Eno festival-goers didn't battle the 99-degree heat and humidity Monday, July 4, so much as give in to it: bikinis, shorts and sunscreen were the order of the afternoon, as Orquesta GarDelthrew down a secure, relaxed set. Members of the African American Dance Ensemble, who performed just before GarDel at the Meadow Stage, stayed and rallied for the big salsa party that developed on the lawn.
Down one percussionist (regular conguero Jose Sanchez), GarDel just shuffled a few cards in the rhythm section, moving Julio Correa from his regular position on bongos, to congas, as backing vocalist Ramon Ortiz took the bongo chair. Some fun and new solos caught my ears, from pianist Eric Hirsh and saxophonist Tim Smith, among others.
Horn blower Blu Thompson, Bassist-of-the-sky Pete Kimosh
GarDel's recent Motorco show (still haven't blogged that, but some coverage will be coming soon, I promise) was a turning point, post-EP-release, in terms of live performance. Picking up confidence from the sold-out release party, GarDel seemed to have exhaled and come back revitalized at the June show, rewriting arrangements to provide more elbow room. Mining the tropical momentum of the rhythm itself, they are starting to understand that relaxing tempos can actually expand the energy.
Switching gears comfortably, the Eno set sounded tight, from a fast-clipping descarga, to wide-awake salsas, and the slower "Gracias Te Doy," Nelson Delgado's beautiful cha cha chá to his mother. Undeterred by the heat, GarDel's cadre of dance followers was the strongest its been at Eno, leaping into motion as soon as the band hit the stage.
Many great moments slipped by my camera, but here is the timba I like most of all, "Lo Que Tu Querias," which closed the set:
Not long after GarDel finished, quenching rain cut the festival short, now in its 32nd year of raising funds to preserve the local watershed. I was sorry not to hear closer Peter Lamb & The Wolves, but the sound of rain drumming on the tree canopies at West Point on the Eno Park was fair recompense. It was a great day for music and community in Durham.
Greg Humphreys is leaving us soon to spend the summer in Prague, so here (at last) is my going away present: Greg making musical history with Orquesta GarDel, back in April, sitting in on their salsa set at Shakori Hills with this electric guitar solo:
The early 70s tune, "Que Se Sepa," is a Los Van Van classic, heard in this arrangement made famous by Roberto Roena.
Greg really captured the flavor of the Roena version while making it his own. I got goosebumps hearing them connect the dots from Cuba 1972 --> to Puerto Rico 1974 --> Shakori Hills 2011.
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.
Charanga Carolina performs Sunday (10/3) at 4:45 pm on Franklin Street, near Graham Street intersection, on Festifall's Main Stage. The free outdoor arts festival runs through 6 pm today.
Says director David Garcia:
"Our set list [Sunday] will include Cuban danzón and son as well as salsa from New York and Puerto Rico and merengue from La [Republica] Dominicana!"
UNC's Charanga Carolina dir. David Garcia
Charanga Carolina already played their first concert of the fall season in September, at NC Central's Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. Here is the first public performance of one of their new charts this semester, Eddie Palmieri's "Lo Que Traigo Es Sabroso":
Late Sunday night, I made my way to the DC suburbs in Virginia to see Bamboleo, one of Cuba's legendary timba bands. Back in the late 90s, Bamboleo made waves with their urban sound and look. Recalling the sleek sophistication of a late 70s funk band like Chic, Bamboleo broke the norm by featuring a powerful pair of female lead singers, Vannia Borges and Haila Monpie. The band's personnel has morphed since then (like most timba bands), as first-gen fans are eager to point out, but maestro Lazaro Valdes maintains the Bamboleo trademark with current leading lady Tania Pantoja. Her young, "Generation Y" Cuban fans were ready and waiting for her at Annandale's Star Lounge when I arrived, just after La Tremenda had finished their opening set.
