Review: Los Amigos Bring the Sexy to Carrboro (2/25)

Although the Cradle wasn't completely sold out, the front of the house was jammed tight with pogo-ing, flagwaving fans by the time I got to Los Amigos Invisibles, about half an hour in to their show. Caught the tail end of this salsa tune on my way in:



A local Venezuelan delegation had brought them a cake that afternoon in honor of the band's twentieth anniversary. All the Amigos were there, except Jose Torres (whom I interviewed for their 2004 Zinga Son record); he had to go home to Spain unexpectedly, so a good pal of DJ Afro's was filling in on bass. Like Los Lobos, another idiosyncratic Latin fusion band, Los Amigos have kept the same close-knit core all these years.





LAI live is like a blender mixing música popular, from the hip to the corny, into a psychedelic milkshake. Before you've fully processed that snippet of an old bolero, they're off to quoting familiar funk hooks, bouncey Europop choruses and organ riffs from sporting events, all swirling in and around their own songs in a non-stop flow.





I got some facetime with DJ Afro after the show, and we talked about vinyl collecting and Venezuelan salsa rarities. He still does a podcast, DJ Afro y su rumba barata, which is broadcast in Caracas, Panama and Mexico City. We agreed that there should be a wiki database for music, similar to the IMDb for movies. Fellow music nerds, any ideas on how to make that happen?



This is my longest clip, a merengue marathon including the song "El Baile del Sobón" from Arepa 3000:

Charanga & Jazz SATURDAY (2/19) @ UNC Memorial

If you missed out on Eddie Palmieri yesterday--from his student masterclass, to the Memorial Hall concert, to a jam session on Franklin Street--you can still look forward to a great evening of Latin jazz tonight at UNC: a joint concert of Charanga Carolina and the UNC Jazz Band, with guests Joe Chambers (drums) and Conrad Herwig (trombone). Rumor has it there will be some special guests on vibes as well.



Palmieri was so stoked upon hearing the Charanga Carolina yesterday, that he placed cell phone calls during the rehearsal to share the live sound with two very important people: his wife ("she's a charanguera!" says Eddie), and trumpeter/music historian Rene Lopez.

"This is a rocking band! You better give them a good write-up," Palmieri told me afterwards.

He gave some playing tips to the group's pianists, current and former, who huddled around the keyboard on the Hill Hall stage, where yesterday's masterclass took place.

Palmieri's trombonist, Conrad Herwig has been in residency all week, playing lip-busting concerts with UNC faculty, the NC Jazz Rep Orchestra, as well as his boss. He told me Wednesday that he is looking forward to playing with the Charanga tonight.



Tonight's concert will be in UNC Memorial Hall at a cost of $15 general admission. An after hours jam session is planned at 10:30 pm at West End Wine Bar (cover: $4)

This intense burst of concerts continues next weekend, as part of UNC's 34th Carolina Jazz Festival. Trumpeter Marcus Printup of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra returns to campus for a residency Thursday (2/24)-Saturday (2/26).



I never did a full review of Charanga Carolina's show at Talulla's a few weeks ago, but it was a barnburner. Although the intimate setting puts dance space at a premium, the warm acoustics and family-run atmosphere at Talulla's are a perfect home for Charanga.

Here's a video from last time to get you in the mood for tonight:

Eddie Palmieri at UNC-Memorial Friday (2/18)

Read my Indy story, P'Adelante: Eddie Palmieri Continues to Reinvent his Pioneering Latin Jazz, here. The concert is Friday at UNC-Memorial at 8 pm.

A TRANSCRIPT containing more of this interview will be available here LATER TODAY. Check back later on Thursday.

I just had a chat last night with Conrad Herwig, Eddie Palmieri's trombonist, in the green room after he played a lip-blistering concert with Jim Ketch in Hill Hall. This was a free concert, lots of other events (some paid/ticketed, some not) taking place over the next two weeks at UNC, part of the Carolina Jazz Festival. Conrad is doing a residency and will also perform in Memorial with the UNC Jazz Band and Charanga Carolina on Saturday. I will post more info later!

Faceoff in Fayetteville

UPDATE 2/4: Tickets For GARDEL AT THE SPEAKEASY are now $10 at the door. REFUNDS for the difference will be issued if you purchased an advance ticket at higher price. --Info Source: Speakeasy Management, via Andy Kleindienst

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I'm not sure what star alignment is responsible for this, but two Triangle salsa bands will go head to head in Fayetteville this Friday (2/4) night:

Orquesta GarDel, entering phase 2 of its CD release party at The Speakeasy:



vs.

Tropic Orchestra, billed as Ricardo Diquez y su Orquesta Tropical, at Congo's Latin Club:



Ricardo Diquez says Tropic's lineup is largely unchanged, with Ramon "Chino" Casiano on congas/backing vocals and Jonah Vincent on second trumpet for this gig.

