Rolling reggaeton, salsa, merengue, bachata, and cumbia thread 2008

Coming Soon:

http://cover6.cduniverse.com/MuzeAudioArt/Large/34/1011634.jpg

Convenient link to last year's thread: Rolling salsa, merengue, bachata, and reggaeton thread 2007 (Ladies get in for free)

Oh boy. xp

I was e-mailed that Putumayo pic. Oh brother.

Los trustafarianos.

http://thumbnail.search.aolcdn.com/truveo/images/thumbnails/D7/CE/D7CE3928994A8B.jpg

Some decent-looking new salsa releases showing up at www.descarga.com, especially:

Bobby Valentin: Evolution
Ray Santiago: Latin Up - Ray Santiago Afro Cuba A La New York City
Sammy García: Por Buen Camino
Alfredo Linares: Salsa De Verdad (compilation)

If you hunt through the individual ballots for the Village Voice 2007 jazz critics poll you'll see they had an optional "Latin" category and "vocals" category, although such types could also make their top 10s. http://www1.villagevoice.com/music/0801,davis,78767,22.html

Best Latin Album
1. Bobby Sanabria,Big Band Urban Folktales (Jazzheads) 11
2. Paquit o D'Rivera, Funk Tango (Sunnyside) 3

For Best Vocal, Debut, and Latin Jazz albums, critics were asked to name one album apiece, with no point system.

I'm actually half-Chilean and when my cousin takes me to Reggae clubs in Santiago, 'Oh boy' is about right.

Is that good or bad?

http://www.nndb.com/people/937/000031844/buddy-holly-crop.jpg

Buddy's wife spoke Spanish, I think.

Oh boy

Ha. So that Latin reggae cd arrived in the mail. Most of the groups are from Spain, although I haven't listened to the cd yet.

Reading The Reverend's ballot comments reminded me that I'm still not sure exactly what people (non-target-audience music writer type people, for the most part) wanted reggaeton to do, and there isn't so much attention to it at the moment, but to me it's doing plenty of interesting things. While some, or possibly all, of the recent biggest name big releases have been a letdown, stuff like Casa de Leones (not that I've heard it all, but it's high on my to-buy list) and Nejo y Dalmata's debut album are pleasant surprises. Also, there have been some pretty strong singles, like at least two from the Daddy Yankee album. Weird to see them getting no votes at all, but I guess "Gasolina" was pretty much a novelty hit outside Latin music circles, which is fine, but I bet some people who liked "Gasolina" and maybe "Rompe" would have liked those new songs if they had heard them. I've gone from being cool toward it, to being lukewarm about it, to being a real enthusiast (the latter for only the last year and a half, probably). I realize I'm not anything here, but glad to see the Rev repping for la musica.

I think the Fergie collaboration may have sullied DY in a lot of folks' eyes. I know that's how I felt about it.

I still love the non-Fergie version of "Impacto", which nearly made my singles ballot, but I do think that probably threw a lot of people off, including myself. It wasn't until I heard the original that I came around on it. I still need to hear the Nejo & Dalmata album, but I kind of have a moratorium on new purchases right now. (La la la, wait 'til I get my money right.)

Unrelatedly, this is great. I hadn't heard it before. Voltio's "Mambo" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUKIpzgC82I

I still don't have a real copy of Nejo & Dalmata (nor do I have the whole thing--I think it may be a leaked pre-release version lacking some tracks that were ultimately included), but once I start buying CDs again I will. (I have a for real moratorium on new purchases until I have a job in New Mexico.)

And I am at work or I would watch that video.

Walking around with "Mi Dia de Suerte" stuck in my head all the time is good enough for now.

Reading The Reverend's ballot comments reminded me that I'm still not sure exactly what people (non-target-audience music writer type people, for the most part) wanted reggaeton to do, and there isn't so much attention to it at the moment, but to me it's doing plenty of interesting things.

The thing is, I don't think it's so much a case of whether "non-target-audience music writer people" want reggaeton to do, so much as a case of whether they consider it at all.

I may not have caught everything, but it looks like the reggaeton votes come out to this:

Albums
4 Residente o Visitante
1 Casa de Leones
1 El Abayarde Contra-ataca

Singles
2 "P'al Norte"
1 "Impacto"
1 "No Te Veo"
1 "Yo Te Quiero"

I had to go back and look at my ballot to double check; I voted for both Tego and Wisin y Yandel in the Voice poll, results out whenever.

The thing is, I don't think it's so much a case of whether "non-target-audience music writer people" want reggaeton to do, so much as a case of whether they consider it at all.

I just remember a few people, on ILM and off, making vague comments about how reggaeton could get really interesting, and then not really showing up and mentioning some recent developments that I think are intereting, so I figure maybe it didn't do what they wanted it to do. "It's like hip-hop was in [I don't remember what year, but I think it was late 80's." That kind of comment. I think maybe Frank Kogan was more interested in it as an umbrella for lots of different strands of Latin music, but it still flirts with that quite a bit now. (I don't really follow Frank Kogan closely by any means, so for all I know he has been off writing about it somewhere or other.)

And unperson, you get credit (completely worthless credit, but that's all I have to give out) too for reggaeton votes and remarks. I didn't forget about your votes.

i was the "impacto" vote, i love that song even with fergie -- so catchy. but i admit i listened to very little reggaeton last year. what i heard off calle 13 wasn't quite enough to make me buy it, and whatever else i heard were scattered things on mun2 late at night that i never remembered to write down. there's no excuse i guess since all i have to do is go to youtube to see/hear tons of stuff. this year maybe i'll pay more attention.

what seems most interesting to me culturally if not musically is the apparent ubiquity of reggaeton in north/central america. friends who spent time in mexico and nicaragua last year said they heard it everywhere. most successful puerto rican export since...?

(has there been a compilation since mas flow 2 as good as mas flow 2? because i still listen to that a lot, i'd like another.)

I haven't heard Mas Flow 2, so I have no point of comparison here, but I like the Guatauba University comp from last year a lot, or at least the first half and a few tracks from the second.

Btw, nice to see someone voted for "Aunt Jackie"!

guatauba sounds fun.

yeah aunt jackie, come on. i love that song.

That's Fusssion Musik, who are my new crush band. I alluded to them in my Idolator comments, but I hadn't quite figured out what their deal was when I wrote that. It's Danny Fornaris' group with a couple rappers Audi and LG. Fornaris produced "Se Vale To" and "Mardi Gras" and their album, which keeps getting pushed back and may never see the light of day, is lots of fun. Here's a couple other things by them:

"Cuchi Cuchi" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTzrvtMu_nA
"Vamos Alla" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLeJ9qBymgo
Better quality of "Guatatata" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJL9aPds-NI

I don't know those guys (though I remember watching that Cuchi Cuchi video before when you linked to it), however, I know I've heard that name "Danny Fornaris" before in a song I like, though I can't remember which one. Actually, I thought he was saying something like "Danny Phonetics," which is too ironic for me to even think about.

those are good, i especially like "vamos alla."

Hey Reverend, guess who produced Broke and Famous?