Have you ever noticed that timba bands don't stop to talk to the audience between songs, they talk to the audience during the songs, which are usually extended dance versions with added coros and transitions? They hit the stage like water on greasefire, and the show never lets up. Here's Tania giving the welcoming shout out during the band's opening number:
Having seen Pupy y Los Que Son Son and Manolito y Su Trabuco earlier this year, I have a widening database of live Cuban timba bands to compare this to. They all use a little different orchestration, and a little different take on the timba mix of styles of influences. Each band has a "mastermind" or main songwriter/director, with the rest made up of some combination of long-time associates and younger, renewable parts (especially singers). Renewable is not to say interchangeable; a lot rides on the "who's who" of who is singing or playing with which band, when, and often it lends each era in a band's recording and performance history its own classic character, even when the same material is repeated. The repertoire is the soul of the band, evergreens mingling with new innovations as the dance bands constantly battle each other for the Cuban public's attention.
In the case of Bamboleo--like Pupy and Manolito--the "mastermind" is the pianist/keyboardist, Lazaro Valdes. Timba bands also tend to have BOTH a piano and synth keyboard (or "teclado") player, so the setup for Bamboleo was interesting: One guy alone played both piano and traditional synth keyboards, which were mounted together on one stand, while Lazaro in the frontline wielded a Roland AX-Synth.
Here's what I could piece together of the personnel list: Maykel Rojas (trumpet), Tony Garcia Gonzales & Alejandro (sax), Karel Samada Fernandez (pianista/tecladista), Lazaro Valdes (keyboards/leader), Tania Pantoja and Ronnys Lopes Salas (vocalists), Juan Aguilera Noris (drumset), Alexander Sanchez (timbales), Roberto ("tumbadora" aka congas), Cachito (a dedicated guiro player). The bass player switched out instruments, carrying his rock bass piggyback at times when opting for the electric upright.
I talked to dancing timbalero Alexander Sanchez, who says the Dolce & Gabbana symbol just happens to be popular right now (some of Manolito's younger guys were also sporting it). It's his first time touring in the States, since he joined Bamboleo only about 5 or 6 years ago. Before that, he spent 4 years with Pachito Alonso y sus kini-kini.
The set was about an hour and a half, and I recognized a lot of songs from their most recent albums, 2010's Quien Manda? (also released as Vengo A Lo Cubano) and 2006's Mi Verdad.
Here is Tania singing "Los Guapos" from the new album:
Bamboleo singer Ronny
The "audience participation" number, a chestnut of any live timba show, was the rumba-based "Atrevimiento" from the album Mi Verdad. There are some great dancers here, especially the guy in all-white dancing rumba:
My favorite, most unpredicted moment of the night was this funky mambo version of "Tequila" as a mashup with The Beatles' "Come Together." Is this recorded somewhere? Sometimes these guys sound strikingly like an American funk, rap or R&B band, but with all the energetic rhythmic underpinnings of timba. Pretty infectious:
This crowd was smaller than those for Manolito and Pupy in DC, probably owing a lot to the fact that it was a Sunday night. All these shows happened in different venues with different promoters, so it's hard to know the effects of such variables on turnout. It's also hard to figure out if we are making headway or not, as far as developing a timba tour network that may, one day, stretch into the Southeast?
Having played a great show, with one power ballad (not something you hear in Pupy's shows or albums, by contrast), the encore set was modest, taking it out with the title track from Bamboleo's 1999 heydey recording, Ya No Hace Falta:
Publicity has been spotty for Cuban timba band Bamboleo's U.S. tour, or tour-let, going on now. They played Miami on the 17th, New York yesterday, and will be in Paterson, New Jersey tonight.
Here in the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast, Bamboleo will be in Metro DC for two appearances on Sunday (9/26): at the Latino Festival in Mt. Pleasant for a three-song teaser at 3 pm, and the Star Lounge in Annandale, VA, Sunday night. Star Lounge opener is DC salsa band La Tremenda, featuring Peruvian vocalist Julito Vilchez. DC's timbera mayor, DJ Reyna La Farandulera, will be spinning.
