Grupo Fantasma stops in at Casbah in Durham this Wednesday (6/22) for a Latin funkstravaganza. From Austin, Tex., its southwestern sound embraces cumbia, horn-driven funk, L.A. Latin rock, and classic New York salsa. (There's even a little Cuban chaos in there: its fourth album, the Grammy-nominated Sonidos Gold, features an Irakere cover.) Fantasma's funk credentials are in order: In 2007, Prince handpicked the band to headline his Vegas club.
Its fifth--and most recent--CD, El Existential, was recorded in a home-built studio in Austin, and features guests from the Meatpuppets as well as the Fania All Stars--Larry Harlow plays electric piano on a gangster cha-cha.
I will be there on Wednesday, wearing headphones: DJ Santa Salsera spins old school salsa from 7 pm until showtime, and again after the live set. It's been awhile since I've deejayed a live party for dancers, and I'm really looking forward to it.
Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 door. To be compliant with NC state law, Casbah has a membership policy which involves a one-time, $5 fee; the door is CASH ONLY, so come prepared. You can buy drinks with credit at the bar.
It's been way too long since I heard West End Mambo in the Triangle. The Winston-Salem-based band is one of NC's most solid and longstanding salsa acts, so it's a pity they don't have an opportunity to play around here more often. Therefore, hearing them at La Fiesta del Pueblo on Saturday was wonderful, although too brief (30 min).
This whole event was indoors, sadly, because of rain threat I guess. The Jim Graham Building with its bare concrete floors was a box of cacophony, with sound bouncing around from various areas and exhibits. This was especially troublesome for a band like Durham's La Tropa de Tierra Caliente, whose oompah synth and pumping valve trombones did not take well to the livestock hall.
A funny thing happened on the way to West End Mambo's set--which may explain why their time was so truncated. One of the musicians (I won't name names!) got busted by security for having a bottle of liquor on the premises. This is streng verboten, apparently, which got him ejected from the Fairgrounds. While pianist/leader Cesar Oviedo scrambled for a last-minute replacement, who should walk by, enjoying La Fiesta, but Billy Marrero and Pako Santiago. Percussion, made to order! This was funny as they were hustled on stage, and sticks and maracas were pressed into their hands. Later, another local musician, the "ilustre Jaime Roman," was spotted and called onstage for a few numbers.
Vocal lead Maria Vasquez has a vocal range suited to Celia Cruz's salsa hits, so we heard a lot of these ("Usted Abuso," "Bemba Colora" "Quimbara"). We also heard a South American cumbia-salsa hybrid, "Mentirosa," popular in versions by Pastor Lopez and Willie Villegas among others.
One of best things about the gig was how SOLID the brass was. Alberto Carrasquillo is still the best there is for Latin trumpet in this area, and it was great (as always) to be reminded of that fact on Saturday. With his taste and experience leading the way, the fiery Ricardo James is a good complement, making for a hot trumpet section. Holding down the deep end, Steve Blake gets the job done on tenor saxophone. Steve does two things I appreciate: he plays Latin without any tentativeness, and he plays saxophone loud enough to be heard over a salsa band.
This video features El Ilustre Jaime trading soneos (at min 3:30) on one of Maria's tunes; Alberto closes it with a blowout trumpet solo.
Meet Pachucos Coahuila--aka, bouncy rhythm slingers from Coahuila (via Raleigh):
I met accordionist Ramiro at the Farmer's Market last weekend, where he sold me some nice red yarrow and lantana.
Though originated in Colombia, this style of cumbia is favored in Mexico's northern Coahuila state and the associated Texas border region, Ramiro says.
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.
Carrboro Music Festival (9/28) was the best way I've spent a Sunday in a long time.
What a great concept for a festival: instead of herding people into a narrow, fallow tract, the town of Carrboro transforms their whole downtown grid into a living, breathing festival space. They get local bands to play, all day and evening long, at over 20 indoor and outdoor venues within strolling distance. They do it on a Sunday, when parking is eased, and the coup de grace: they make it free. Streets and sidewalks are full of people venue-surfing, giving the pleasant sensation of urban bustle in an area with the geographic footprint of a village. Music lures into courtyards, concert halls, grassy knolls and parking lots. Real kitchens and bars offer food and drink (especially drink) fit for grown-ups. It's a truly civilized, all-ages show.
I won't describe every song in the jukebox, but blog-relevant: I did catch Razpa's set. They were very well-received, I looked around and saw lots of heads bopping, feet moving. Nice crowd. Particularly inspired by the guitar-driven cumbia, Manu Chao cover "Desaparecido," a Mick Jagger lookalike did noodly dance steps, with a tall can of Clamato Chelada in one hand and a cigarette in the other. That about sums it up.
The party really got started, for me, at twilight, when I got to Tyler's Parking Lot in time for a quick cuddle (figuratively speaking) with the Tim Smith band, before my dance date with Saludos Compay. Tim, aka Mr. Goodvibes, will give you a contact-high on life with his jazzy flute, sax of plenty, and that remarkably floating falsetto voice. Orquesta GarDel's Peter Kimosh shares bass duties here, a most excellent foundation for the reggae-inspired groove, and Robert Cantrell brings his Afro-Cuban skills to the congas.
As dusk fell behind the porch-like bandstand with a rustic American flag mural painted on the wall behind it, dancers coagulated in the yard in anticipation of Saludos Compay. I was heartened to see Robert Cantrell keep his seat behind the drums, adding weight to the trio's backbone, Pablo Valencia, Erich Lieth and Chuck Nolan. Though tiny (as Latin bands go), without timbales or vast horn choir, Saludos Compay generates an authentic dance groove by hewing close to the simple, time-tested formula of Cuban son montuno, with some of cumbia's rasping bounce.
Rather than edgy, hard and urban salsa, this rural dance music springs from the tilled earth. A perfect fit for the freespirited Orange/Chatham milieu. Dancers sprawled like wheeling cogs across the courtyard, reverberating to the hypnotic, primal pace of son. It's been awhile since I caught a full-blown dance set by Saludos Compay, and it was nice to be reminded why they have one of the most dedicated followings in the Triangle. Join their e-list to get schedule updates via the band'swebsite. Saludos Company will occupy the dance tent at Shakori Hills late Saturday night during the Grassroots Festival (10/11).
Dancing chicas, beware: you have competition. I was already fond of Control's brand of catchy, poppy cumbia norteña, but after seeing them live at Festival La Ley last week I think I count myself as a fan. After all, who can resist Paco?
Maybe I just find their subversion of the seemingly dominant "dancing chicas" paradigm refreshing. Here's Paco (and the rest of Control) in action:
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