Durham Latino Festival SATURDAY (9/24)

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BREAKING: LOCATION CHANGE

Parks & Rec has announced on Friday that the festival will be MOVED INDOORS to Edison Johnson Recreation Center, 500 W. Murray Ave, due to rainy conditions at Rock Quarry Park.
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Durham's Latino Festival, which was postponed back on August 6 due to Hurricane Irene, is rescheduled for this Saturday (9/24) from 1 - 6 pm, at Edison Johnson Recreation Center, 500 W. Murray Ave.

Band bookings have changed, so here's the latest schedule which I received today from Parks and Recreation officials:

Main Stage Schedule

1:00 – 1:10 Welcome/Introductions - DPR Director - Rhonda Parker

Mayor Bill Bell, Felipe Cabrera, Consul of Mexico Rep.

1:10 – 1:50 Rey Norteño (BAND) (1st half)

1:50 – 2:05 Host/announcement of MAJOR SPONSORS

2:05 – 2:25 Rey Norteño (BAND) (2nd half)

2:25 – 2:40 Host/announcement of all sponsors – gifts/raffle & introduction of next “entertainment”.

2:40 – 3:30 Guillo Carias Trio (1st half)

3:30 – 3:45 Host/announcement of all sponsors – gifts/raffle & introduction of next “entertainment”.

3:45 – 4:00 Guillo Carias Trio (2nd half)

4:00 – 4:10 Host/announcement of all sponsors – gifts/raffle & introduction of next “entertainment”.

4:10 – 4:30 ZUMBA

4:30 – 5:00 Realeza de la Sierra (BAND) (1st half)

5:00 – 5:20 Host/Soccer Championship Awards/announcement of all sponsors – gifts & introduction of next “entertainment”.

5:20 – 6:00 Realeza de la Sierra (BAND) (2nd half)

Please feel free to contact me with any last minute questions or concerns.

Rosalie Bocelli (919) 560-4355 X 27235 or (919) 452-3476 cell

Latino Festival is FREE and OPEN to the public; Rain or Shine.

SI: blankets, lawn chairs, kids
NO: coolers, booze, pets.


Guillo Carias Trio

ABOUT THE BANDS:

A couple of my favorites are playing, namely the Dominican jazz trio of Guillo Carias, and Rey Norteño, whose norteña song "Raleigh" was a hit on Mexican Regional radio a few years back. I haven't seen them perform in ages, so I'm curious to see what singer/songwriter Fred Huerta, et al., is up to these days. Here's a neat little rehearsal video posted about a year ago:



La Realeza de la Sierra has kind of a technobanda style, and one member who appears to be a young girl playing keyboards, according to videos on YouTube. Here's their demo:

Ritmo Latino Fest in Cary TODAY (8/7)

From 12 noon - 6:30pm this Sunday (8/7), Diamante's 7th annual Festival Ritmo Latino comes to Bond Park, 801 High House Road in Cary. Rain or shine, the festival is FREE and open to the public:



Here are times and highlights from the Main Stage music lineup in Sertoma Amphitheatre:

12:30 - 1:30 Tercer Divisa Nacional (rock & roll urbano)
2:00 - 3:00 Mickey Mills & Steel (reggae)
4:00 - 5:00 La Tropa de Tierra Caliente (regional mex)
5:30 - 6:30 Tropic Orchestra (salsa)

The "Ritmo Lounge" will feature various folkloric dance groups, the Christian rock band Sin Reservas at 3 pm, and Franco Gallardo Mariachi at 5 pm. Other attractions include food vendors, an opening ceremony and color guard, and children's activities. A free kids' soccer clinic with the Carolina Railhawks takes place from 2 - 4 pm.

EVENT LINK:

http://www.diamanteinc.org/Ritmo_Latino_2011.php

¡La Batalla!

Last night was round 1 of La Ley's "La Batalla," a battle of the bands designed to promote the musical talent of Central and Eastern North Carolina and provide up-and-coming artists with guidance and the opportunity for exposure.

