Substitutions: Bio Ritmo 3.12.11

It's 11 pm on Saturday night in downtown Richmond, and this town is getting its salsa on: Bio Ritmo is about to take the stage at Balliceaux, a restaurant near the VCU campus.



Stylish and a little chaotic, this crowd has a casual, anything-goes approach to dance culture. People are here to socialize and dance to live music, not negotiate the breaking beats.




SUBSTITUTIONS

Bio Ritmo has been coping with some turnover lately. It's been breaking in new timbaleros since Giustino (Justin) Riccio went on hiatus to pursue his acoustic artrock duo Fuzzy Baby full-time. Some of the new players have been amazing, but I still miss Justin for his quirky, hardass playing and solid backing vocals.

On this gig, Cuban, D.C.-born-and-raised percussionist Rene Ibañez filled in on timbales. He plays with Sin Miedo every Thursday at Bossa in Adams Morgan. Love what Rene is doing with the solo on this fiery descarga "Sombras"; coming in on his heels are "Bobalu" Miller and Mark Ingraham locked in a heated trumpet/coronet battle, followed by Mike Montañez on congas:


NOTE: Balliceaux doesn't have stage lighting, so for best results, go to FULL SCREEN and turn up your BRIGHTNESS to max.

In the brass section, I've really been enjoying what newer members Mark Ingraham and JC Kuhl bring to the band. JC was out on another gig Saturday, so John Lilley played sax. On "Seguiras" John stepped up to the plate with sax solos in the Afrobeat section, while Eddie Prendergast supplied dubby basslines, and Mark doubled on tambourine. Mark's own band, a funk outfit called Beast Wellington, has standing gig on Wednesdays at Bogart's in Richmond.


SKINS

Gabo Tomasini manages the band from Brooklyn now, where he moved a few years back; he still plays congas on NYC gigs. But in the Southeast, Hector "Coco" Barez is now the first-call conguero. The fully endorsed LP percussionist's main gig is backing Grammy-winning, Puerto Rican hiphop duo Calle 13.

On Saturday, however, it was Mike Montañez' turn to shine. Mike has filled various positions in Bio Ritmo for 7 years, but only recorded on one of their albums: the EP Salsa System. Not a bad album to be on, engineered by Fania legend Jon Fausty, and featuring the still frequently performed "Tu No Sabes," as well as the seldom-heard "Madrugador" and "Orgullo," two great salsa tunes for my money.




SIGHTREADING: Setlist 3.12.11




SECOND SET

A couple songs after the break, pianist Marlysse Simmons started soloing on "Muchacho" and my spidey sense tingled. Sure enough, her solo was on fire. I missed videoing that one, but didn't make the same mistake twice. When "Atrevete" rolled around as an encore, I was in position to record:


PIANO SOLO starts at min. 3:50


SLEEPOVER

The next morning, the overnighters got together at The Cookie Monster Cafe for a brunch of corned beef hash, lake trout, dumplings, pancakes and fried apples.

Back at Marlysse's home studio, I got to hear some fabulous unreleased extras: her Brazilian project Os Magrelos, an amazing Bio Ritmo arrangement of "Danny Boy," and masters for the upcoming album, La Verdad. They are considering their options for how the release will come about, but expect it in 2011.

The 45 rpm vinyl single is already out now; A-side "Dina's Mambo," a Persian-sounding instrumental using farfisa organ, named for the "mambo" in the step of Marlysse's cat, which once had a broken leg; and B-side "La Muralla," another dark salsa from long-time trombonist Toby Whitaker, with sonero Rei Alvarez' lyrics.

Review: Orquesta K'Che Premieres at Carmens

K'Che's first performance was a party to remember. That's a good thing, since the memory stick in my camera failed last night. I have no photos or video from the show, but since professional cameraman Gustavo De Los Rios was there videoing the event, I trust some interesting documentation will survive. I'll just have to rely on words.

The stage was set when I arrived, around 11 pm, as band members hunted down the last music stand they needed. "Todo listo," musical director Andres Leon told me with a smile. Organizing and rehearsing since last fall, the band exuded the kind of calm that comes from months-long preparation. Carmen's was as packed I've ever seen it, so anticipation on the dancefloor was great.