VIRGINIA CONCERT INFO:
Tickets $30, VIP $40. Available at www.ticketlatino.com Email: catozega@aol.com Phone: 703) 953-1743, (703) 861-1757
Orquesta GarDel fought fire with fire, battling the sweltering heat with candela at the Eno River Festival on July 5. This original song, a Cuban-influenced timba born in North Carolina, will be included on the band's first EP due out this fall:
New York, Miami and California are now receiving a steady flow of Cuban bands on tour, but none (that I know of) have touched the mid-Atlantic region--until now: Manolito Simonet made landfall at Arlington, Virginia last Saturday night, the first Cuban timba band to play the D.C. area since the relaxing of visa restrictions for Cuban artists. For Manolito y Su Trabuco, it's the first U.S. tour since late 2000-early 2001.
Manolito Simonet, live in Arlington on Saturday night
On May 29, he was on his way to the capital from triumphant shows in San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and just the night before, in Patterson, New Jersey.
I arrived at the venue late Saturday afternoon: Yorktown Bistro, a sleepy Peruvian bar and restaurant on Lee Highway, capacity 250, with a small stage against one wall. Could it really be that a 17-piece Cuban band was playing here tonight? My $30 advance ticket was already paid for. Come what may, whether Manolito played or not, I would be there for the ride.
At my hotel, a shower and a take-out salad later, I headed back to the Bistro around 8:30 pm. Kitchen smoke still hovered in the dining room, where, nearly to my surprise, 6 or 7 guys were doing sound check. Trabuco drummer Roicel Riveron, conguero El Lelo, and bassist Roberto "Chino" Vazquez were making plenty of noise, as the Cuban sound engineers hooked up cables. Roicel and Lelo were up on the tiny riser, but 2 keyboards and all the mics for the singers and brass section overflowed around the stage, with stadium-sized speakers stacked to either side. Reyna La Farandulera, a local D.C. timba deejay, already had her iPod stereo set up on a table draped with a Cuban flag. Sure enough, this spectacle was really going to materialize; I let the wonder seep over me.
Drummer Roicel Riveron and bassist Roberto Vazquez eating dinner after soundcheck
Talked with Roicel and Roberto, while they hung out and ordered pescado frito with rice and beans. (The food looked delicious.) They were in good spirits, and friendly, although a little road weary. Roicel reported good audiences everywhere, but not quite as jam packed in Chicago. After eating they split for their hotel to shower and change.
Meanwhile, Reyna stoked up the timba as more dancers arrived, and I enjoyed watching the young, stylish Cuban-Casino scene in action. It was a hot room. The audience for Manolito shaped up to be a mix of Peruvians, Cubans, and casineros of various backgrounds.
DJ Reyna La Farandulera (right) con una amiga Cubana during Manolito's set
We were competing against Tito Rojas that night, not far away at The Salsa Room(see pictures of that show here). That venue, roomier, nicer, and more experienced at handling big tours, will be the setting for the king of Cuban timba bands, Pupy y Los Que Son Son in Arlington on Saturday, June 19. Reyna La Farandulera, a personal friend of Pupy's, is also going to DJ that night, and I can tell you, her music is beautiful. D.C. has got Cuban flavor!
The band was slated to start at 10 pm, and I started getting nervous (again) around midnight, when Manolito hadn't arrived yet. Could it be that this deal would somehow fall through at the last minute? It seemed possible. By now the room was packed and restless, flags were out (Peru and Cuba), and fans were staking out prime positions in the permeable "stage" area. A woman pointed out to me as being from the Cuban Interests Section in D.C. kept checking the window frequently, so I hadn't given up hope.
Around 12:30, I got the good word that the Trabuco had arrived. There was frenzy when they came in the front door and went straight to the stage; I had to engage in full body contact with other fans just to hold my spot near the piano long enough to video this first tune:
You can see Manolito pulling back his piano at the end, in a bid for more space--to no avail. Ultimately, a bouncer was stationed directly in front of him for the rest of show, to keep the pile of crazies from knocking over his piano. Trying to keep this crowd under control was like trying to keep the cork in a bottle of champagne.
