oh really? Oh maybe, maybe, I’m not sure actually. But he’s not playing in it, he’s just using his name on it in some way. You know, like a brand.
SP: All right. Now this took place in Norway, this was in Norway, he was a guest.
KK: Yes.
SP: And you guys are in Trondheim?
KK: Yes.
SP: And you have a couple Cuban guys who are based in Oslo, is that right?
KK: Yes, they are part of the band.
SP: All right, so they travel—how far is it from Oslo, to Trondheim?
KK: It’s about one hour with plane. We’re one of the leading salsa bands in Norway, so we are used to travel, so I mean, if you live in Oslo it’s not far actually. We don’t feel that way at all.
SP: It is. Ok. Well this is explaining a lot! Because I wondered how you got the song out so quickly. They started emailing it around to people. Various Latino policy organizations have mailed it around and asked people to play it in support of the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor. Did you know that?
KK: I didn’t know. I’ve read [about the nomination] in the paper, yes.
SP: How do you feel about that?
KK: I think it’s really great. It’s about time that the Latin people are finally getting some important position, and especially a woman, because it’s such a macho, Latin people are so macho you know. A lot of man thing.
SP:Laughs. Interesting to get your Norwegian perspective. Have you spent time in the Latin American world yourself?
KK: Yeah, I’ve been a couple of times in Cuba.
SP: Yeah, I thought maybe, so, you have a lot closer ties to Cuba than we do, lucky for you.
KK: Yeah, we are. It’s no big deal for us to go there. Laughs. It’s more difficult to get from the States to Cuba actually than for us.
SP: Yeah, that’s definitely a fact, that’s a fact. Ok. So, the sonero on this song is Alexander Fernandez, and Luison plays conga, does he sing backup, does he also sing as a sonero?
KK: No, he’s the conga player. He sings on some of the songs but not that song, yeah. Alexander is our lead singer of that song.
SP: So, you didn’t make any effort to get this song out to US markets [after the nomination]? Like I didn’t know if you had any contacts over here that you know, maybe you sent the song over here to somebody and said, hey, check this out...
KK: No, no. It’s just a coincidence. There was just a review for an album [in 2004, by Rudy Mangual] in the Latin Beat music magazine in L.A. which is the biggest Latin newspaper about Latin music. That is actually the only contact we have had with the United States about anything.
SP: And no one’s contacted you now, since this happened? Am I the first person to call you about this, in relation to the judge?
KK: Definitely. If you can get us a tour over there, I’d be happy to.
SP:Laughs. Yeah, I wish I had that power. Sounds like a good band. I know there’s a hot Cuban music scene in Scandinavia. Michelle White, the timba specialist who covers it for Timba.com, she’s in Sweden.
KK: Yeah yeah, that’s true.
SP: We had the Afro Cuban All Stars here recently and Calixto Oviedo [who lives in Sweden] was with them…
KK: Yeah Yeah, I know him, very good friend. Oh, that’s nice. Alexander played a lot with Calixto.
So uh, all these [Cuban] guys. Alexander, usually he was a regular member of Manolito [Simonet] y su Trabuco…and he, what do you call it, when you find a Norwegian girl and he, what do you call it when you’re leaving, and you’re jumping off…you’re coming from an isolated country…
SP: You mean like…he married a girl there?
KK: Yeah, yeah, I mean he’s like the old Soviet people…
SP: Defecting.
KK: Yes, yes. He did that on a tour actually with Manolito and he stayed here in Norway. He’s been here ever after, but you know, both of these guys have Norwegian passports now so they can go wherever they like, and can go back to Cuba also.
SP: That’s nice for them.
The people who sent me this file of your song are from the National Institute for Latino Policy. I have a blog post about this, I’m going to supplement it now with our interview, because this information changes the picture considerably!
Both:Laughter.
KK: Yes. You know I was mentioning this to my girlfriend just for a joke, when we saw news about Sonia Sotomayor, I said, well I wrote a song about this!
SP: And maybe someone will start paying attention to it!
KK: Yeah maybe, maybe, you never know. Well, Spanish people, they will probably recognize there’s something with the lyrics that doesn’t fit.
SP: So what’s the word for high jumper?
KK: In Spanish it’s salto alto.
SP: Oh, that’s what he’s saying! That’s why! You know at the end of the song he says El Rey…
KK:El Rey del Salto Alto.
SP: And I thought, maybe that’s the singer’s nickname. I just couldn’t make sense of that.
KK: Yeah. That’s the king of high jumping.
SP: Got it. And are they saying Bienvenido, something?
KK: Yes, Bienvenido al Noruega…
SP: Al Noruega…[Welcome to Norway]
KK: Yeah, and this was broadcast on the TV show, so this was a like, a celebration for him. And he actually was dancing to our music on the Norwegian television.