K'Che's repertoire is well-chosen and eclectic, from NG La Banda/Issac Delgado's "Necesito Una Amiga," to Ismael Rivera's spiritually deep "El Nazareno," Pete El Conde and Johnny Pacheco's tipico son classic "Catalina La O," and Grupo Niche's biting anthem "Sin Sentimiento."

Jaime Roman and Nelson Rodriguez shared vocal duties, with Jaime sounding strong on the salsa covers, including a nice salsa romantica. Meanwhile, Nelson's electric tres wasn't just there for show; he sang and played a long, tasty tres solo on "Catalina La O," taking me and my dance partner back to Salsa Carolina days. Sabroso! Nelson's more tipico style on the son, cumbia and merengue is a great foil to Jaime's smooth, romantic lead, giving the band a winning vocal combination.

I had the pleasure of meeting newcomers to the Latin scene, Channing McCullough and Matthew Parunak. Channing deployed both alto and tenor saxes; her guajeos added authenticity to the merengue. Matthew has a great trombone tone for playing Latin. The section played well, hitting a lot of tricky entrances, aided and abetted by trumpeter William Villalba; I see only great things in this brass section's future as they pick up speed.

Right from the start, you could feel that the band's rhythm section was on solid footing, thanks to the percussion tripod of Billy Marrero on timbales, Julio Correa on congas, and Pako Santiago on bongos. All three are talented multi-percussionists, but that's probably my favorite instrument to hear each one play individually. Whether they are playing at a dance-friendly mid-tempo, or exhilarating breakneck speed (like on Larry Harlow's "Señor Sereno"), the sweet trio kept its sealegs, as expected. No surprises there. The rhythm section held its own with completing members Levy Vargas, electric bass, and Andres Leon, piano/keyboards.

Playing classy, disciplined arrangements, not aimless descargas, with tasteful soloing but no overplaying, K'Che isn't trying to reinvent the wheel; but it is trying to build a smoother ride. So far, so good; I like its professional approach and elbow grease. K'Che has definitely arrived. As it continues to polish and expand its repertoire, expect this band to invigorate competition in the local salsa scene.


SIGHTREADING: A View From the Bongo Chair

In light of my camera mishap, I did pick up one souvenir to document the night--Pako's setlist. The bongocero and backing vocalist doesn't typically use charts, but with these handwritten notes, he keeps track of a lot of information like set order, coros, solos, breaks, and which bell to play.


Bongocero's setlist, A-side


Bongocero's setlist, B-side

Shakori Sugar: Sol's Blues & GarDel's Timba

I didn't get to spend as much time as I would have liked at Shakori Hills this spring. But I did make it to see Orquesta GarDel in the Dance Tent Friday night. Of course, they led off with their signature Shakori tune, "Welcome to Shakori Hills."



At one point, emcee Pierce Freelon of The Beast jumped on stage to do an exuberant version of their joint tune "Translation," featured on last year's The Beast album Silence Fiction.

The GarDel song that debuted last year at Saxapahaw as "Eric's Timba" now has a new title: "Lo Que Tu Querias." Here's a full-length video from Shakori Friday night-- music by pianist Eric Hirsh and lyrics by sonero Nelson Delgado:



I appreciate Nelson's lyrical shoutout at about 2 min. 20 sec!

The set ended with their usual finale, the Gilberto Santa Rosa cover "La Agarra Bajando." Eric dressed it up with solos on both piano and Moog.

Sightreading: Orquesta GarDel's Shakori Setlist




Sol & Funk Root

I hung around to catch a few songs of zydeco priestess Rosie Ledet, as well as blues guitarist Sol with his band Funk Root. Sol had help from the Dynamite Brothers as well as vocalist/saxophonist Tim Smith.



At one point, Brevan Hampden, who played with GarDel, grabbed a tambourine and jumped onstage to join Robert Cantrell in the rhythm section.



Here's a song Sol introduced as new and unrecorded, with the official title "Sweet Sugah Momma":

Richmond Road Trip

Bio Ritmo update...