Lead singer (in hat) Ricardo Amaray
It was phenomenal to be there, in a relatively intimate setting, with one of Cuba's top timba bands, bringing home to me just how essential it is to see these bands live, both to keep up with their frequent evolution and the turnover of individual musicians, and to understand just how these bands work as ensembles. There is no substitute! Thank Yemaya, the genie is out of the bottle. Hopefully, a timba renaissance is on the way, and these tours will be reaching out (once again) to North Carolina and the heartland soon. Before, in the late 90s and early '00s, the focus of US interest was on traditional Cuban music, and it seemed like the well got cut off just as people were getting introduced to contemporary Cuban "salsa" (aka timba). With all the pent-up hunger for Cuban culture out there, I think we have a chance this time. When you observe the rest of the world, it's painfully obvious that we are culturally far behind them, in timba terms, but also that it is possible for timba to thrive and for audiences everywhere to learn what it is all about. Es solo musica, like it says on the Egrem studio door; just go and feel it, the Cubans will bring the party to you. Just like they have for generations!
Teclado (keyboardist): Miguel Angel "Pan con Salsa" de Armas; singer (in white belt) Lazaro Alejandro "Miami" Diaz
Flutist David Bencomo singing coros (foreground); violinist Nicolas Gaston.
What I admire about Manolito is not only his drive and precision ("disciplina!") from the piano, but that his songwriting and arranging has a truly popular, fluid timba/R&B sensibility. One can sense that he's listening to world markets and probably imagining ways to adapt to greater opening one day. This puts a lot of variety in his dance albums, so an album like Control moves through different generic references and sound colors, giving it album-length listenability as well as pure dancefloor power. Apparently he's hit really big in Peru, which kind of makes sense when you hear his cumbia adaptations and even Andean keyboard colors. In any case, these Peruvian fans were impressively tuned in to timba, and singing along with all the lyrics.
Noticeable that night, and different from most shows: There was no merch, no sheet music, just an ineluctable flow of tunes with no breaks as Manolito led each one off. This is what a Cuban band does, you can't beat them rhythmically or for showmanship. It's all about pushing the party forward. The singers, Ricardo Amaray, Pepitin and Miami, sounded great, and were stoking fan interaction the whole time. What I didn't notice right away was that the cellist, Orestes Calderon, didn't play, due to lack of space on stage. I saw him wandering around with his cello in the back by the soundman, and chatted with him for awhile; he asked me if we were close to the White House. I don't know if he got a chance to do any sightseeing later, but it would have been great to take these guys on a tour of the capital with a documentary camera crew in tow, like the Buena Vista guys touring New York City landmarks in the Wim Wenders' film.
The encore had the advantage of better lighting(for video), as the bar had turned up the lights. So, here's the closing, ending with the anthem "Locos Por Mi Habana," which spawned the oft-quoted coro, because in Havana there's a pile of crazies, and my favorite, if you're crazy, Havana is your psychologist:
...and Manolito has left the building.
Get ready folks, this is just the beginning. Pupy, Bamboleo and other tours are not far behind.
Los Van Van's U.S. tour, which was scheduled to hit New York, Denver, San Francisco and L.A. in June, has been cancelled.
The cause is not diplomatic, reports say, but a snag in business negotiations. The band claims to have its issued U.S. visas in hand.
Los Van Van getting on their tour bus in Germany, 2008
Is this good news or bad news? I would love for a "do-over" tour schedule to include a few stops in other U.S. cities that are not so fortunate as to have Cuban artists performing there regularly. I bet Los Van Van would bring down the house in Greensboro and Atlanta. Don't forget about us.
It's like the cultural literacy clock didn't just stop during the Bush administration, but got set back decades. As if no one remembers that in the late 90s and early '00s, groups from Cuba toured through Triangle venues several times a year. The diplomatic barrier may be broken, but here in the Heartland/Dirty South, we are still waiting for the Cuban drought to be over.
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 Carolina8-10 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.
Billboard in Miami, photo by Eli Silva used by permission; first published on Timba.com.
Los Van Van's first U.S. concert in 6 years will be January 28 on Key West, followed by this show in Miami on January 31. Then, they head to Europe for the usual winter touring over there. Get ready, because a full U.S. tour is being planned for March!
Charanga Habanera just finished a successful tour that took them to San Francisco, Miami and New York.