Incidentally, I found all that stuff about the Oscar D'Leon family connection interesting. Either I hadn't known or had forgotten. It's personally significant since Voltio's "Ojalai" aka "Chulin Culin Chunfly" was the track that brought my attention back to reggaeton when I had decided I mostly didn't like it. (Since then I've changed my mind about a lot of songs I originally didn't like.)

Yeah, I knew Fornaris did at least one song on Broke & Famous. So he produced the whole thing?

Well, according the barnesandnoble.com credits, but maybe I shouldn't trust them. Wikipedia says something else, so I guess it's a matter of seeing what the CD will finally say. (Also, that's probably where I've heard his name, on one of their songs.)

Ha, turns out Fornaris produced the Voltio song I linked above. Whaddyaknow?

http://www.barriomulas.com/blog/archives/2006/06/the_evolution_o_1.shtml

This post, which I read in the summer of '06, is quite interesting in retrospect. Here's what jumps out at me.

Reggae-Rap
Spread via the popularity of cheap, low-budget music videos filmed in open lots, street corners, and caserios, "reggae-rap" solidifies and takes shape. The genre has still to spawn a title of its own. DJs become more dynamic as they flip between break beats and synthetic post-dancehall rhythms. The famous "boom, tak tak" dominates, but remains accompanied by break beats and hip-hop beats. Acts that mix singing and rapping are common sights. Many Noise releases, Playero Vol. 40, Nico Canada, gain popularity playing "melaza" and DJs still own the spotlight. This era lasts from about 1995 to 1999. Many releases feature a house song.

So are songs like "Sexy Movimiento", "Algo Musical", and "Quitarte To", in fact, taking it back? I really don't know jack about pre-mid-2000s reggaeton, so I can't answer that, although I always felt some house in reggaeton (kicks on every beat, yeah), I'd never seen it made so explicit until recently.

Slow, thick, relaxed, and very detailed, a new genre of reggeaton is flourishing. One could say that Residente Calle 13 introduced the masses to this style with his "Se Vale To" song and recently popularized by Danny Fornaris, LG, Audi, and Ñejo. Complex rhythms, countless percussion elements, even more song variations, flanged synthetic sounds (such as those in West Coast rap from the 1990s), and lyrics written with the intention to be listened to, as pointless as they might be. "It's a competition to see who has the funnest lyrics," stated local MC and friend, Atila. While the rhythm is the same, switch-ups feature slight arrangement altercations. The individual elements that make up the popular reggaeton drum line are much more dynamic (muffled, swapped for claps, etc.) It is yet to be known in what direction this new evolution might run due to its recent introduction only months ago. Sample mp3s:

Audi - Pasale Otra Copa f/ LG (2:43)
Audi - Vamos Alla (4:11)
Residente de la Calle 13 - Se Vale To (3:50)
LG - Cuchi Cuchi Caliente (4:00)

I know I listened to the mp3s when I originally read this post, but I guess something didn't stick. I already was familiar with Calle 13 at the time, but not the others. I remembered Audi's name when I rediscovered the rest of those folks, but not the others. Oh well, I was pretty new to reggaeton at the time, and I guess I can't retain everything.

I remember reading that post too, but now I know who more of those people are, so it means more to me. Anyway, that stuff didn't stick with me either.

I think the genre is actually very much in flux, and trying to pinpoint trends is difficult. You've said in one or two places that it seems to be speeding up, but I hear just as many new tracks that are laidback and slowed down. (And there have been fast bachataton tracks for a few years now.) I am not convinced there is some one dominant overall trend, or even a couple of them, but maybe it will be clearly in a couple years. But if anything, it seems like a lot of these performers are just throwing different things out and seeing what sticks ("Should I do more hip-hop? More like house? Slowed down and organic like roots reggae? . . .").

Yeah, I agree with what you say. And when I say "faster", I don't mean all of it is faster, it's just reaching tempos it hadn't before at its top end. Most bachataton tracks I've heard, btw, are at typical 85-105 bpm reggaeton tempos, usually at the slower end of that spectrum, with double-time breaks.

Unrelatedly, I got a very interesting email today that hopefully something will come of.

From the new Bobby Valentin album. Not bad. Nice to see Luisito Carrion back on his feet after the accident he was in last year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6HZn0zHalA

Rev doesnt it seem likely the increasing house-y ness of these tracks is corresponding to broader trends in R&B/hip-hop? (see rich j's 4x4 mix mentioned in idolator thread)

Definitely, although I hadn't really thought about it that way.

i'm enjoying it as a trend. do you know more songs that sound like that?

It's a three-song trend.

I dunno about that, those are the only ones (I've heard) where it's been so pronounced, but even "No Te Veo" starts with a 4x4 before launching into that weird modified dembow it has. With "Sexy Movimiento" being as big a hit as it is, give it some time. There will be more.

I agree that, at the very least, people will be continuing with it because of "Sexy Movimiento." I don't hear enough to really know if it's a trend or what.

Actually, what I really want are more songs like "No Te Veo", which I haven't really heard imitated.

Hey Rockist, is a*_s*✧✧✧@g✧.c✧✧ a good account to email you at? If I remember right, you have a couple, one of which you never check.

lol @ the system googleproofing my googleproofed address

Yeah, that is correct. I do check that one, but sometimes I stop checking it for an extended period of time.

I mostly just get viagra ads in that one.

alright, sent

xp: haha

Turmoil in Chicago! I think La Kalle 103.1 has switched back from rhythmic to pop. Which I don't mind, as I'd rather hear one reggaeton every couple songs than a whole bunch in a row. Also, we're playing that Putumayo overhead at work now and it sounds OK for work music. Am I still allowed to post here?

Of course, you can.

None of the stations here play reggaeton at all. : (

I may not have caught everything, but it looks like the reggaeton votes come out to this:

Albums
4 Residente o Visitante
1 Casa de Leones
1 El Abayarde Contra-ataca

Singles
2 "P'al Norte"
1 "Impacto"
1 "No Te Veo"
1 "Yo Te Quiero"

-- The Reverend, Thursday, January 17, 2008 1:56 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark Link

I took a look at last years results. For comparison:

Albums
1 The Underdog/El Subestimado

Singles
1 "Atrevete-te-te"
1 "Flow Natural"

Phil, were you the lone Tego voter last year, too?

Is that from the Idolator poll? No; last year my votes didn't get tabulated, for some reason. If they had been, there'd have been two votes for Tego.

Yeah, the Idolator poll.

I just posted the following here: boom chicka boom: Rolling Beats, Rhythms, Drums n Handclaps Thread

Of interest (to me at least). Casa de Leones, "No Te Veo": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4Bfy0NMPiQ

Allow me to nerd out here for a sec.

Starts with a 4x4, then launches into this crazy rhythm. Alright. First things first, typically reggaeton averages around 95 BPM, almost always sticking with ten beats above or below that number. "No Te Veo" is 120 BPM. This tempo, along with its rhythmic base, gives it a feel that approximates soca. This is explicit and intentional. "Bailar la soca," one of them says in the song. About that crazy rhythm...