How to shoot with no light? I explored this concept up at Balliceaux in Richmond Tuesday night, my first chance in eons to catch up on my Bio Ritmo lore and shoot video of their new songs. Working with silhouettes and sound, you can feel your way; low-light stills fill in the blanks. This is the afrobeat coda to "Seguiras Criticando," with a Manu Dibango-style sax solo by J.C. Kuhl:









Not only is Bio Ritmo playing tons of new material, they're recording--4 songs are already down, and partial tracks for 4 others, under the eye and ear of Grammy-winning producer Aaron Levinson at a local Richmond studio.

Taking stock of personnel changes during the last year (has it really been that long??), I met three new players, some subbing, some permanent. Conguero Gabo Tomasini relocated from Richmond to Brooklyn a few months ago; he plays their (now frequent) NYC gigs, but Nicolai Creatore plays their dirty south gigs. Nick, one of the chefs at Balliceaux, lived in Brazil as a kid, so he's no stranger to Latin/Caribbean rhythms like samba and reggae. He's also played in D.C.'s gogo scene.



Bongocero, not always a regularly-held seat in Bio Ritmo, was manned (in style) by Arnaldo Marrero, a leading Latin DJ in Charlottesville. Robin Lugo, leader of the Virginia Beach band Tumbao Salsero, was also in attendance, and he sat in on bell and bongo during the end-of-show descarga.

Brass has seen the departure of trumpeter Tim Lett, who got married and had a baby (congratulations, Tim). Once a 2-trumpet, 2-trombone section, with nary a saxophone, the brass are now 1-1-1, with the addition of J.C. Kuhl on saxophone. Holding strong are "Mambo" Bob Miller on trumpet, and Toby Whitaker on lone trombone.

Former trombonist Stefan Demetriadis, who left the band in 2005, was among the onlookers at this free show, which drew a packed crowd to see the salsa band whose once-weekly gigs have become a rarity in Richmond. Another ex-homey in the house was Jonny Sullivan, the edgy, meteroic bass player who was part of Ritmo's regenerative spurt back around 2003.


Bio Ritmo's Toby Whitaker

One of the biggest stories of the night for me was Toby Whitaker, the band's dapper, softspoken (offstage) trombonist, who is really coming into his own as a songwriter. Two smokers, "La Muralla" and "Verguenza," stemmed from Toby's pen, featuring dark, urgent sonorities and extremely tasty brass parts. "Verguenza," below, features solos by Mambo Bob, trumpet, and Giustino Riccio, timbales:



The other new tunes I heard were "Majadero," and "La Verdad," both with straightforward, yet amenable dance grooves. Sonero Rei Alvarez is still the band's lyricist. Can't wait to hear all these tunes evolve and most of all, how Levinson will massage the Ritmo sound, after their last two albums engineered by Jon Fausty. Rei says the new CD will include a re-recording of "Lola," from their very first 1996 album, still a staple of their live show.

I fell in love with what was happening with this band in 2003, and my heart still belongs to Bio Ritmo. Though a lot of their energy these days is devoted to side projects, such as the bolero revival band Miramar, it's nice to see that Bio Ritmo, far from slowing down, is sounding as solid as ever. It's been too, too long since they toured down this a'way; anyone in the mood for a Bio Ritmo / Miramar double-header?


Sightreading! Bio Ritmo Setlist, 1/12/10

Timbalero Giustino Riccio composes the setlists and writes copies out by hand for everyone in the band. This one is almost true to life; only the order of the last two songs was reversed:

"A La Cha" (as it appears on the CD, Biónico), seems to be written "Allah Cha" here; a play on words on that song's middle eastern vibe?

Mambo Lives at Copa Night

Orquesta GarDel's three vocalists: Jaime Ramon, Ramon Ortiz (front) and Nelson Delgado

Despite some drawbacks to the venue, the Copa Night 5th Anniversary at Parizade turned out to be one hell of a party. Orquesta GarDel performed two slamming salsa sets following dance performances by Junior & Emily, Yamulee, CoboBrothers, Mambo Dinamico and others.

I'm not an "on 2" dancer and I don't particularly relish stage shows, but the performers flaunted a lot of admirable nerve and skill. I find the women particularly fearless--just like they used to say about Ginger Rogers, who did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels. These mambo ladies were lifted and tossed into aerial moves, slid across the floor, and vaulted over their partners' bodies to land in splits, all with smiles on their faces and outfitted in sequined pumps and intricate, spandex fantasies as revealing as bikinis.

