The Triangle's first-ever festival of bomba and plena, distinctive music and dance styles native to Puerto Rico, takes place TONIGHT, Saturday (11/19), from 6:30-10:30 pm at the Herbert C. Young Community Center in Cary.
Bomba dancers led by Miriam Rivas at a 2009 rehearsal.
Featured performers include Baile Boricua NC, the graceful and energetic dance troupe led by Miriam Rivas, folkloric drumming by Kuumba Arts, and live music by Caribe Vibe, the sextet ensemble of Andres Leon and Billy Marrero, with special guests Jaime Roman and LouRamos.
I didin't find a schedule online, but Caribe Vibesays their first set will start at 8 pm. The guys say they will be playing "a little bit of everything!" so expect a wide tropical mix. Here's a video of Caribe Vibe I made back in October:
The early evening event (6:30-10:30 pm) is family friendly, with admission $6 for adults, $4 children under 12, and free for children 6 and under.
Musical director Gary Núñez @ Friday's performance at the Meadow Stage.
Not heeding the "No Smoking" sign (back right), Marcos Lopez and Gabo Lugo turned up the heat Saturday.
Plena Libre's second show Saturday (10/9) at Shakori Hills didn't disappoint. I had my eyes peeled for a repeat of this tune, "Flores," because it featured percussion solos by young talents Marcos Lopez on timbales, and Gabo Lugo on congas. Sure enough, this bit was more extended and even hotter on Saturday, with a jumping crowd packed in within arm's length of the Dance Tent stage:
Victor Velez with pandereta, the drum of plena.
Victor Velez and Chris Nuñez
Shakori People:
Plena Libre's Rafi Falu gives festivalgoer Emma Blackwell a spin on the dancefloor.
Zoe and Josh: Josh is in a marching band and brought his tuba out to Shakori just for fun.
Here's a quick update on Plena Libre, who played a great first show at the Meadow Stage last night, dishing a healthy fusion of Puerto Rican bomba and plena with salsa, rock, and Latin jazz.
Band member updates: Since their last Shakori gig in 2008, Rafi Falu continues on requinto, the lead drum in plena. Also returning are Kali Villanueva and Victor Velez, both of whom are lead vocalists. Singer Pole Ortiz isn't back though; he left Plena Libre to form his own band. (According to Victor, it's called SalBomPlen, and the two groups performed together recently in Puerto Rico.) Bassist Gary Nuñez still leads the group, and his son Chris Nuñez completes the plenero lineup.
Kali Villanueva and Victor Sorpresa Velez; Gabo Lugo on congas
There are some new faces from last time, notably, two formidable young percussionists who are current students at Berklee: Marcos Lopez, timbales, and Gabo Lugo, congas. (If I got the story right from Victor, Marcos is a grandson of Sammy Ayala.)
There were two trombonists (and I missed one's name--TBA). One of them, Jerry Rivas was showing me his with a "Thayer trigger" (if I got that right), which gave his tenor trombone a deeper sound. This small variation was cool and reminded me of the conch shells sometimes played in bomba. Jerry studied music at the Conservatory in Puerto Rico, and says this style of trigger is favored by classical players. (He also had a nifty electronic tuner that clips on to the bell, which he was using backstage.) I was also meeting keyboardist Jonathan Montes for the first time.
There's nothing like a Shakori crowd, they are open to anything. It doesn't take lessons or even a partner to dance to the "free plena" of Plena Libre. At the end, the guys jumped into the crowd to get us singing call and response style into the microphones.
With a slight revision, ALL of Duke Performances events are ON for this evening, Thursday (2/11).
Miguel Zénon's Esta Plena Septet is driving down from NYC today via automobile, due to the heavy snow. While they will not arrive for the 6 pm talk, they WILL PERFORM as scheduled at 8 pm in Reynolds Auditorium, in Duke's Bryan Center.
The pre-concert talk WILL ALSO TAKE PLACE with Ned Sublette, as scheduled at 6 pm, in the Bryan Center Meeting Room A.
Full press release from Duke Performances Marketing Director Ken Rumble:
Wanted to let you know about a pre-performance talk that Duke Performances is hosting with author and ethno-musicologist Ned Sublette on the history of plena music in Puerto Rico tonight at 6 pm in Meeting Room A on the top level of the Bryan Center on Duke's West Campus.
Due to severe winter weather in New York City, Miguel Zenon and Hector "Tito" Matos will be unable to join Mr. Sublette for the conversation -- however, tonight's concert will proceed as scheduled.
Ned Sublette is a musician, writer, and producer. He is the author of Cuba and Its' Music and The World That Made New Orleans.
I had the pleasure of seeing Ned Sublette at the Regulator in Durham last night. He performed from his not-yet-recorded album and read from his newly published memoir about New Orleans.
On my radio show this week, one of the tunes I played to advertise Los Pleneros de la 21 was "Chiviriquiton," a plena/rap fusion from the 2005 album Para Todos Ustedes. Little did I know, I would be singing coro to that very song at last night's workshop, as Jose Rivera spit rhymes:
I learned a lot of things from the workshop, like that oldtimers used to recycle banjos and drums into panderetas, the hand-held frame-drums of plena. When a drum dies, it goes to plena heaven.