Congo's announces a cash-prize Salsa Contest on Facebook.

The Speakeasy is a "cigar bar," but also/and (?) a "nightclub"--no word on whether the smoker-friendly bar is physically separated from the dancefloor.

See calendar (right sidebar) for details.

LINKS:

Orquesta GarDel artist website
Tropic Orchestra on ReverbNation

GarDel at the Oasis: CD Release Party @ Motorco

Capacity crowd last night at Motorco for Orquesta GarDel's CD release party; David Garcia gave a nice introduction, and GarDel took no prisoners as they launced into the first track from their EP, "Para El Mundo Entero":







Two new songs on the EP, never before performed in public, came out last night. I danced during "Gracias Te Doy," a cha cha chá with great solos by Al Strong and Andy Kleindienst. Already lush, I expect that one will really open up over time. Nelson thanked his wife Cookie for the idea to dedicate the lyrics to his mother, who passed in 2010.

The other was originally penned as a song about bad relationships, but sonero Jaime Ramon didn't want to sing it that way. He rewrote the lyrics of "Esta Situacion" to be about one bad relationship we are all in right now--with the economy:





I feel blessed to have one lyric of this remarkable song, "Lo Que Tu Querias," dedicated to me, by sonero/lyricist Nelson Delgado:



It was quite a sight to see all those people dancing to timba in Durham, something that never would have happened 5 years ago. This tune started out with the provisional title "Eric's Timba," and in all honesty, it took awhile for the horns to really master Hirsh's heavy "metal" bamboleo. They punched it out last night pretty comfortably. It feels like it has been a long journey to this oasis, and an even longer road (of touring?) beckons.

NEXT GIG: Friday, Feb. 4 at The Speakeasy in Fayetteville



CODA:

This was one of my favorite songs by opener Dark Water Rising:



They just won a "Nammy," the 2010 Native American Music Award, for "Debut Duo or Group of the year."

Lincoln Center Jam @ Talulla's

Following their concert last night at UNC-Memorial Hall, members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra turned up to jam last night at Talulla's, a regular Friday night jazz jam featuring Al Strong & Trio-tet.



I am rushing to get this up, since the show goes on tonight (JLCO again at Memorial Hall, and Orquesta GarDel at Motorco), but this was a descarga to remember. Among the JLCO visitors: Marcus Printup (trumpet), Vincent Gardner and Chris Crenshaw (trombones), and Ali Jackson (drums). Local musicians lined up to go shoulder to shoulder with their heroes. It was a very warm gathering and one rapt jazz fans and players beheld with a sense of wonder.





Talulla's is so dark that my videos are hard to make out, but here's one the sums up the energy of the night. Chris Crenshaw, a master with the plunger who at one point played just his slide and a water glass, a la Jack Teagarden, opens the solos; local legend Brian Miller takes over on saxophone, followed by Richmond's elite James "Saxsmo" Gates. I believe that the core players at this point in the evening are Brevan Hampden, drumset, Paul Creel, bass, and Ernest Turner, piano:



Also present in the jam were trumpeters Angel Rodgers and Kadir Muhammad, saxophonists Andy Paolantonio and Aaron Hill, and trombonist Reggie Greenlee. That's a non-inclusive list. Many others were there just to bear witness. This video features Aaron as second soloist, and Marcus Printup who returns to Chapel Hill and Asheville for engagements in February:







Later, Brevan moved to congas, making way for some fine drumming by Aaron Tucker, and to top off the night, JLCO's Ali Jackson. Brevan played a great, long conga solo (uncaptured on video), but I did grab a dark snippet of Brevan and Ali exchanging some percussion dialogue. Use your imagination for the visuals:

What You Wanted: GarDel's CD Release Party Looms (1/29)

Triangle salseros are abuzz about Orquesta GarDel's much anticipated CD release party this Saturday (1/29) at Motorco. Many contributed to the realization of the EP, Lo Que Tú Querías, via public donations at GarDel's Kickstarter site. So is it any wonder we feel invested?

Read my review of the album here, in this week's Indy.



According to Orquesta GarDel's website, the physical EP is for sale now for $6 at Bull City Records in Durham, and CD Alley in Chapel Hill. You can buy the digital album online here for only $4.

I'm not sure why Motorco booked an opening band--the place is going to be jammed with normally single-minded salseros, making unprecedented use of the spacious, polished dancefloor. That said, I'm kinda stoked to hear Dark Water Rising open, a band of young Lumbees singing and playing their own brand of Southern rock from Robeson County. I hope that the salsa world shows them some hospitality. What's great for both bands is it will bring a diverse audience together.

Sample Dark Water Rising on Reverbnation here.


Dark Water Rising

Facebook Event page: GarDel @ Motorco, w/ Dark Water Rising, Saturday (1/29)