"Papaya is the proverbial juicy fruit of Latin folklore, a rustic metaphor that eliminates the need for an FCC. It's also the name of the juiciest salsa double bill to come along this season: Orquesta GarDel meets Charanga Carolina, as the Triangle's top salsa band goes head to head with the UNC performing ensemble that spawned it. The Charanga adds greasy trombones to its classical violins, flute and Latin rhythm section, making it possible to mimic modern Cuban timba bands as well as early New York salsa. GarDel is the big bowwow, packed with UNC alums gone pro. Expect a jam session at this birthday party for Nelson Delgado, who sings with both bands. So juicy, it's inevitable. In the Kenan Music Building Rehearsal Room. $5-$10/ 9:45 p.m." —Sylvia Pfeiffenberger
I wanted to post this video in recognition of World AIDS Day, which was December 1.
Rumor has it that Juan Formell (seen handing a condom to the couple in the final scene) is giving press conferences about a US tour for Los Van Van in 2010.
With the recent visits of Omara Portuondo, who picked up her Latin Grammy in person, and Septeto Nacional Ignacio Piñeiro, which has been wowing East and West Coast audiences, this scenario now seems likely. Link: Jon Pareles' review of Septeto Nacional in the NY Times
Tiempo Libre was on Dancing with the Stars last night. The musical performance starts at minute 4:30 in:
Tiempo Libre is from Havana by way of Miami, and manager Elizabeth Sobol-Gomez (married to keyboard/leader Jorge Gomez) is a good old girl from Greensboro. Elizabeth has tremendous business savvy, and has charted a bold, unconventional marketing path for this young timba band, whose singer, Joachin "El Kid" Diaz, once sang back up for NG La Banda. They've achieved two Grammy nominations, and have steered toward classical music and mainstream audiences by collaborating with classical orchestras and musicians. I mean seriously, who would have thought it intuitive to pair a timba band with James Galway, and most recently, Joshua Bell?
I don't mean to suggest that the classical/Cuban close embrace is in any way illegitimate; on the contrary. Gomez' father was a classical pianist, so he literally heard Bach while still in the cradle (the German composer's themes are the subject of TL's latest album, Bach in Havana). All these guys had intense classical training at conservatories in Cuba, which is commonplace for the island's expat timba--and jazz--musicians.
One could go further and point out that the fusion of European and non-European modes is the very essence of la música cubana, and fusion is habit-forming. I can't think of a more prolific, syncretic popular music tradition than Cuba's, which according to Juan de Marcos has over 150 different genres. Add to that the Cuban habit of survival through innovation, and consider the fact that many commercial avenues in the US music industry are currently blocked to Cuban styles (in favor of other regional styles of salsa or other genres such as pop and reggaeton), and the move is downright brilliant. Rather than trying to coax American consumers of Latin music into accepting timba, they're storming the barricades of mainstream taste via the jazz and classical music establishments.
But, how does it sound? For hardcore timba fans, there is definitely something there, even if Bach in Havana isn't as full of wall-to-wall, sexy bombast as, say, their Shanachie debut Arroz con Mango. Yosvany Terry and Paquito D'Rivera, representing two generations of great Cuban jazzmen, build the bridge from Miami to New York, with its incumbent artistic seriousness. There is a great deal of pleasure to be had in Bach in Havana, although it is at least as much an intellectual listening experience as a dance spree.
In one my favorite marketing moves in history (perhaps aimed at winning over Cubanophiles who might be soft on the classical hybrid?), TL got their image on Cafe Bustelo espresso cans earlier this year. A few weeks ago, they were on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien playing their track with Joshua Bell from his new duets album, At Home With Friends. Now, Dancing with the Stars...I'm not a fan or follower of the show but I recognize its vast impact on the culture at large, and on the public perception of ballroom dancing.
I think it's fair to describe that kind of rise in mainstream exposure for a US-formed timba band as meteoric, and unprecedented. Whether the strategy will result in CD sales and "brand recogition" in the long term, I can't say, but my hat is off to an industrious and creative team behind a very energetic and authentic band. I've seen Tiempo Libre in NC numerous times and have never been disappointed.