SP: That's cool. What’s the name of that TV show, is it a well-known show?
KK: Well it was at that time, but it’s like 11 years ago since that was. But you know I think we still got a clip of it somewhere. In Norwegian it's called Ja Vi Elsker [translation: Yes We Love], the first line of the Norwegian national anthem. Maybe you can find it, it’s not more than 2 minutes or something. It’s very charming, and it’s very early in our career also. Because we didn’t have Cubans in the band at that time, so I was the lead singer, which I am not anymore! Laughs. I’m the saxophone player.
We talked to him [Javier Sotomayor] afterwards. He was surprised and he was extremely happy about this song. We sent it to him after we recorded and he really appreciated it, we got nice thanks from him.
SP: That’s pretty cool. You just started the band in that year, didn’t you?
KK: About the time, I think it was 1996.
SP: Ok. Well, that’s really cool, Kåre. I appreciate your time.
KK: That’s fine, I mean, it’s very funny, I mean it’s a small world so, it’s quite funny that you always find something here and there, with Myspace and YouTube and whatever. New music can pop up everywhere actually.
SP: That’s right, and I figured why not make it even smaller, I’ll just try and contact this guy and see what the story is!
KK:Laughs Thank you, that’s very nice of you.
SP: How do you describe the music you guys make, you call it Mambo Compañeros. It’s not exactly timba, right?
KK: I think, our style is more of a mix of traditional salsa and timba.
SP: Ok cool, what a pleasure speaking with you. Good luck, say hi to the guys in the band.
Kaare (pronounced akin to "kawr-uh") was nice as pie, and surprised to get my call, his FIRST interview with the US press about "Sotomayor," a tune he wrote in 1998.
That's right, 1998. When Cuban high-jumper Javier Sotomayor visited Norway. That sure makes sense out of some of the lyrics I didn't understand, and what seemed like a vacuna of information about Judge Sotomayor!
"Bienvenido a Noruega" = Welcome to Norway: Javier was there making an appearance on a Norwegian TV program when the band premiered this song for him on live television.
"El Rey del Salto Alto" = King of the High Jump: Words that end the song, I couldn't make sense of it, thinking maybe that was the nickname of the sonero?
But of course.
Kaare was packing up to go to a Mambo Compañeros rehearsal, and he says that although the band had no knowledge of the use of their song in a viral publicity campaign* stateside, he's delighted that it's being played to celebrate Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court.
There is already a "Sotomayor Mambo." It's not really a mambo, it's modern Cuban salsa, and it's not from Da Boogie Down, South Bronx, where Judge Sotomayor hails from. It's from...Norway. Trondheim and Oslo to be precise, with a hand from Havana. 6 Norwegians and 2 Cuban expats make up the Mambo Compañeros, now test-marketing the cozy, anglicized name Mambo Companions.
This isn't a video, just an mp3 with still image. What's really interesting is that the National Institute for Latino Policy (that's US policy) has given it their endorsement, as you can see in the end credits. Reportedly, they were tipped to the song by Howard Jordán, host of WBAI's The Jordan Journal.
Now, the chorus is catchy enough, but as a national policy "response" to the right-wing attack media, it's a little thin. There's not much here about Judge Sotomayor's personal story or accomplishments, and I didn't hear one mention of her Nuyorican heritage. Cuba and the band, on the other hand, get numerous shoutouts. The Cubans in Compañeros are Alexander Fernández, who worked on some early albums of Cuban timba star Manolito Simonet, and Luison Medina, both active in various European bands. It's basically a party song, dedicated to the judge [Correction: See Update].
We'll see if the Mambo Compañeros' answer to Obamagirl goes viral. It's great to see musicians anywhere pay tribute to Sonia Sotomayor, who no doubt will continue to inspire her share of plenas, salsas, mambos, merengues and other ecstatic outbursts in song.
You gotta wonder, though, if Latin bands from the Bronx are not just a little bit peeved that NiLP, a think tank whose home address is Avenue of the Americas, New York City, has outsourced their national mambo policy to Norway.
I have a feeling I have entered a "no public comment" zone.
Mosaic Wine Lounge in Raleigh is in the middle of its Mosaic Spring Music Fest, a celebration of international deejay culture and live music.
Our friends Carnavalito play Saturday afternoon on the patio from 3-5 pm. Check out the schedule to learn about the artists and see a full lineup. Continues through June 7.
Orquesta GarDel is getting ready to unveil more original tunes this Saturday (5/30) from 6-8 pm at the free Rivermill Outdoor Music Series in Saxapahaw.