The basic dembow beat that characterizes reggaeton uses this pattern.

(counting in sixteenth notes, lower case for kicks, upper for snares) three-ONE-two-TWO-three-ONE-two-TWO

Kicks on every beat, snares playing a 3-3-2 pattern along with the first kick. A lot of reggaeton switches it up slightly by modifying the back half of the bar and adding an extra snare:

three-ONE-two-TWO-two-ONE-ONE-two-TWO

"No Te Veo" takes that beat, and replaces the first kick of each bar with a snare:

THREE-ONE-two-TWO-two-ONE-ONE-two-TWO

A rather unique beat, with the snare pattern venturing rather close to the clave, and kicks only on the two, three, and four beats, hats doubling the kick pattern. I notice one thing it allows them to do is that since the strong one is established with the snare rather than the kick, they can include breakdowns with the kicks removed entirely without losing the beat.

The main counter-rhythm, beyond the vocals, is that afro-pop-ish guitar line that plays throughout:

three-three-one-one-two-two-two-two

Which is pretty simple, even with its own shades of clave, but its interaction with the drum line, reinforcing the rhythm of the first half of the bar, and playing straight to the more complex rhythm of the second half makes it more simple. Notably the guitar has its quick sixteenth notes in the front of the bar, whereas the snares have theirs in the back of the bar.

Great thread idea, btw.

-- The Reverend, Monday, January 21, 2008 6:24 AM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

I never understand once you start using numbers. Three what? I honestly don't know.

Also, Rev., how do you count beats per minute? Is there some media player that actually provides a count? Maybe by now you can estimate from experience, but how do you come up with a count otherwise (short of sitting there and counting beats)? I know this is a dumb question, but I honestly wonder how people determine bpm when they hear something.

Ah yeah, the whole numbers thing could be explained better, but I don't know any better way to do it beyond proper notes-on-a-staff notation, which is kind of hard to do on a webboard and even less sensical to a layperson. The "three what?" would be three sixteenth notes before the next note starts.

As far as the BPM question: http://www.all8.com/tools/bpm.htm

(I actually use the BPM counter in Fruity Loops. I think I get more accurate results from that then from web-based counters.)

Hmmm, maybe this notation might work better.

K = kick
S = snare

basic dembow:

K--SK-S-K--SK-S-

dembow with switchup:

K--SK-S-K-SSK-S-

"No Te Veo" (w/ guitar part {which I actually messed up before} below for comparison)

S--SK-S-K-SSK-S-
G--G-GG-G-G-G-G-

I hope that makes more sense.

I wasn't complaining, I just have trouble with notation for rhythm, since I don't have any knowledge of music theory.

"three-ONE-two-TWO-three-ONE-two-TWO"

equals

"K--SK-S-K--SK-S-", yes?

Is that one measure or two? and the initial "three"/"K" is a pickup? In the first example, where's four? Does nothing hit on four?

Oh, wait, I just looked at your "SK" example while listening to the song and it makes sense. No pickup. Though with my shitty speakers I can't hear any K. That's a good tune!

nice breakdown rev

did you study music/jazz in h.s. or something? i think that was one of the smartest things I ever did in retrospect ... gives me so much more understanding of why things work for me the way they do

of course latin music is a whole nother animal... i studied w/ this amazing bassist once, john benitez (not directly but participated in a class/jam session he was leading) and he taught me the 9/8 (i think???) clave which was kind of :-O ... i still remember it being like 3-2-4 or something? damn i cant remember

Ha, I saw John Benitez last week. I didn't ask him about this or even talk to him- in fact I don't know him personally- but I think you probably mean 6/8.

no. dude i'm a musician, 6/8 is a common time sig.

lol @ 'i'm,' should say 'i was'

didn't mean that to sound snarky/matos-y either, just sayin

OK, no worries. Next time John B is playing somewhere I'll go and ask him about the 9/8.

it was 9/something, real random time signature

make sure to ask him what the clave pattern is!

Maybe it's time to check out Kim Atkinson's Clave Consciousness.

The clave's the thing...

I played sax in school, but I was awful. I've made beats off and on and the past couple years I've been teaching myself music theory and how to play keys. I don't have any chops at anything, but I have a decent idea of how things work.

x-posts

Probably wasn't 12/8 either.

Dude, not to be all Capn-wvrs, but I'm sure deej said what he meant.

Yeah, I know. I just put the 12/8 there for myself for future reference.

blue rondo a la turk is in 9/8

da-doo da-doo doodoodoo da-doo da-doo dadadadoo

As is Ride of the Valkyries.

Take it to the weird time signature thread.

They have a lot of weird claves in Cuba, so I would believe anything (but then, I also wouldn't know what any of it meant).

You never heard the Willie Colon version of that one?
(xpost)

You'll probably give me grief if I mention "The Theme from Mission Impossible."

But Lalo Schifrin is from Argentina!

I used to loooooove the theme from Mission Impossible when I was in elementary school.

Looks like some good old school stuff here

I'm listening to a Tito Puente/Celia Cruz album and once again, I have to admit that I really just don't like Celia Cruz all that much. Oddly, I find that her singing rarely moves me. It pushes really hard, but it doesn't move me. (Weird, I didn't see what that pun was when I wrote that.) I prefer La Lupe overall. There are exceptions, but I think it's telling that the Celia Cruz song that always pops into my mind as one of my favorites (which means it probably simply is my favorite), "Usted Abuso," is one where her singing is a bit more toned down. Along the same lines, didn't I hear some boleros by her that I liked a lot as well?

Don't remember. I am trying to understand why La Lupe moves you more than Celia (rather than the same), though I am not familiar enough with their catalogues or with what you look for in vocal styles to say. Celia and La Lupe seem to be trying to do two different things to me, so I never think of comparing them. Yes, they're both real dramatic in their vocal styles, maybe melodramatic even, but I think of Afro-Cuban salsa more with Cruz. To each his own.

Well, La Lupe doesn't always move me either, but she moves me more often. I bring up La Lupe, because there just aren't that many female vocalists in salsa worth comparing Celia too. (Also, there was competition between the two and essentially when Celia rose to fame again under the Fania banner, La Lupe was mostly shunted aside.) Maybe those in the know would disagree with me on this, but I think La Lupe is as much of a roots-rooted (?) rumbera as Celia, when she wants to be. There's plenty of Afro-Cubanidad in La Lupe's approach.

La Lupe doesn't always move me either

But when she doesn't I still tend to find her more entertaining and interesting.

I dont like Dalmata usually. But this Pegate Pa Qui on Los Capos is absolutely smoldering. HOT HOT HOT song.

Tributo Urbano a Hector Lavoe?
I actually, surprisingly,like Triste y Vacia with The Dey and Hector El Father.
Mentiras with Tres Coronas is also pretty damned good.

Oops, that was just plain HECTOR as in Lavoe.

From the wrong thread:

Checking out Gilberto Santa Rosa's "No Estoy Para Ti" (from the new album). This is definitely one of his better songs.

I generally need a strong vocal center in salsa (which might be one reason, among others, that La 33, which I was also checking out earlier, leaves me cold).

-- Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, January 29, 2008 12:59 AM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ew, the synth on "Conteo Regresivo" gets pretty bad. WHY do they do this? (I'm actually listening to this on Rhapsody, where I still have some free listens.)

-- Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, January 29, 2008 1:00 AM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

Despite everything else, GSR's singing sounds really good on these salsa tracks. I will probably by this and use disc 2 as a coaster.

"Oveja Negra" is good too, and no slushy synths in sight.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/chi-0130loszeros_filljan30,1,6198699.story

chicagotribune.com
Los Zeros sums up an era of Latin music
By Ed Morales

Tribune Newspapers: Newsday

January 30, 2008

NEW YORK

It's getting late in the decade, and we don't even have a proper name for it.

There is a strong sense of how we think of pop music history in terms of "the '70s," "the '80s," and even "the '90s," and Latin music has its parallel moments -- think the Fania All-Stars, Julio Iglesias, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Juan Luis Guerra, the Buena Vista Social Club and, finally, Daddy Yankee.

It's time we locate contemporary Latin music trends in something called "Los Zeros."

What characterizes the era of Los Zeros? One trend, urban pop, has its roots in the '90s, when rap and dance hall en espanol laid the groundwork for reggaeton. The influence of '70s and '80s styles such as reggae and post-disco R&B crept gradually into Latin music until a new hybrid of polyrhythmic Caribbean beats and slow-jam aesthetics created the urban pop sound.

Now, what once seemed separate genres -- hard-core reggaeton, romantic pop, salsa, merengue, cumbia and bachata -- are all part of a new fusion.

Artists once pigeonholed as underground rappers are now international pop musicians, and the likes of Shakira, Alejandro Sanz, Andy Montanez and Julieta Venegas are all collaborating with urban fusionistas. The super-twangy guitar and hopping dance that helped bachata burst onto the scene has also been co-opted into a funky teen pop in which New York-based crooners turn up the guitar amps and ride the electric wave of a Dominican Invasion.

A new roots movement is also one of Los Zeros' strongest trends. Puerto Rican bomba and plena acts are multiplying rapidly, pioneered by bands such as Yerba Buena, Los Pleneros del 21 and Viento de Agua. Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto, a Colombian roots band steeped in the ancient arts of puya, bullarengue, gaita and cumbia, won a Latin Grammy this year and groups such as La Cumbiamba Eneye are the rage of Queens' Jackson Heights neighborhood and beyond. Zon del Barrio revives Rafael Cortijo's brand of soulful bomba and plena alongside a healthy dose of old-school salsa, which is in turn fueled by the reissue of the Fania Records catalog, some local bands that never gave up the old school and intrepid DJs.

This seems to say exactly nothing other than that Ed Morales wants to coin a phrase. If any people are more prone to mashing up all kinds of musical styles than Latinos, I would be surprised.

I think this is mostly true: Now, what once seemed separate genres -- hard-core reggaeton, romantic pop, salsa, merengue, cumbia and bachata -- are all part of a new fusion, although these genres still have an independent existence too, obviously, and there's a limit to how much salsa can mix with these other things. I don't see how it can be significantly integrated into a genre revolving around programmed beats.

The super-twangy guitar and hopping dance that helped bachata burst onto the scene

I wouldn't call bachata a hopping dance. Maybe I just haven't seen enough of it, but it seems to me the really good bachateros move in a wave-like manner, often with a regular drop, which maybe could be very poorly described as "hopping," but I've seen hopping in Latin dance(e.g., cumbia, and some cumbia-influenced salsa dancing, and some salsa dancing with what looks to me like weird styling, aside from the typical "beginner's salsa," which tends to be very bouncy, though that isn't the norm for salsa dancing in PR or the US or Cuba).

I don't have time to look for a perfect clip, but here's what looks like a good example, at a glance anyway:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCErKnkzV6I

x-post:

That may be why he's basically right, because he's saying el zero.

He considers Yerba Buena a bomba y plena act like Los Pleneros del 21? Andres Levin, the leader of Yerba Buena is Venezuelan and lives in NYC and the band is funky in a Prince sort of way at times, although he is right that Yerba Buena incorporate roots styles. Los Pleneros are much more traditional than yerba Buena and are a Puerto Rican bomba y plena group. It looks like to me he was running out of space and he or his editor bunched together some of these acts in his last paragraph to make it fit.

I honestly didn't read the end of that sentence, just kind of keyword scanned it, like a resume. Pretty funny.

More bachat--I like the way this couple moves (I'm really more interested in the basic motion in bachata than the turns, although I just got a really good, simple, idea for a turn I could use from watching this--not to say I can dance bachata very well, because I can't):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4vMaH6IkgQ

And sorry if that doesn't read like a real sentence but I'm eating lunch.

x-post
And he did not really have room to fully address traditional Mexican genres or offshoots.

groups such as La Cumbiamba Eneye are the rage of Queens' Jackson Heights
I'll keep an ear out.

REV CHECK YOUR EMAIL.

checked!

I wouldnt call bachata a hopping dance, I think of hopping as what u do in quebradita.
But I would definitely say the dance has a HOP in it. Bachata SWINGS.

BTW In this video, the couple SUX ass. Its too slow, shes too stiff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4vMaH6IkgQ

In this one they suck too.

THIS is bachata-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SykefRd1s0

look at 2:4o on. you get a better idea of the fluidity and swing of teh dance

Watch her ass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBbZSHwi3mg

Or this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9b6eUxFFzU

R.I.P. Tata

HAVANA (Reuters) - "King of the Congas" Tata Guines, Cuba's most famous percussionist who shared the stage with Josephine Baker and Frank Sinatra half a century ago, died on Monday in Havana. He was 77.

Cuban state media reported that Guines, whose real name was Federico Aristides Soto, died of a kidney infection.

He was born in a poor black neighbourhood in the town of Guines, just east of Havana, and made his first bongo drums from sausage and condensed milk cans.

Guines became a legend playing the conga, a tall and narrow drum of Congolese origin brought to Cuba by African slaves. He performed with the top names in Cuban music like Arsenio Rodriguez, Chano Pozo, Bebo Valdes and Israel "Cachao" Lopez.

In 1957, Guines moved to New York where he jammed with jazz greats Dizzy Gillespie, Maynard Ferguson and Miles Davis at Birdland.

Guines stunned audiences with his driving Afro-Cuban beat by playing five congas and singing at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in a solo performance that put percussion at centre stage.

Guines enjoyed celebrity and owned his own car, but never got used to life in the United State due to racial segregation, he said in an interview published last year.

"Fame did not extend beyond the stage. Once you left the stage, it was like the signs said: 'Whites only,'" he said.

Guines returned to Cuba in 1959 soon after Fidel Castro came to power in a leftist revolution that he helped fund with contributions from his earnings as a musician.

Like other Cuban musicians who returned to fame late in life through the Buena Vista Social Club recording, Guines enjoyed renewed success in 2004 playing congas on the Latin Grammy-winning "Lagrimas Negras" (Black Tears) by pianist Bebo Valdes and Spanish Flamenco singer Diego El Cigala.