In fact, the first live timba I ever heard in NC was Tiempo Libre, an unexpected find at the outdoor after party to a Poncho Sanchez show at Davidson College several years back. I walked across the campus quad, and walked faster as strains of "El Cuarto de Tula" in an energized timba arrangement reached my ears. What miracle is this? How did Los Van Van meet Buena Vista Social Club on the outskirts of Charlotte?
I don't know if anyone watching Dancing with the Stars had a similar epiphany last night, but anything that puts Cuban rhythms back into the daily diet of American television viewers (tip of the hat, Lucy and Desi) can't be a bad thing. Can't wait to see where Tiempo Libre turns up next.
Wow. Tiempo Libre with Joshua Bell on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien last Friday (10/2). The tune is a reader's digest of Cuban rhythms, rumba/danzon/cha/bembe, and bass player Tony Fonte wore his best kilt!
After a 9-month hiatus, Charanga Carolina is BACK, baby. I am pretty sure this is the first time Los Van Van charts have been performed live, by any band, in The Triangle:
[VIDEO] UNC Charanga Carolina directed by David Garcia. Street dancers: Adriana Dwyer and Betto Herrera.
They also performed a lovely, lilting bomba, "Juventud Boricua," and a medley of "Boranda" and "Isla del Encanto." This orchestra has been together for just a matter of weeks, since the beginning of the school year, and the verdict of the old gang from El Barrio was unaminous: tiene swing. This young ensemble laid a solid foundation at Sunday's Festifall in Chapel Hill, with nowhere to go but up.
This year's Charanga has a whole different configuration than it has had before, heavier on the trombones making it just about right for a foray into timba territory. I'm just getting to know the new students, but there are two pianists, Alex Baumgardner and Alex Williams, both with Latin chops. Williams, a UNC freshman (loving it! 4 more years) comes from Atlanta where he played Latin jazz in high school. The violins, about 4 or 5, are turning into a rhythm section; there's also flute and cello.
Best news of all: Next opportunity to hear LA UNICA Charanga Carolina comes already THIS FRIDAY (10/9) at the Fiesta Latina at Durham Academy Upper School (corner/Pickett Rd), 7-9 pm. This diversity outreach/cultural evening is free and open to the public; some Latin American food will be for sale starting at 5:30.
Also on the Fiesta Latina music program: Colombian harpist Pavelid Castañeda who will have just returned from France, where he is currently helping son Edmar select and customize a harp model that will bear his name. Bomba dancers representing the Asociacion de Puertorriqueños Unidos de NC are also expected to perform.
This is only the second public performance of "Eric's Timba" (provisional name), music by pianist Eric Hirsh and lyrics by sonero Nelson Delgado.
Azuquita en la cintura, Que sabrosura.
With tricky horn lines and funky rhythm breaks, and a warm, subtle melodic bouquet, this is another remarkable timba original to emerge from North Carolina.
I'm especially proud, therefore, that Nelson gave me a lyrical shoutout just past the 2:30 minute mark, right as the timba is heating up. He has a few words to say about the Triangle at minute 4:30.
I'm told that Gardel is due in the studio July 25 to get some of the new tunes recorded. click on these to see full size
Meanwhile, here's one more video--Nelson again in the lead vocal, covering Cheo Feliciano's "Por Mas Que Viva":
Andy Kleindienst does a little trombone soloing at starting at minute 2:20. This is a good example of GarDel doing the kind of Puerto Rican repertoire they started out with.
I hadn't been to the Eno Fest in a few years, so I was reminded again how good it is. It helped that they invited classy bands, gospel, blues, indie, bluegrass, and of course Latin (bravo). They have the widest variety of food vendors, with choices from the healthy and ethnic to fairway treats, as well as the best craft dealers. The quality and diversity of all the offerings hasn't been beat. There were fun environmentalists there too, walking the walk with their llama sculpture made of recycled trash bags, and by composting visitors' trash.
The only thing less than dazzling, my friends and I agreed, were the choice of T-shirt designs this year. For instance, the spagetti-strap tee, suitable for July heat and style considerations (am I right, ladies?), only came in one design (hawk) and three colors. As someone pointed out, the hawk is a dramatic animal, but this pose, plumply perched on a limb, is not very dramatic. So that seemed like a missed opportunity.