Four bands competed in the first round:

• Revelación Sevilla, a Raleigh-based Cumbia Tropical group comprising four brothers and a cousin originally from Hidalgo, MX;


• SDO Musical, A familial, Raleigh-based Tierra Caliente ensemble


• Positivo Show, a Tierra Caliente ensemble from Goldsboro


• Rubén y su Potencia, a Raleigh-based Tierra Caliente group.

And the winner was ...

Positivo Show!



And here's a bonus vid of Rubén Y Su Potencia:



Positivo Show will advance to the final round along with the winners of the next two primimary rounds (dates and venues TBA). The winner of La Batalla will receive an 8 hour recording session and demo produced by a recognized music recording studio and $1,000 cash, in addition to airplay on LA LEY 96.9 FM.

Guadalupan Procession 3 PM TODAY (12/12)

On my way home from Orquesta GarDel last night, I stopped in at Durham's Immaculate Conception Church. It was just the right time to catch the last of the Mañanitas for the Virgin of Guadalupe, which went from midnight to 4 am. While I missed the mariachis (doh!), I was just in time to see a new addition to the celebration this year: banda, a thunderous brass, woodwind and percussion ensemble, derived from the tradition of military marching bands.







12.12. is a busy day for Mexican musicians, and Los Guanajuatenses told me they had already performed for a baptism earlier that day. After this 4 am set, they quickly departed the church by a side door, and headed home to Raleigh. Just enough time to rest up for the next gig--this afternoon, in Creedmoor.



Because the Virgin's day falls on a Sunday this year, the parade and procession today will be earlier than usual--3 pm--and will take a longer route through the Burch/Morehead Street neighborhoods. Anyone is welcome to come observe and/or walk with the procession, which is a mingling of parade floats, songs, dancers, and congregants from various folk traditions all over Mexico. It's a sight worth seeing. There's usually hot chocolate and sweet rolls or tamales at the church afterwards, and more indigenous dance groups. You'll find the church right at the Chapel Hill Road Exit 13, off Durham Freeway.

FIESTA Preview & Updates...

It's here, La Fiesta del Pueblo, the largest 2-day Latino festival in the Carolinas. It will take place this Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 29-30, at the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh in the same indoor/outdoor exhibition spaces used last year, in and around the Jim Graham Building. Admission is $5, and admission to the soccer tournament in the Dorton Arena will be an additional $2.



Full Stage Schedule for La Fiesta del Pueblo HERE

Headliners include "hurricane" salseros Orquesta GarDel, Peruvian rocker Santino and punta/soca band Kazzabe. I'm working on my preview of the musical highlights, so check back later today!


UPDATE added Friday night:

Buzz: I just got word from an alert tipster that Santino will be backed by Raleigh rockers Wrecking Season. (Thanks, Melinda!) I just checked out their myspace, and that's some sweet rockin' goodness! I can totally hear Santino with this, returning to his hard rocking roots with Peruvian hair band Fragil.



SANTINO performs Saturday 7pm and Sunday 4:30 pm


UPDATE added Sunday am:

Saturday headliners Orquesta GarDel really upped the ante, adding twists to their old arrangements and throwing a bolero into their set for vocalist Nelson Delgado. Pianist/keyboardist Eric Hirsh played around with new synth tones, adding celeste for example to "Boranda" (evoking memories of Charlie Palmieri's Alegre sessions). Some new, killer horn lines with bari sax jumped out at me on charts I've heard repeatedly. That was a real delight. Always giving us something new to listen to. The funk of "Eric's Timba" (still untitled) resounded with the old school dancers; it was great to see el pueblo dancing, mingling and having a good time.





