Charanga DJ

A rapt audience turned out for DJ Radar's performance with Charanga Carolina at Gerrard Hall last night, featuring compositions of pianist Raúl Yañez. There is a lot more to turntabling than scratching and sampling old records, and I wish I had spent more time getting to know Radar's methods. He presses his own vinyl, so for instance, he put vocals by Raúl's brother on an album to sample during "Sigue Tus Sueños," a 4/4 cha groover I would have sworn was a vintage '70s loop. Charanga pianist Alex Williams took over the bench for that number; this freshman has both percussion and keyboard training, so he can really rock a montuno.

I got bees' knees listening to "Centipede," a tune with a little more of a spotlight on DJ Radar. Andrew Van Tassel (sax), Ryan Raven (trumpet), and Raúl Yañez (piano) also solo:



Raúl tipped me off afterwards that the title is actually a reference to the old Atari video game--a great example of the wit, cultural hipness and musicality of Yañez' turntable compositions:



Back in Phoenix, Raúl is known at jazz club Bobby C's for playing B3 Hammond organ in his small Latin combo with DJ Radar. The two have developed tons of material incorporating turntables over more than 10 years of playing together, so what we heard was the tip of an iceberg.

Dancing took off in part two of this program, when Charanga did four tunes with various guests sitting in. Bradley Simmons played congas on one, and DJ Radar added turntable percussion to the encore, Ruben Blades' "Pedro Pablo." They moved the brass up to the front of the orchestra for this set, and it was distinctly pleasurable to pound the dancefloor to their Los Van Van cover with the trombones in my ear.



Among the Yañez originals, we also heard the world premiere of "Circulo," a restlessly building instrumental that mingles salsa, cumbia and 6/8 feeling, a work commissioned for Charanga Carolina:



You heard it here first.

Props to Festival on the Hill organizer Mark Katz, who put this special collaboration in motion and who emcee'ed all the Charanga events. A good number of dancers turned out, so it was nice to see this event happen as a real intermingling of cultures.

Dancers, what did you think?

Chicano Charanga @ UNC FRIDAY

Latin pianist Raúl Yañez and turntablist DJ Radar played the same club in Phoenix, but on different nights. They finally met when DJ Radar (aka Jason Bellmont) wanted a jazz musician to check out his scratch notation. Before long, the two were jamming after hours, collaborating, and exploring the integration of turntables into a live, Latin band.

In 2001, Raúl wrote Concerto for Turntable, which world-premiered in Carnegie Hall in 2005 (with sponsorship by Red Bull).

Scratch forward to 2010, and UNC Music Department's Festival on the Hill, an annual symposium and letting-down-of-the-hair on a creative theme. This year's topic: The Art and Culture of the DJ.


Raúl Yañez & DJ Radar rehearse with Charanga Carolina

Here's what you need to know: Raúl Yañez and DJ Radar are here FRIDAY (2/19), and they are inviting you to their dance party with Charanga Carolina 8-10 pm, in UNC's Gerrard Hall (on the left side of Memorial Hall). There's a lovely wood floor, dancing is encouraged, and it's FREE and OPEN to the public.

Raúl wrote "Circulo," a new piece especially for the Charanga Carolina and DJ Radar. The first set will feature Raúl's original material and Cuban classics such as "Cumbanchero," integrating turntables + charanga; a second set will feature DJ Radar sitting in with Charanga's regular material, including their Los Van Van anthem "Esto Te Pone La Cabeza Mala."

I know you are all wondering what to expect; I've been to the open rehearsal, and I can tell you, this is fresh, limber, groove-based dance music, and the turntables are integrated to a surprising degree, embedded as it were, right into the Latin rhythm section. Here is a piece of video from the Q&A last night, where Raúl and Radar discuss what they are trying to do:



I don't want to spoil all the surprises, but here is a brief sample of DJ Radar's flashier side, soloing with the Charanga during the open rehearsal:



DANCERS: TURN OUT FOR THIS. ALL PEOPLE WITH EARS: YOU TOO.

fall flavor digest

A few things - -

Mosaic Fall Music Fest is ongoing NOW through Oct. 11. Lots of out-of-town, soulful house deejays (East Coast, West Coast, Europe, Canada, etc.) EVERY NIGHT, and a Noche Latina next Thursday (10/8) featuring LIVE Dominican jazz with Guillo Carias Trio.