For future reference, Eno Fest designers (and all touring bands, if you're listening): More options in strappy, girly tees, please.
Orquesta GarDel is getting ready to unveil more original tunes this Saturday (5/30) from 6-8 pm at the free Rivermill Outdoor Music Series in Saxapahaw.
This timba tune by trombone leader Andy Kleindienst debuted in April:
Now, keyboardist Eric Hirsh is about to bring his own baby on board. He says he was inspired to write complex, yet catchy horn lines last year after listening to a lot of Bamboleo and Charanga Habanera.
"I wanted to make sure that the rhythm feels distinctly Cuban. It's gotta have that aggressive FUNK," writes Eric.
This spring, GarDel's members collaborated during songwriting rehearsals to tie up loose ends.
"Nelson [Delgado] is really coming into his own as a lyricist," adds Eric. "His thematic concept for the song is very spiritual and philosophical, but in a way that still exhorts everyone to dance and have a good time."
I think we can oblige. UPDATE 5/31:
I made it in time for the debut, but my camera battery gave out. So, no video! Coincidentally, Eric said one of his keyboards was not performing properly, so he was forced to turn it off. (Love the multiple keyboard effects he uses for GarDel and The Beast; that's timbalicious right there.) We agreed that we would re-premiere this work (does it have a title, E?) and publicly document it in the nearest possible future.
That said, my impressions: The Cuban funk is definitely there (hallelujah), and the texture is dark and complicated (what Eric called "a harmonic palette somewhere between an R&B song and modal jazz"). I was dancing during this song but I could feel most people stopping to listen and assess. This was quite different from GarDel's usual Puerto Rican weather, i.e. sun-drenched with occasional thunderstorms. This was a rumbling deep underground. P.S. Almost forgot: there's been a personnel change. Saxophonist Bluford Thompson, a degree candidate in jazz performance and composition at North Carolina Central, is taking over the chair of Wayne Leechford, who has left GarDel to pursue other opportunities. Wayne is a music veteran in the Triangle who has given lots of love to Latin music fans over the years. We wish him well, and issue a warm welcome to Blu; it should be an interesting bench this year as he joins reedsman Tim Smith.
Today on my radio show AZUCAR y CANDELA I'm going to be giving away the new Tiempo Libre CD, Bach in Havana, AND a can of Café Bustelo! Courtesy of Sony Masterworks. Tune in to WXDU 88.7 FM today, Wednesday (5/13) between 6 and 8 pm to find out how to win!
Grammy-nominated Tiempo Libre's third major label CD, Bach in Havana fits right in to Cuba's long history of mingling European classical music and Afro-Cuban popular music. The music of J.S. Bach is known for melodic purity and spiritual power. To that, Tiempo Libre has added Cuba's own sacred music (the batá drums and sacred songs of the Yoruba tradition), as well as its rambunctious timba dance rhythms, crafted together with classical reverence and a Latin jazz sensibility. Two of Cuba's finest saxophonists, Paquito D'Rivera and Yosvany Terry, take prominent guest spots.
This album highlights fine keyboard work by pianist and musical director Jorge Gomez, who says he used to lie in bed at night and listen to his father, a classical pianist, play Bach. All the young members of Tiempo Libre studied classical music at strict, Russian-style conservatories in Cuba, where popular music was taboo. However, they inhaled Afro-Cuban musical traditions, such as rumba, son, danzon, timba and Santería, just by growing up there, where music is in the air, in the streets, in private homes and nightclubs. You might say that Bach in Havana takes classical music from the salons out into the solares, the courtyards in poor, black neighborhoods in Cuba where the rumba was born.
It's interesting to contemplate "Air on a G String" [sic] had it been written as a lovesong to a beautiful behind, if J.S. Bach could walk the streets of Miami Beach, sans powdered wig, waistcoat unbuttoned to mid-chest. Tiempo Libre doesn't only loosen up the classics, it breathes new life into them. This album might help a lot of people better understand Cuba's birthright and invention of a creole musical language. As North Americans, it's our birthright too.
Posts