La Tropa de Tierra Caliente--of Durham--have steadily improved their game as well since I saw them at last year's La Ley fest. This techno banda from the "hot regions" of Guerrero and Michoacan runs on valve trombones, synth tuba and aftershave. A male vocal trio harmonizes and bounces in a massive front line with the live brass, sandwiched by sythmeisters and backed by a lonely drumset on the back bandstand. Witness the energy:



With a quieter kind of attention, rapt crowds at the Cafe Teatro devoured the Colombian harp mastery of Pávelid Castañeda Sr., a real find at La Fiesta this year. (Brava to Fiesta programmer Margarita Correa-McAvoy who always manages to add new talent to the roster.)

A transplant to this area from Long Island with his own folk group Los Llaneros, Pávelid currently plays three days a week for afternoon tea at the Umstead in Cary. Pávelid is a long-time music educator and, if I'm not mistaken, the father of another amazing harpist who is making waves in the Latin jazz world: Edmar Castañeda. I heard Edmar play an unforgettable rendition of "Obsesion" with Cándido Camero and a Cuban ensemble led by Sonny Bravo at the NYC Blue Note in 2007. The manzana doesn't fall far from the tree! Pávelid did a one-man arrangement of Tito Puente's "Oye Como Va" (yes, the one made famous by Santana) that filled the senses. Colombian harp is a rare specialty in these parts, here's hoping we will hear him playing out in the Triangle more often.



Until I can get the full name of this 16-year-old musician in the Andean folk group Amerikantu, I'm going to dub him The Charango Kid. [His name is Jacob Cortez.] Big talent. His father Cesar Cortez plays guitar (far left) and the group is led by artist and musician David Sovero (center):



Sunday picks: 12:45 Mariachi Los Galleros, 1:30 Grupo Sarengue, 3:15 Bravo Norteño, 4:15 Kazzabe, 4:30 Santino.

Full Stage Schedule for La Fiesta del Pueblo HERE

Triangle, we got sabor!

Latin Beat: August Edition

As Onda Carolina celebrates its first anniversary, this month is turning out to be one of the busiest on record for Latin music in the Triangle. I have a lot of catching up to do, so here's a digest of recent news and upcoming events.

First order of business: It's the third Thursday (8/20) of the month, and Tambor Vivo is headlining again at Mosaic's free, no-cover Cuban night. Mosaic's adventurous programming creates a win/win proposition for our music and dance community. Just show up, no classes, no covers, no pretense. Just the call of live drums. This party scene is burgeoning and a little different every time. Truly cultural, yet open-ended, you can dance how you want to, from straight-up rumba to whatever shakes your bootay.

Thursday appetizer: Did you know that a free bomba dance class is held every Thursday at Havana Grill in Cary? Time: 6:30 pm - 8ish, depending on attendance. Instructor Miriam Rivas is a Puerto Rican native and a researcher at Duke. Ladies, wear a wide skirt if you have one, and sneakers or shoes appropriate for dancing on concrete. Havana Grill serves Cuban food with nightly specials.

Next on the agenda: This Saturday (8/22) is Durham's Latino Festival, 3:00 - 8:00 pm at Rock Quarry Park. This free festival will highlight local Mexican regional music by Leno y sus Compas, and two of our best salsa bands: The Latin Project and Carnavalito. For the full schedule, see poster below or visit the Durham Latino Festival website.



August has been a packed month for festivals, from Ritmo Latino, to La Ley's 6th anniversary last weekend, which I unfortunately had to miss because I was out of town. It looked to be a humdinger, with return appearances by Domenic M (the bachata singer and his supertight band played the festival 3 years ago) and Grupo Control (spandex cowboys whose sexy show kicked off this blog a year ago).

Further jamming the festival calendar, this August will wrap up with La Fiesta del Pueblo on August 29-30 (which traditionally has taken place in early September). Currently they are looking for volunteers; if you would like to volunteer, fill out this online form. Their stage schedule isn't out yet, but check back soon for more details. (Let me get through one festival at a time...)