(Reporting by Anthony Boadle)

Anybody familiar with his work? (i.e., I still have alot to learn)

Not me. RIP anyway.

I was going to revive thread to tell you I heard they were giving this comp away as a pledge week premium on WBGO.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51mMZQh42yL._AA240_.jpg

I'm on the Putumayo mailing list, although I have not reviewed anything they've released in ages. I haven't even listened to that one.

I need to cut and paste some of the e-mail press release I got from another label for "salsa for babies" (compiled by Spanish Harlem Orchestra). I just know RS will get multiple copies of that to give out as gifts (yes I'm joking).

In a different vein, I'm gonna go see Don Omar next week.

My Cuban friend who is reasonably knowledgeable in such matters said Tata Guines was the best conga player in the world and that in recent yeras he had played at Lincoln Center with some blind musician I couldn't catch the name of. Sorry for the pretend forgetfulness.

Based on a few minutes of youtubing, he was really fast while being really sharp and precise, like a conguero Buddy Rich.

I guess it was Frank Emilio Flynn.

Tata Guines was one of Anga's teachers, I know that much (and the latter was no slacker himself).

all the cumbia stuff i've been listening to is so ace it is kinda killing me. it sort of reminds me, at times, if ghettotech, dance-hall and traditional cumbia had a big roll in the sand together.

Any specific names?

http://www.myspace.com/bersadiscos

http://www.myspace.com/elhijodelacumbia

http://www.myspace.com/djnegrodub

that's only the top of the crop i've been into...

DJ Negro is especially my style, and I think one of the better exemplars of this stuff right now.

he's a bit more dubby than the others though, which probably explains why i dig his stuff so hard.

Don Omar at the Patriot Center outside DC tonight. I wonder how he will mix up his straight-ahead reggaeton, his schmaltzy ballads, and his upbeat numbers incorporating other genres.

Hopefully he won't over-emphasize the ballads, but that may be what a day after Valentines Day young mostly Latino arena audience wants.

Omar just performed at Madison Square Garden in NY on a bill with salsero Gilberto Santa Rosa and bachatero Frank Reyes. El Torito is the only act with Omar down here.

I don't think I'm going to be posting much for the next few months, because I'm getting ready to move (almost for real now), and I'm a little "distracted" by the political crisis we're living through.

(I had to change my user name, because I wanted to change the e-mail account associated with my login here, and I didn't see any way to do that without re-registering. My go.com account was unavailable too often.)

I'll say more about the Don Omar show later.

So what about the new Ned Sublette book?

It could be a year before I ever read that lengthy tome and finish it. I need to get more exercise--can I get an audio version to listen to at the gym or out running or on a bike?

I think RS may have read it.

Haha, Steve, that seems like a good strategy, I may need to do the same.

Reverend: http://www.filoteao.com/foros/f6/3975-ejo-dalmata-broke-famous-completo-trackxtrack.html

The "rock" version of "Pasarela" is worth checking out for laughs.

(ska/rock)

(Wow, that board is a goldmine. Let's keep this secret.)

haha, for some reason I read that as "That board is a guillotine". But goldmine, indubitably.

(And about Sublette, no I haven't read the new one. I did read Cuba & Its Music, which is pretty accessible despite it's length.)

So I reviewed Don Omar Friday night. He only performed for an hour and considering ticket prices were $48 and 68 plus service charges, I thought that was kind of lame. As did the audience who began shouting in Spanish "you suck" after the lights came up and it was clear despite the cheering that he would not come back. Plus while Omar was not simply lipsynching, sound-wise I could hear some live vocals from him, louder live vocals from two guys and a gal backing him, and sometimes even when his mic was not close to his mouth his recorded vocals. Despite these multiple sources of vocals, the voices sounded low and muddy in my section on the side above the stage. The speakers were aimed at the floor seats. He mixed things up between his speedy reggaeton numbers and his ballads, at least one of which had a bachata-like feel to it. The women in the crowd seemed to mostly enjoy his ladies man schtick--talking with girls in the crowd, grinding with his female dancers.

Dominican opening act El Torito was more traditional. He sang lots of syrupy bachata ballads, and some slower than normal merengue.

I found a postcard in the parking lot afterwards for a March Tego Calderon show at a Maryland club.

Hopefully Tego will do a better show than Don Omar. Wisin y Yandel's show was not too long either but I don't think their latest cd was even out when I saw them. "Sexy Moviemento" is still getting lots of play here--a dj played it before Omar came on, and I heard it on the radio as well.

Some of El Torito's bachata ballads were kinda growing on me. The local commercial Latin pop radio station plays stuff like that. I always have trouble explaining, in almost any genre, why I like certain ballads but find others too sticky or treacly or melodramatic, etc. I feel like I'm being drawn to the dark side. Next thing, I will start listening to 90s salsa romantica.

http://latinmusic.about.com/od/concertsevents/a/ARTPREMIO2008.htm

I missed the Lo Nuestro Latin Music Awards on Univision last night. Will have to check over the weekend to see if any of the performances are up on Univision or youttube. I know that RS has documented several times about.com writer Tijana Ilich making factual mistakes and stuff, but I get her e-mails and see that she has mentioned the following live performances from the show:

The evening's entertainment started out with Juanes and ended with a merengue finale featuring Grupo Mania and Elvis Crespo.

(It was cool to see Los Tigres del Norte singing "Suavement" along with Elvis.) In between, there were some excellent performances by Los Super Reyes, Enrique Iglesias, Mana, Olga Tanon, Aventura, Jenni Rivera, Vicente Fernandez and Camila.
The highlights, though, were Pepe Aguilar's Mexican spectacular suite that included dancers and lasso tricks both on the stage and in the aisles and the high-tech 'Star Wars' version of "Pegao" with Wisin y Yandel.

This year's big winner was the Bronx bachata band, Aventura, who went home with 4 wins while norteno's Intocable came in second with 3 awards. The sweetest moment was a teary-eyed Ivy Queen finally getting recognition for her super album Sentimiento.

I think I just think Tijana Ilich has bad taste.

That too. Here on youtube is Wisin y Yandel at the Nuestro Award show going up in space and performing "Pegao" on Mars before returning to perform "Sexy Movimento" at Mardi Gras

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8dN-8N78Sw

Los Super Reyes doing Jackson 5 "I Want You Back" in Spanish on Award Show c/d

Los Super Reyes doing the Jackson 5 on the show gets a separate thread

Wisin y Yandel: always going for subtlety.

From the youtube videos I've seen, no performances on that show involved subtlety. Olga Tanon did a ballad in the most bombastic fashion. But yea, W y Y like to do it big.

I'm still O_o at performance of "Pam Pam" with them surrounded by feline furry fantasies.

This one is similar to that.

Not quite as wtf. The whole starting with the dancers camouflaged into the rocks thing was actually pretty cool.

The merengue perormance from the show with lots and lots of dancing girls and confetti=Elvis Crespo and Grupo Mania...I kinda like it...it's the horns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNRThOuyBNQ

Crespo used to be the vocalist for Grupo Mania so this was a reunion thang

I wonder if there was any salsa on the show? I did not see any mentions of any performances in the reviews or on Youtube. My quick google search just came up with the salsa award nominees.