The dance show ran late, and due to the recent change in venue (George's Garage closed earlier this year, forcing Copa Night to relocate to Parizade), not everyone could see the dance stage; host Milton Cobo apologized to guests for the inconveniences, and promised to make it up to them.

Raleigh company Mambo Dinamico dedicated their dance to the local community that supports them year round, while The CoboBrothers scored heavy applause for their athletic airborne moves and high drama styling. Yamulee from The Bronx always scores points in my book for strong, classic taste, and I liked the unusual music selection by Atlanta's Proyecto Barrio of "My Favorite Things" in a Latin jazz version with vibes.

But the top honors of the evening have to go to West Coast dancers Junior and Emily, a pro team from San Francisco with 10 world titles under their belts. Technically superb, relaxed, and totally adorable, they are absolutely popping with individuality and all the qualities that make dancing look fun. Junior's open-chested, bell-bottomed costumes evoked WWF and sailors' uniforms; Emily's neon pink and yellow fringed skirts and glitter eyelashes evoked swing-era kewpie dolls and futuristic anime heroines. Their hairstyles were also too cute for words, completing the character. And that's just the frosting. When this duo hits the stage, it's as kinetic and explosive as water hitting a greasefire. Flawless fun with turning technique was a focus, less so aerial acrobatics. Turns out they are down-to-earth people in real life, too, as I discovered when I congratulated them backstage.



With all the mambo faithful gathered, there was a lot of energy in the room when the time came for social dancing. Into this charged atmosphere, GarDel delivered.

Sometimes you are at the party; other times you are of the party. I didn't do a whole lot of photographing last night; you can guess why.


GarDel tearing it up last night with an Eddie Palmieri tune.


Chart Gawking! GarDel original "Welcome to Shakori Hills"

Looking over first trumpet Alberto Carrasquillo's shoulder, I got this peek at his warm-up chart: an original in timba style by the band's trombonist and co-leader, Andy Kleindienst. Click on either photo to see larger!

Harpsichord Heaven

Photos from Thursday's harpsichord unveiling and concert:


don't touch! that's real 24 carat gold leaf.


Beverly Biggs with her harpsichord.


Opus 333 by harpsichord maker Richard Kingston.






Painted by Lisa Creed.



Below: Kingston, Creed and Funaro.





And finally! Chart Gawking...


"Freely": 4th movement of Sonata for Three Harpsichords (1998) by Chapel Hill composer Edwin McLean.

"My work has a lot of Latin influence because I lived in Miami for 25 years," says McLean.

His "Sonata for Two Harpsichords," which starts with a tango movement, was also performed at Thursday's concert. The entire program, which includes Bach works for harpsichord and baroque string quintet, is being repeated Friday in Chapel Hill and Saturday in Raleigh (see calendar).

Richard Kingston, who made Funaro's Opus 333, is a leading harpsichord maker with his workshop in Mooresboro, NC.

Under Oakwood: Raleigh's ELM Collective

Here's some video of ELM Collective's encore at Burning Coal Music Series (Meymandi Theatre in the Murphey School) last Sunday. I arrived late because of a start-time mixup, but still caught about 3 cool songs. Great venue for music. Hm, how about holding a dance in here?



ELM Collective is a world jazz fusion band I wish I could hear more often. They feel their way into some unique territory, based on the talents of 7 international musicians. Middle Eastern, Eastern European and Latin American styles and meters mingle unpredictably. Oud, accordion and funk bass? You betcha. Plus jazz guitar, flute, drumset and world percussion. They share a common love of Chick Corea, but beyond that, don't try to pigeonhole these guys. Loud, soft, classical, dance-oriented...their wide range of original repertoire can work in a lot of different settings.


New Feature: Chartgawking

Snooping through sheet music, snagging set lists that are left on stage--rarely viewed by non-musicians, these tools and detritus of performance fascinate me. Here's what I scoped out at ELM's show, and interpreted with guitarist Alex Gorodezky's help:


Songs change over time; handwritten notes in ELM Collective's sheet music (on the left side) illustrate the evolution of "Samba 65" from the way it was originally written, right down to the provisional title (right side). Click on the photo to see a larger version.