Finally I want to congratulate all the members of the NCCU Jazz Ensemble and director Ira Wiggins on a triumphant set of performances at the Newport Jazz Festival. From what I understand, this was a project several years in the making, and NCCU artist-in-residence Branford Marsalis was instrumental in creating the showcase. The ensemble is really getting out and about these days; they will play the Detroit Jazz Festival this Labor Day weekend.

We are tremendously lucky to have high order jazz education in our midst. It's nothing to take for granted, and has had a tremendous impact on our salsa scene, when you look at the number of musicians to come out of Central who also play "our Latin thing." Kudos to NCCU Jazz, it's on my list of great things about living in Durham.


STAY IN TOUCH

Got news or calendar items for Onda Carolina? I would love to hear from YOU. You can leave a comment, or email me by clicking on "Sylvia P." in the contributors box (sidebar, right) to reach my Blogger profile.

GRACIAS!

street signs: what's happening in mex regional

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.

Tiger Beat

More love for Los Tigres del Norte.

Some excellent photos from Friday's show by my colleague Juan Manuel Cortez, posted here with his permission. Juan is a photographer and digital artist from Colombia who freelances for Que Pasa and other local media. He's also a friend of the local music scene. Check out his professional website here.




Now, a word or two must be said about my obsession with Los Tigres' sartorial splendor.

At this show, I was observing with considerable interest and admiration the fashion sense of this very youthful mexican-regional/norteño scene. I saw girls in the zip-up stiletto boots you see everywhere, but with western detailing. One young man who sticks out in my mind wore a light pinstripe suit, accessorized with a cowboy hat and belt in matching white (paging: Saturday Night Fever). Naturally cowboy hats were unisex, with girls often favoring the straw ones they wear to the beach. Men's shirts, hats and jewelry proudly proclaimed the Mexican state that they were from. These looks had spiffiness and self-confidence, dressed up to impress, with some of these items conveying caché as they are quite expensive (hats, belts and boots), yet still casual, mixed with items you can buy at the mall or la pulga.

As I was taking in the style sense of these Mexican teenagers and twenty-somethings, I was thinking, why doesn't someone rip this look for the catwalk?

Well, someone has.

Look closely at Los Tigres del Norte's bolero suits, seen in the 2008 publicity photo that leads the English portal to their website, which to my joy they wore for the show. Peacock blue, embroidered and "bedazzled" with hand-set rhinestones and floating jigsaw puzzle pieces of all the Mexican states. The back of the suits bear a Mexican flag, flowers, and "Mexico D.F." lettered across the shoulder blades.

When I received a brief audience with Don Jorge (applying his honorific prefix, as Los Tigres' elder statesman), I asked him: WHO made your suits, and how much did they cost?

The answer: Manuel of Nashville, the Mexican-born designer, now in his 70s, responsible for nearly every bedazzling piece of flamboyant Western wear to circulate in American culture since the '60s. Check out this website which has a fantastic video showing exactly how the clothes are made, and by whom. On Manuel's myspace, one modern celebrity says Manuel's clothes "feel like sex and money."

Don Jorge said he didn't know the actual cost of the suits, but with all the handiwork involved, he figured, "they must be pretty expensive, eh?" Charming man. He greeted me with an English "how are you?" and could not have been more gracious to me, not to mention to the innumerable fans who got photos and autographs that night.

Looking around for more about Manuel, the Mexican mastermind behind this bit of quintessential americana, I came across this 2005 exhibit at Nashville's Frist Center for the Visual Arts of 50 jackets designed to represent the American states. Clearly, this seems to be a prototype for the Los Tigres design, which was made to represent Mexico for their 2008 album of Mexican standards, Raices.

Do I dare go on about my obsession with Tigres bassist Hernán Hernández' distinctive, time-defying hairstyle? In the spirit of homage to Princess Sparkle Pony's photoblog of political hairdo gossip, I'm going to brave it.