Seems like my local latin-pop station plays more bachata flavored stuff than anything else these days...

Henry Fiol performing an inspired conga solo (I didn't know he played, though I should have known):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGFgUdJ7aDI&eurl=http://www.youtube.com/user/razalatinaPeru

One of my favorite songs of his:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh9rhBpn9JY

This looks like my refrigerator. The lyrics must be a lot odder than I had imagined.

Salsa actually makes me high much of the time (not exactly like any of those highs, but a high nonetheless).

(All vintage salsa videos on youtube have to cut off the last few seconds at least.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuQwvWfMbw0

SuperMerka2 are an Argentinean cumbia villera group

Hmmmmmmmm, it says here that cumbia villera is a late '60s thing...that is being sampled by one of the new Argentinean types wowing some of the blog world?

http://laondatropical.blogspot.com/2008/01/lost-in-myspace-la-nueva-cumbia.html

And according to a cryptic ad in one of my local Spanish language papers, Argentineans SuperMerka2 are gonna be near me in Alexandria, Virginia 15 minutes outside of DC this weekend

While elsewhere it says Cumbia Villera (Cumbia from the slums of Buenos Aires), http://www.myspace.com/elremolon I had read something that referred to it as Argentinean street/urban music

This Argentinean cumbia/dub ain't bad (not crazy about the vocals though)

http://www.myspace.com/chanchaviacircuito

And the Agentinean Zizek club people (who, um, Diplo is raving about) are coming to the US (LA, Sx SW, Chicago, NY)

http://laondatropical.blogspot.com/2008/01/lost-in-myspace-la-nueva-cumbia.html

http://www.crisoldemusicas.com/2008/01/la-nueva-cumbia.html

http://www.whatsupbuenosaires.com/zizek_north_american_tour/

Supermerka2 are more rap/ska/cumbia ( http://www.fantasticodeonce.com.ar/g_supermerka2.html ) as compared to the dahhnceclub/dub stuff linked on some of the blogs

Wayne Marshall at wayneandwax.com is on an Argentinean cumbia kick too (or at least linking to those who are)

There's something about the way cumbia sometimes gives the illusion (I think it's an illusion) of slowing down that reminds me of different types of traditional trance music (mostly thinking of Central Asia and North Africa). Also, it's like it's pulling you back at the same time that it's moving you forward, or at least that's my subjective sense of a lot of it. (It's certainly not the only type of music to do that.) Does that make any sense?

I tend to like the cumbia that I can imagine dancing to. If it gets too dubby, I tend to be less interested (but get the appeal).

Sounds Like cumbia-micro-minimal-dub-reaggeton

The best thing to do about reggaeton: give in to it.

Si

From the man who gave us the Roots of Chicha compilation (which I still haven't heard in full), Chicha Libre:

http://www.myspace.com/chichalibre

I like the surf guitar and the farfisa. The New Yorkers who read this thread ought to go check out one of their weekly Brooklyn gigs

I missed the following weekly salsa dancing event in DC last night:

Plan to come out and pay your respects to the oldest Zanzibar regular-Flip Brown who celebrates his 78th birthday tonight at Zanzibar. Flip, a former acrobat has prepared a special dance performance with his partner Pauline. Some of the Old School Mambo Dancers from DC will be out to celebrate and give impromptu performances with Flip. Manuel Martinez wraps up his three week guest instruction on Wednesday and presents a “shine” (footwork) demonstration. DJs Jose and Saborinquen entertain

Someone zinged Wayne of Wayne and Wax re his hype for club-cumbia and Wayne responds...

Hi Wayne,

This is certainly interesting, but I don’t think it’s really accurate to say
that this marks a “resurgence” of interest in cumbia music. Cumbia never went
anywhere: it’s still massively popular among working-class types from Texas to
Buenos Aires, as it has been for decades, though what are popular are
distinctly blue-collar versions of cumbia that I think are unlikely to be
attractive or interesting to the people in this particular scene. This, to me,
looks more like a resurgence, or maybe “surgence,” of interest on the part of
clubbing uberhipsters (”Zizek”? really?) bent on transforming cumbia in ways
that separate it completely from the mainstream cumbia scene (what we would
call “appropriation” if it were Deep Forest doing it), and which is likely to
remain completely apart from the massive levels of everyday cumbia consumption
going on in peoples’ back yards and parties. Don’t you think?

Wayne responded in part:

And I think that your comparison to Deep Forest is off-base and leads
us to an unfair and facile dismissal rather than a closer engagement
with what is going on in B.A. and the blogosphere. For the most part,
the Zizek artists are not sampling distant sounds for their cosmo
cocktail parties. Rather, they’re synthesizing their own versions of
the music that pervades their local soundscapes (backyard sounds can
carry). In a sense, one could argue that they’re grappling with class
and cultural divisions in B.A. as much as they may be benefiting from
them. It is a fair question to ask whether these scenes (will)
intersect at all. Far as I know, there’s not much crossover between
the neo-cumbia scene and the cumbia villera scene.

The more I hear of the new cumbia, the less I like it, actually, which may be because I already like cumbia. I don't actively dislike the neo-cumbia stuff, but it doesn't interest me much. Lots of mixing in of electronic dance elements, while what I like about cumbia gets lost.

So I'm sort of sympathetic to the point that commenter made (but not terribly interested in the class issues at this point one way or another).

Salsa is monotonous, but timba isn't. Yeah, right. . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2ovt4tyBmA

The dancing is pretty cool though.

Salsa dancing website I just discovered, more personal than it looks (I mean, going by the layout and design). He's local, so I'm particularly interested, having danced at some of the same places he mentions:

http://www.salsa-dancing-addict.com/

Well, not that interesting actually, but the pictures are nice.

tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra
tra tra tra tra tra tra tra tra tra

I counted them ("Te Suelto El Pelo").

I pay my taxes; why is it so hard to find clean socks in my dresser?

Special salsa dancing socks designed to look good out on the floor?

I'm listening to disc 1 of Gilberto Santa Rosa's Contraste. Definitely worth checking out if you like GSR or if you can handle more commercial salsa in general. No matter what, he's an excellent vocalist. "No Estoy Para Ti" almost Willie Rosario territory in its forcefulness, although the arrangement isn't as hard as typical WR. Some flute that drops a hint of charanga and works nicely. It certainly doesn't weaken things any.

I really want to be able to support this whole-heartedly, but there's more schmaltz than I would prefer. There are maybe two or three really strong tracks, and some other saved by GSR's vocals during the montunos.

I know I always say the same things about GSR, but they are always true.

Emusica's put together the next in their series of two-CD artist compilations, this one focusing on Rubén Blades. I already have eight or 10 of the songs on their original albums, but I think this will give me everything else I need.