Charanga Carolina makes a much anticipated return this semester with their debut performance TOMORROW, Sunday (10/4). The student/community cooperative performing ensemble has been on sabbatical for the last 9 months while director Dave Garcia took research leave from UNC. The new formation features many new students getting their sea legs in Latin music, and early rehearsals are promising. The lineup is 4 violins, 1 cello, 1 flute, 3 trombones (led by Charanga alum Andy Kleindienst), 2 pianists, 1 trap drummer, and Latin rhythm and vocals by community musicians Pako Santiago (congas), Ramon Ortiz (timbales), Nelson Delgado and Jaime Ramon (vocals). The only thing missing for Santa Salsera is bongo and, ahem, MORE COWBELL on their Puerto Rican charts like "Isla del Encanto" and "Boranda." But I am loving the energetic new timba charts, including Los Van Van's "Esto Te Pone La Cabeza Mala." As always one gains appreciation of the classics when one hears them in rehearsal, and believe it or not, the timba rhythm puzzle was really cooking and motivating me to dance when I heard Charanga's rehearsal last Tuesday night. This will be a very exciting year. Debut is Sunday 3:30 pm, free at Chapel Hill's Festifall street festival on Franklin.

Link: Festifall's full music lineup here

And finally: What goes together like barbecue and flamenco? Welcome the collision of flavors this Sunday (10/4), 4:00 - 6:30 pm at a Concert on the Lawn at Western Boulevard Presbyterian Church in Raleigh: Music by Mixed Quartet and flamenco guitarist Ed Stephenson & the Paco Band. Expect Ed to be in exceptional spirits since the opening of hockey season and the 'Canes' signing of winning goalie Cam Ward to a 6-year contract. $6 admission; flyer indicates that the good churchgoing folk of Western Boulevard Presbyterian will be serving barbecue chicken. What's not to like?

NOTE ADDED:

Man, I am such a space case I forgot to mention the International Festival going on in Raleigh. If you can do it all, I dare you.

Nuyorican Party @ Mosaic Saturday

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.

Something Happening Every Night

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.

Cuban Party at Mosaic

Mosaic's Cuban night is TONIGHT, Thursday (2/12) and not next week, as I had mistakenly listed on the calendar. This has been corrected!

Don't miss Tambor Vivo's sets of live drumming @ 10:30 and 11:30 pm, with DJ'ed dance sets in between. FREE. See calendar for details.

(Last month's poster:)


UPDATE added Friday (2/13):

A pretty full house at Mosaic last night, although it's morphing into a different crowd from the one that started this party last summer. The sweaty, folkloric Paso crowd has stepped out of the limelight, and an elegant, nightclubbing mambo/salsa crowd has checked in. A little more South Beach, a little less Santiago de Cuba. Still, it was good to see the throng bringing mirth and revenue to the venue so that the (still free) event can continue.

People seem to enjoy hearing live drums, even if folkloric rhythms are a little esoteric for hardcore salsa addicts, some of whom matched salsa turns to Tambor Vivo's bell and drum patterns. The whole place got tribal to Jim's thundering cajon, and I did see some tight rumba moves on the floor. Mosaic's owner was snapping photos like crazy, so maybe some of those will turn up on their website soon?

DJ Keith has big ears, and is one of my faves for pushing the usual boundaries of taste in the club scene, by mixing Puerto Rican bombiplena with Cuban timba and Latin American viejoteca. Keith digs high energy tracks with lots of fire and pretty solos, like the pianos of Alfredo Rodriguez in Cubanismo's "Descarga de hoy" and Gilberto "Pulpo" Colon Jr. in a house remix of Hector Lavoe's "Alejate." Gorgeously atypical mixers included Roberto Roena's "Con los pobres estoy" and Mongo Santamaria's "Cuidado." I had the rare pleasure of dancing to Candido Fabre and other seldom-heard sounds. Keep bringing the love, Keith.

Living Drum (Can't Stop The Rumba)

Who would have thought that just a few blocks from all those overcrowded nightspots and the tawdry hubbub on Glenwood Avenue on a Thursday night, there's the hip, relaxed and ample Mosaic Wine Lounge on Jones Street, a seemingly underused oasis?

A nice open air evening meant you could hear Tambor Vivo from around the corner, which worked better than a GPS to find the place: Just follow the call of the drums...


On Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday nights, the Moroccan-themed bar boasts the international grooves of DJ Keith [Ward], a Greensboro native who has travelled here and there, living for a time in Spain and the Dominican Republic. It shows. He spins Latin in a cosmopolitan way with real sabor. I don't know if I've ever heard the "Elena Elena" plena in a nightclub, except when Sajaso mix it into their live descargas.

As anticipated, Eduardo and Stephanie Winston, of Durham's Paso Dance Studios, were there and itching to dance to some Cuban guaguanco.



Click on either of the photos to see a couple more from the rumba at my (new!) Flickr photostream.