Photo credit: Juan Manuel Cortez

I have toyed with ways to name this 'do, and after meeting Hernán, I'm going with the Susan Sontag Mullet. It was only a handshake, but enough to confirm my suspicions that Hernán wears a nice cologne, and enjoys some special attention from female fans. Ladies Love Cool Hernán.

Although the much-scorned mullet has fallen onto ridicule and parody in (much of) U.S. culture, clearly there remains an enduring precedent and healthy respect for proud manes within the Mexican stylebook. As a calling card, it hearkens back to Mexico's indigenous subtext, as well as the anarchic genius for self-invention and self-rule demonstrated by her migratory children, epitomized in the lyrics of the Jose Alfredo Jimenez song "El Rey." Be he rich or poor, the man who wears the Susan Sontag Mullet this boldly is his own sort of king.

Links: a full frontal daylight pic of the 'do at Getty Images.

Reuters caught this intriguing glimpse of it.

Tigritos vs. Yonics

More about the Los Tigres del Norte show coming soon...here's a peek at the merch table:




UPDATE:
Read my concert review in Indy online blog SCAN.

Los Yonics opened, they are a band of 10 from Acapulco fronted by father/son duo Jose Manuel Samacona and Jose Manuel Samacona Jr.. Their genre is Romantico (so says saxophonist Sanchez, who chatted with me backstage), but they incorporate various rhythms and styles including cumbia, durangense and tierra caliente. As indicated, they had a real brass section (trumpet, sax, two trombones) and two keyboardists, synthesizing other sounds like tuba and accordion. According to this video interview in Spanish with El Barrio, they are in their 33rd year, and the saxophonist I spoke to (seen in first photo below, second from right) has been with them for 17.





(click on to see larger photos)

Los Yonics wound up their set with a ranchera classic, Jose Alfredo Jimenez' "El Rey":


Los Yonics from Santa Salsera on Vimeo.
"Muy padre," as they said on La Ley.


UPDATE: Los Tigres

Here are Los Tigres del Norte doing their 1971 classic "Contrabando y Traícion" at last night's show:


Los Tigres del Norte from Santa Salsera on Vimeo.

And, a couple of short incidental videos -- this one shows more of Don Jorge's (in white hat) unique body language when he is singing corridos:


Body Language from Santa Salsera on Vimeo.

And this one shows women getting up onstage and posing for photos - without being whisked away by security! Los Tigres really love their fans:


Parade of Lovelies from Santa Salsera on Vimeo.

Read my concert review in Indy online blog SCAN.

TONIGHT! Los Tigres del Norte & Children of the Horn

UPDATE:
Read my concert review in Indy online blog SCAN.


Tonight I will make my first encounter with Los Tigres del Norte, Mexico's godfathers of norteño, at Disco Rodeo in Raleigh. Opening bands, start time? Who knows, I'm trying to tune in to La Ley 96.9 FM to get more info. Will be checking it out for the Indy online music blog SCAN.

Update: Opening for Los Tigres: Los Yonics. Calls to the venue get you to a recording in Spanish: (919) 836-8535.

Perhaps on my way in to Raleigh, I'll stop by the North Carolina Art Museum's free After Hours party, 5:30-8:00 pm, featuring a Mardi Gras theme where Children of the Horn will be busting a Dixieland groove. Among los bravos in this band are Wayne Leechford, of Orquesta GarDel, trombonist Robo Jones who gigs with salsa bands from time to time, and Jim Crew and Ed Butler of ELM Collective. The museum will be open, and a cash wine/food bar awaits. See calendar for details!


Goodness grows in North Carolina: Children of the Horn crop up

La Tropa de Tierra Caliente in Durham Saturday

La Tropa de Tierra Caliente will be playing Saturday at the Coalition to Unchain Dogs Benefit in Durham central Park. The even starts at 4:30, and La Tropa are scheduled to start their set at 4:45.