I don't know his work thoroughly enough to give an opinion (if you were looking for one). I like him enough that I will probably eventually get most of his albums until some point in the early 80s (and maybe a few things after, though I'm skeptical about most of that stuff). I wish Fania would cut it out with some of the silly compilations they are putting out (not the single artist collections, but all the other weird re-packaging) and put out more remastered albums. Of course, I also want them to do it right, so it's a matter of buying themselves time, that's okay.

Listening to Marc Anthony's "El Cantante" (the actual title track), it's very weird. It's not Hector Lavoe, but I don't really recognize it as Marc Anthony. It'll be really interesting to see if any of Marc Anthony's future projects reflect what he picked up while making the Lavoe album. It seems almost unavoidable that it would have some impact. (In the next week or so, I'm going to be doing a lot of catching up on hearing things I missed last year.)

El Cantante is good, it's good but I don't see why I would reach for this rather than putting on Hector Lavoe. It feels a bit unnecessary. But it's nicely done, plenty of space in the music.

Rev, you might want to check out Arcangel's "Me He Enamorado De Ti" from his new album La Maravilla. Has a beat similar to "No Te Veo." It's kind of mushy-sounding singing though.

One of the things I like about salsa is how it handles time. Can't get too much basic than that. It's really difficult for me to try to talk about this without talking nonsense, since I don't have the technical language (and maybe that wouldn't capture what I'm trying to capture anyway).

Perhaps this will help?

It turns out the local salsa band I liked best when I was in Albuquerque (and I only saw three, but that's a lot for one week) is led by a clergyman:

Pretto y Parranda
The salsa band of the Rev. Frank Pretto, a longtime Santa Fe music icon, can be reached through the Desert Inn Hotel, Santa Fe or through
San Isidro Church 471-0710

Tra Tra Tra Tra....!!!
Te Suelto el Pelo is great. Same with Dembow, the remix.
Showtime by Angel y Khriz is pretty fun. I love Carita de Angel.

I kinda like, um, Nigga aka Flex.

http://salvajesiempre.blogspot.com/

I love Carita de Angel.

Same here. Definitely a track to search out. It nicely works the contrast between light/air singing and instrumentation with heavy dembow beat.

Oh no, it has a cute video too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMh438AtzSw

I hadn't seen that.

Will have to check the video out.
For some reason Im imagining schoolgirls, kittens and beaches.
And short skirts of course.

heard awesome new salsa (? or maybe just spanish-language pop-rock?) track yesterday at lunch. it had a really heavy middle-eastern / surf rock feel. the singer was a woman, it was in spanish. there were men shouting along in the background. the staff in the restaurant were singing along with it so i know it's not obscure.

what was it??

Just watched it. Schoolgirls?Check. Short skirts? Check. Beaches? Check. I didnt see a kitten tho.

The combo of soft light fluffly lyrics and heavy dembow is quite sensual. Sort of the Debarge of Reggaeton. Sweet melodic vocalizing to make u feel all tender, with the dembow to get u hot.

Works every time.
Not that I ever try to get into girls' pants, but u get my drift.

xpost the track i'm talking about is probably a billboard #1 shakira track or something, but i'm really really out of loop w/r/t pop music and esp. spanish-language pop

v., I don't know what that would be. I assume if it was a Spanish-language version of that Shakira/Beyonce (is it Beyonce? some R&B diva) you would recognize it?

no, it wasn't very much of an R&B sounding song. and it wasn't as traditional as shakira's tango track.

the closest i can explain is that it was like a flamenco, but with electric guitars and an exceptionally middle-eastern sounding melody. it also sounded a lot like dick dale's "misirlou". and there was heavy percussion on the track. and everything the woman sang in the chorus was shouted back by a gang of men in the background.

It's not "Sultanas De Merkaíllo" by Ojos de Brujo is it? (I just found that doing a search. Doesn't fully fit.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_k1h0N93hA

that's too traditional. this sounded much more like a top 40 track.

You have me curious, but I have no idea what it is.

Rev, you might want to check out Arcangel's "Me He Enamorado De Ti" from his new album La Maravilla. Has a beat similar to "No Te Veo." It's kind of mushy-sounding singing though.

-- _Rockist__Scientist_, Monday, March 17, 2008 6:51 AM (Monday, March 17, 2008 6:51 AM) Bookmark Link

I think you have the right assessment. Damn that beat, but damn that singing. Something strikes me as very afropop-ish about both those songs (here it's mostly in the instrumental sections at the end), but knowing nothing about afropop, I can't really articulate it.

RIP Cachao

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - Cuban-born bassist, band leader and mambo pioneer Israel "Cachao" Lopez died on Saturday in Miami, media reports said. He was 89.

Lopez, who immigrated to the United States from Cuba in 1962, is credited with introducing the mambo musical genre to generations of adoring fans. He died on Saturday after complications from kidney failure, the Miami Herald reported in its online edition.

Known for years by a singular name, Cachao, Lopez was a Grammy Award-winning artist whose work was chronicled in a 1993 documentary by Cuban-American actor Andy Garcia.

Lopez, a classically trained bassist, continued to perform until the final months of his life. He had lived in south Florida for the past three decades and died at Coral Gables Hospital near Miami.

Born in Havana to a musical family in 1918, Lopez took to music early and in his teens had already become an accomplished classical bassist.

His contribution to modern music began in the 1930s. Like many other jazz musicians of his day, Lopez and his brother, Orestes Lopez, improvised with traditional music. He experimented with Afro-Cuban music and developed a new sound that became the mambo.

Though originally rejected, the musical genre took flight in the 1950s and became a jazz staple through much of the next few decades. After a period of obscurity, Lopez regained international attention in the 1990s thanks in part to Garcia's work.

Lopez received a Grammy Award in 2004 for his album "Agora Si!" He also received accolades in 2006, including concerts at the Lincoln Center in New York.

Earlier this month, Lopez traveled to the Dominican Republic to receive a lifetime achievement award, the Herald reported.

Funeral services were scheduled for Wednesday. Hospital officials declined to comment and Lopez' daughter, Maria Elena Lopez, could not immediately be reached for comment.

There's a separate thread too:

Cuban Bass Player Cachao Dies At 89

Not sure this fits this thread exactly but

Wow, that Juanes concert for Peace on the Colombia/Venezuela border was huge attendance-wise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMzrRkmqvBA

Miguel Bose, Carlos Vives,Juan Luis Guerra, Alejandro Sanz, and Ricardo Montaner also performed. Not too crazy about most of those acts, although I like some things Vives has done, and unlike most folks on this board even like Guerra somewhat. Juanes is ok--I don't really like or dislike him.

Cachao radio special from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. US Eastern time on WPFW 89.3 in DC tonight Monday and online at wpfw.org with host Nancy Alonso

i don't know what their rep is, but i'm digging on the new La-33 on luisterpaal. sounds like pretty straight-up salsa to me, but the horn section is great.

Maybe I should check them out. They have a lot of fans among self-described hard-core salseros, listeners who have been around for a while, etc. I heard their first album and thought it was okay, but was ultimately not impressed on repeated listen. But anyway, yes, their a pretty well-respected outfit considered to fall in a more underground/non-commercial category (not that that typically means anything remotely experimental).