This timba tune by trombone leader Andy Kleindienst debuted in April:
Now, keyboardist Eric Hirsh is about to bring his own baby on board. He says he was inspired to write complex, yet catchy horn lines last year after listening to a lot of Bamboleo and Charanga Habanera.
"I wanted to make sure that the rhythm feels distinctly Cuban. It's gotta have that aggressive FUNK," writes Eric.
This spring, GarDel's members collaborated during songwriting rehearsals to tie up loose ends.
"Nelson [Delgado] is really coming into his own as a lyricist," adds Eric. "His thematic concept for the song is very spiritual and philosophical, but in a way that still exhorts everyone to dance and have a good time."
I think we can oblige. UPDATE 5/31:
I made it in time for the debut, but my camera battery gave out. So, no video! Coincidentally, Eric said one of his keyboards was not performing properly, so he was forced to turn it off. (Love the multiple keyboard effects he uses for GarDel and The Beast; that's timbalicious right there.) We agreed that we would re-premiere this work (does it have a title, E?) and publicly document it in the nearest possible future.
That said, my impressions: The Cuban funk is definitely there (hallelujah), and the texture is dark and complicated (what Eric called "a harmonic palette somewhere between an R&B song and modal jazz"). I was dancing during this song but I could feel most people stopping to listen and assess. This was quite different from GarDel's usual Puerto Rican weather, i.e. sun-drenched with occasional thunderstorms. This was a rumbling deep underground. P.S. Almost forgot: there's been a personnel change. Saxophonist Bluford Thompson, a degree candidate in jazz performance and composition at North Carolina Central, is taking over the chair of Wayne Leechford, who has left GarDel to pursue other opportunities. Wayne is a music veteran in the Triangle who has given lots of love to Latin music fans over the years. We wish him well, and issue a warm welcome to Blu; it should be an interesting bench this year as he joins reedsman Tim Smith.
Addition/Correction: This is the Ray Barretto band (Jimmy Bosch, Jimmy Delgado, Ricky Gonzalez, etc.) with guests including many Fania All Stars, et al. performing at the L.A. Palladium for an ABC television taping. The show aired in the '80s on "Bravisimo," a 13-episode series of bi-lingual variety shows. Thanks to musician Ricky Gonzalez and Eddie Rodriguez, former executive with ORO, the show's producers, for that additional information!
Fania All Stars and assorted guests including the late Jorge Dalto, whose fusion style of Latin piano soloing I find atypical yet seductive. The Argentine pianist played with Gato Barbieri and George Benson before he passed away in 1987, a mere 39 years old. Musicians and aficionados still discuss his loss as if it happened yesterday; from this video I understand why.
In (1980s?) Los Angeles, the jam standard "Quitate Tu" with a shot of "Bacalao Con Pan":
This is a glorious slice of Fania stars in their prime: Adalberto Santiago, Ismael Miranda, Ray Barretto, Orestes Vilato, Bobby Valentin, Sal Cuevas, Yomo Toro gettin' crazy on the floor, even Jimmy Delgado and Jimmy Bosch with a short afro. Guest Junno Farias finds a way to play two saxophones at once; is it any wonder he twitters?
***UPDATE: Interview with Harry Viggiano is postponed until this Wednesday (5/27), 6-8 pm ET during my regular program, Azucar y Candela.***
I will be hosting WXDU's Mystery Show tonight, Sunday (5/24), 10 pm - midnight exploring the theme "Electric Guitar Solos in Salsa."
In the '70s, rock session guitarists such as Elliott Randall (Steely Dan's "Reelin' in the Years") and Jorge Santana were frequently called in to play with the Fania All Stars, Orchestra Harlow and other bands.
However, the use of guitar in Latin music goes back at least as far as La Playa Sextet and Los Zafiros (Manuel Galban) in the '50s and '60s. African salsa has traditionally used electric guitar, from Orchestra Baobab to Ricardo Lemvo, and in Cuba the history reaches from Irakere to Los Van Van's newest album.
The first show (in a series I hope to repeat) will feature a 20-minute interview with elusive legend of electric guitar and tres Harry Viggiano!
Harry contributed essential flavor to some of the classic albums of Eddie Palmieri, Larry Harlow, Roberto Roena and Joe Cuba among others. I learned early on as a fan of typical and experimental salsa that his name on the credits of an album is always a quality brand.
I just found out LATIN BROTHERS from Cali, Colombia are playing at DISCO RODEO TONIGHT!!! This is not a rumor; I spoke to vocalist/percussionist Jorge Tello on the phone. [Jorge says he is the son of former Latin Brothers singer Joseito Martinez.]
Tonight, in Raleigh, Grupo Niche is also playing (at Ambis on Atlantic Ave). What the...? I have no idea what the Goddess Karma is up to, but it is Colombian night tonight.