"Sería un error perdertelo"

Maybe you want to get your Mexican regional music thang on this weekend. What's the best way to find out about the shows? You can listen to La Ley and hope to hear the ads, or you can head down to the tienda or taquería and see what's up on the wall. So, straight from the soda machine outside the Compare Foods in Raleigh, here are some of this week's events:



Grammy-winning norteño superstars Intocable will be at Disco Rodeo this Friday (August 29). Opening bands are Triny y la Leyenda and Grupo Cosmos. Triny y la Leyenda are a veteran tierra caliente band from Michoacan. I know nothing about Grupo Cosmos, but that's what YouTube's for, isn't it? Based on this video, Grupo Gosmos appears to be a norteño act (not at all to be confused with this awesome a capella/human-beat-box act also called Cosmos).

There was another poster up on the soda machine:



At Vivaldi Night Club on Saturday (August 30): Roddy and his band Rompiendo El Silencio with Costeño de Acapulco, Sendero Musical de Guerrero and Desafiados Musical. I know nothing about these acts, and the Google hasn't been any help at all. But according to the poster, it would be an error to miss it ...

Control in action

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:


Grupo Control from bunchofpants on Vimeo.

I'm just a little jealous that while I was watching Control's opening numbers, Sylvia had Paco and fellow dancer Memo all to herself.

For more fun check out Control on YouTube.

Losing Control with La Ley

For our first extravaganza, Lisa and I recently attended the 5th anniversary Festival De La Ley, sponsored by 96.9 FM La Ley, a Spanish-language sender which is owned by Curtis Media in Raleigh. I have to hand it to Julie Garza, La Ley's programming director, for pulling off a huge event with her usual grace under fire. She runs a tight ship, yet made room for a couple of last minute castaways on the media roster (Lisa and myself). This is our third year attending La Ley's anniversary party, and while 2006 may have been my favorite thus far, this year offered ample espectaculo--with special emphasis on "culo." I speak of course of headliners--who we almost missed, they arrived so late!--Grupo Control.

Now, something about Control makes ladies seem to lose it. I was skeptical at first, having only seen their act on YouTube. To speak plainly, this is the only Mexican Regional group I have ever seen that has regular band members who are solely designated dancers. That's right, they don't sing backup, don't play accordions, or keyboards or drumpads. They work it like Chippendale cowboys in an aerobics class.

There are four designated dancers in total, but the team of Memo (Guillermo) Lopez and Paco Garza seem to be the stars, either new or returning to the band after a hiatus. Unbelievably, I have them to myself during the band's first couple of songs, as they wait in the wings to be introduced.

"I saw you on YouTube," is my brave entree in English.

"You like?" asks Memo.

"Well, I mean, what's not to like," I ventured on. "But I was really surprised to see this kind of dancing with this music. Are you professional dancers?"

"Si," says Paco, switching to Spanish. "I've been dancing for 5 years."

"All different styles?"

"Yeah, everything, folk, jazz, salsa, merengue, cumbia," says Paco. That was in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.

"I danced folkloric dancing in Mexico," says Memo. He's from Reynosa, or Tamaulipas? I can't quite make it out. He's worked quinceañeras too, and like Paco, trained in the same variety of styles.

"The two of us have a very similar way of dancing," says Paco. "A little different from the other two guys, but we have a good chemistry between the four of us."

Control's brand of dirty dancing has spread in popularity to young men dancing in quinceañera choreographies. I ask them what they would say to those who might regard a hip-gyrating all male revue as less than stereotypically "macho," but they don't seem to understand the question. Instead, we talk about where the "sexy" moves came from.

"I love salsa," Paco admits. "We take a little bit from salsa and merengue, and mix it up. There are some steps that resemble the cumbias. It's a little bit of everything." (Judging from YouTube samples of ordinary humanity, my guess is that banda and durangense are also sources.)

Pretty soon the crowd noise rises to shrill; it's time for their big entrance. I wish them luck, they kiss me on the cheek and head out on stage, leaving behind the scent of cologne and spandex.