The origin of the term "plena" is undetermined, but various stories circulate; one says it derives from newspaper terminology (plena is known as "the newspaper of the streets"); another that it is related to a woman's name; a third, that it comes from the phrase "plena luna" (full moon).
A lot of the coros are "standards" and the bodies of songs are changed and added on to, depending on the occasion and the performer. This makes it difficult, however, for modern pleneros to establish songwriting credit on their improvisations, a fact Jose mentioned. Jose carries on the plena tradition from his father, Ramon Rivera.
I also learned that bomba, of Kongo origin and found around the coasts of Puerto Rico, has many different styles, some of them regional, and including: bomba yubá, bomba sicá, bomba holandés. Mayagüez has some of the oldest bomba, and is known as a birthplace of sorts, whereas Loíza Aldea is a hotspot for bomba, with some of the fastest varieties.
I was absolutely struck by the confluence of Julia's bomba dancing and Afro-Cuban rumba as it is danced by men. Clearly the importance of Kongo culture and the connections between all these diaspora art forms in the Caribbean has yet to be fully grasped (by me, at least--I'm sure we need more books about it). We were told there is no easy-to-find song book or written resource for plena songs, and none at all for bomba songs.
Julia Gutierrez dances bomba in this video from the workshop.
There seems to be a certain deep, ancestral, spiritual remembrance embedded in these traditions, even if they are not tied to a clear religious practice such as one finds with Santería. Bomba musicians have different schools of thought on the spirituality of bomba, apparently, which was outlawed on parts of the island until very recently (how recently? I have to find out).
There's a lot more in my notes and videos, I will post more when I have time to go over them. In the meantime, Julia Gutierrez gave the dopest dance lessons in plena and bomba! No lectures, no stopping of music, just non-stop action.
On hand for the workshop: LP21 founder and leader Juan Gutierrez, Jose Rivera, Camilo Molina, Alex Lasalle and Julia Gutierrez. A fuller complement arrive for the concert TONIGHT at 7pm in UNC Memorial, slated to include: Nellie Tanco (lead vocals/dance), Sammy Tanco (lead vocals), Desmar Guevara (piano), Pete Nater (trumpet), Waldo Chavez (bass) and Nelson Gonzalez (dance/percussion).
This FREE event remains sold out, but I recommend going early to see if seats are available at the door. There will be SOME seats but how many, is anyone's guess. Also, bear in mind it's football night so parking and traffic may be affected.
Here's a brief update on Los Pleneros de la 21's two-day residency at UNC-Chapel Hill this week. The premier bombiplena group from New York, performing Puerto Rican folkloric music and dance, will be arriving Thursday (10/15).
The free concert in UNC Memorial Hall on Friday (10/16) at 7 pm is already "SOLD OUT." This means all the advance tickets have been distributed. I don't know if any tickets have been held in reserve. In other words, I DON'T have any insider info, but if you feel you need to be there, and you don't mind taking a chance on not getting in, I'd advise going early to see if any more tickets or open seats become available at the door. TICKET UPDATE: Havana Grill in Cary has been distributing some of the tickets for Friday night's Memorial Hall concert; I just called over there (3 pm Wed) and apparently they still have about 40 tickets left. Another distribution point is Caribbean Cafe in Raleigh; as of 5 pm Wed they have 3 tickets left, call ahead: 919-872-4858.
Non-ticket-holders should also consider attending the free Community Bomba y Plena Workshop which LP 21 will hold Thursday (10/15) at 7 pm in the Sonya Hanes Stone Center for Black Culture on UNC campus.
It will be a smaller group (not all of the musicians will have arrived yet), but the event will be informal and participatory, so you will get to interact with the musicians and dancers up close. It is open to anyone, adults or children, no experience is required. On Wednesday noon I was told there were about 50 spaces left in the workshop. Reservations are recommended; to do so, call or email Ursula Littlejohn, ulittlej@email.unc.edu or 962-9001.
Folk Festival is on in Richmond, and this official after party on Sunday (10/11) features two bands with ties to Bio Ritmo. Jorge Negron, one of BR's original founders, lives in Puerto Rico now, and is visiting with his Master Bomba Ensemble. (The Bomba Ensemble also plays daily at the Folk Fest, see schedule for details.)
Opening is Miramar, comprised of Ritmo sonero Rei Alvarez, pianist Marlysse Simmons and friends. Miramar specializes in boleros and old school romantic Latin repertoire. I've heard Miramar's demo and it's lovely, Alvarez and a female vocalist harmonize exquisitely together. Simmons adds some modern touches with her keyboards but never veers off into kitsch. Yet another cool design concept from the folks at Bio Ritmo. I hope to hear them live soon.
On top of all that, cosmic salsa experiment Bio Ritmo headlines, and all for $10. 7 pm, Capital Ale House, 623 E. Main St, Richmond.
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.
Live salsa band Sajaso headlines the first Cary Caribbean Festival this Saturday (9/19). Many Antillean cultural groups, including bomba and plena dancers from the Asociacion de Puertorriqueños Unidos de NC, will be participating in the free festival, which runs from 2-7 pm in the Herbert Walker Community Center. (See calendar listing.)
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!
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