To sweeten the pot, some locals (Andy Kleindienst, Mitch Butler, Alberto Carrasquillo) are filling in some spots with the Colombian bands at Disco Rodeo . Cumbia band Sonora Dinamita opens for Latin Brothers. UPDATE 5/23:
Here's Alberto Carrasquillo and James Armstrong (of Winston-Salem) blowing their horns with La Sonora Dinamita: West End Mambo's Cesar Oviedo played bass and arranged the NC musicians for this show.
FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW...
Lovely, long-legged Tatiana Giraldo, one of the singers in La Sonora Dinamita's next generation:
She was joined by vocalists Any Velez (in blue) and Luis Milanes, whose brother Nestor Milanes handled keyboards for both bands.
Both bands have older roots, but are franchises currently owned and managed by Jessie Lozano, age 28. The young promoter played timbales in both sets.
"It's a good combination, people like to hear these two bands together," says Any (pronounced "Anni").
I agree, although the sound system at Disco Rodeo was sonidero-style, heavy on the bass. Setting one's phone on vibrate was a redundant proposition. I didn't think this made for the best live music setting, but I did like the crowd. Laid-back, young, unagressive, a cool cumbia scene, really dance-oriented. A lot of gum chewing dancers, and people politely stepping back to make room for other dancers, even in front of the stage.
You can see some cool dancing in this clip, as Jorge Tello sings "Dime Que Paso":
Sonero Charlie Cajares (below, left), billed as "El Abogado de la Salsa," sounded fantastic as he led the Latin Brothers into their set. I would love to hear this guy sing again, in any weather, especially with a more finely balanced sound system.
Here's a sample of "Buscandote" with Charlie ripping his soneos from the headlines. Piano solo by Nestor at 3:00, then our own Andy Kleindienst plays a monster trombone solo at 5:30!
With a jerryrigged band, the two vocalists gave these standards a strong pulse. The final tune, one of my favorites, "Las Caleñas son (como las flores)" really had the funky swing of Colombia. I didn't want to go home, but the show seemed to run up against Disco Rodeo closing time; management turned the lights on 20 minutes before they wrapped up their set.
One should say that this cumbia scene deserves a cleaner club than Disco Rodeo. A steam cleaner could lose his mind trying to remove the patina from the carpet in there (not that there's any risk of that happening). There is not a surface in the room that does not feel sticky, and the bathrooms are always a disgrace by the end of the night. Considering the price of admission ($25-60 not uncommon) and beer ($5 for a can of Budweiser), something doesn't smell right. I didn't see any inappropriate behavior whatsoever, no fights, no d&d, so you can't "blame" the fans for management neglect.
To the frustrations one can add that Disco Rodeo does nothing to publicize their Latin events to non-Spanish-speaking audiences or media, and they don't even have a website. They know on which side their bread is buttered. People come out anyway and pay their hard-earned money to hear their music and to dance with their friends. I can totally understand that. Venue demerits aside, this is a dance scene I'd like to go to again.
All videos posted with the band's permission.
Click on any photo to see more from the show at my flickr page.
Corrections: Jorge Tello is the son of Joseito Martinez. I incorrectly stated both of their names earlier; the post has been updated to reflect these corrections.
Still trying to confirm who's playing tonight at Disco Rodeo in Raleigh; Los Sementales de Nuevo Leon? I think that's what I heard on La Ley 96.9 FM. Two local horn players have been contracted to play that gig.
Meanwhile, in Durham, found these posters on a phone booth along Roxboro Road:
Note: Ladies free all night at Salamandra. This place is the old "Big Pig," before that a Chinese restaurant (in the long long ago), on Hillsboro Rd.
Click on below photo to see larger. La Luna is in the middle of a cumbia sonidera dance contest. Could be interesting? I've often admired the DF street style of the teenage coup de baile.
Really hip. One of the most exciting artists on the Caracas-based Cacao label (which includes Cuban artists such as Changuito and Horacio "El Negro Hernandez). In 2007 they released Alfredo Naranjo y su Guajeo, featuring trombonist Jimmy Bosch in a guest spot.
In Venezuela, they seem to know how to make modern, intelligent Latin jazz that also swings for the dancer. One way they do it: don't stint on a vocalist. Naranjo's new tracks feature bold choices from the popular music fields of Venezuelan parranda and ska: Francisco Pacheco (of the venerable Un Solo Pueblo) lends his natural baritone to "El Cumaco de San Juan," while rocker Horacio Blanco from Desorden Publico sings "Un Lote de Amor."
I recently came across another excellent, timba-jazz-flavored dance band from Caracas: Cabijazz led by guitarist Alvaro Paiva Bimbo. Caracas tiene su swing!
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