Also, the fact that they are from Bogota, Colombia has drawn some attention, since that city isn't exactly known for producing internationally-known salsa bands. (Cali is the Colombian city most closely associated with salsa.) I can't think of any off hand, as a matter of fact, though there may have been some others.

interesting, thx.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld9JoTXvKxE

I'm thinking I may need to be paying more attention to Angel & Khriz.

Notch, "Que te Pica"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytm-9S2pFEg

this is good, too

I'm gonna go see Tego Calderon with the Mafu Krew opening for him tonight.

A bunch of Paul Simon events at BAM in NYC in April including an African one, and this one, below. Wasn't this a big failure on Broadway?

PAUL SIMON: SONGS FROM THE CAPEMAN

PRODUCED BY BAM
PRODUCER CHRIS WANGRO

OSCAR HERNÁNDEZ AND THE SPANISH HARLEM ORCHESTRA
FEATURED VOCALISTS: OBIE BERMUDEZ, STEVE CONTE, RAY DE LA PAZ, NICOLE LEQUERICA, JORGE MALDONADO, LUBA MASON, FRANKIE NEGRÓN, DANNY RIVERA, CLAUDETTE SIERRA, PAUL SIMON
SPECIAL GUEST PERFORMANCE BY LITTLE ANTHONY AND THE IMPERIALS
Apr 1—6 at 8pm
BAM Harvey Theater
$30, 50, 65

In an unprecedented month-long residency at BAM, Paul Simon collaborates with an extraordinary range of artists to offer three musical constellations from the career of one of America's greatest songwriters.

Latin beats and 50s doo-wop fill New York City's nights with Songs from The Capeman.

Staging by Megan Williams
Lighting by Rick Murray
Musical advisor Phil Ramone

I'm gonna go see Tego Calderon with the Mafu Krew opening for him tonight.

-- curmudgeon, Friday, March 28, 2008 6:29 AM (Friday, March 28, 2008 6:29 AM) Bookmark Link

envy envy

Angel y Khriz- Tu Aroma

Check that one out, I love it!

Interesting balance between the sweet vocal portion,the acoustic guitar strumming, and the pop-friendly reggaeton rapping. Not to mention the video.

So while previous reggaeton shows I saw were at an arena, the Tego Calderon show was at a club way out in suburban Maryland. That meant a smaller crowd (hundreds instead of thousands), and some out-of-hand drunk guys (more than I've seen for years at a live gig--the security and hired cops tossed out about 8 dudes). No band for Tego, just a dj, another rapper and 2 women dancers. He only performed for 50 minutes but jammed alot of songs into that time period. He paced back and forth while the girls kept shakin nonstop. Pretty impressive except for when he let his dj enhance his live vocals with the studio versions. He did a reggaeton take on Akon's R& B-pop hit "I Wanna Love You." "El Caballito" and "Llora Llora" were highlights.

alright, the Angel y Khriz album is going on my "to hear" list

Hint hint: mp3latino

Actually, I'm feeling a little sick of reggaeton at the moment. (I always have felt that I could just totally turn on it in a split second, though it's unlikely to happen in regard to reggaeton across the board.)

Yeah, I was a couple months ago (except for the Casa de Leones album, which I've been playing consistently, although I think I'm a bit tired of that one now, too. I never even got around to listening to the Nejo & Dalmata album (which is great, btw) until a couple days ago. For now, I think I'm just going to get back into things, absorbing that and the Angel y Khriz album and then figure out where I'm going from there. I do wish I could hear more reggaeton completely at random, though. I'm kind of in a spot right now where I'm only hearing things I seek out.

Oddly, for me getting somewhat sick of reggaeton coincided with being really sick (flu or possibly food poisoning) for a few days, during which I couldn't stand to listen to it. (Actually, for the first couple days I couldn't listen to anything with a real beat. All I wanted to hear was Fripp & Eno, if anything.) Even though I wasn't listening to it while I was sick, somehow the two things got associated in my brain. I haven't been listening to Nejo & Dalmata for a little while, but I'm sure I'll still enjoy it when I get back to it. In that case, I just needed a break from that particular album.

(I knew I was getting a little better when I could hold down some El Gran Combo.)

Is there really ever a time when one cannot listen to some El Gran Combo...

Like I said, I couldn't listen to them, or anything else with a real solid rhythm, for a couple days when I was sick.

I'm back into reggaeton. I think I just needed a better job of sifting through the crap.

Adalberto Santiago is playing Mytown in about three weeks (4/26). I wonder if the club will let me in if I'm wearing a clean Napalm Death shirt.

A dress code just for the Puerto Rican Elvis' show, or for all gigs there? On the other hand, just metal t-shirts for you, or are you doing a test to determine how many salseros are also into metal?

That reminds me, salsa-related gigs in the DC area have really dropped off. We used to get lots of veteran salso vocalists but not anymore.

>A dress code just for the Puerto Rican Elvis' show, or for all gigs there? On the other hand, just metal t-shirts for you, or are you doing a test to determine how many salseros are also into metal?

I'm assuming that a Latin club would have a stricter dress code than the metal dives I usually frequent, and joking about the fact that my wardrobe consists almost entirely of metal T-shirts.

I bet there may be some good music down in Florida at this event:

Billboard En Español launched April 2, and will be formally presented to the industry during the 19th annual Billboard Latin Music Conference, taking
place April 6-10 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fl.

Not sure whether to post this here or on the rolling whirled thread. Have listened to a few songs of Chicha Libre and kinda like it--the Brooklyn based French guy who tracked down all those Peruvian chicha songs for that collection last year on barbes, has his own band doing covers and I think originals in that vein. It's kinda Latin (specific genres to be named by me later when I'm more sure) surf with a touch of lounge (but not too corny novelty, at least what I've heard so far). The group is playing DC in a small little rock club on April 25th

This new Tony Dize is really boring. There are a couple W&Y guest spots. "Descontrol" and "Permitame" sound like they could be out-takes from Extraterrestres.

New Henry Fiol album, available free from his website:

http://www.henryfiol.com/eng/index.html

I haven't actually listened to it yet. For some context:

Fiol developed a sound that married Spanish-derived guajiro(country) styling with urban, black rhythms.

“My music is son montuno,” says Fiol. “I don’t use timbales, just conga and bongo, that’s conjunto. And the conjunto bands base themselves after Sonora Matancera, or Chapottin, or Arsenio Rodriguez. That’s very urban, black Cubano sound. I use an element of that but I use more of that white Spaniard country kind of stuff. That’s where my vocal style comes from. So I’m taking the country music and making it hipper by putting that funky black urban conjunto thing in it.”

http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/archives/Profile10

I'm not honestly a big lover of that conjunto sound, but sometimes I've liked what he does with it.

"Tantas Curvas" suddenly lights up (for me anyway) once the saxophone comes in.

Anyway, this is definitely well worth checking out. I think I like this more than Guaperia from a few years back, although the title track of that album was of course an instant classic.

I think "A La Larga" is my favorite track so far. The horn parts in particular are very crisp.

His son takes up a lot of bandwidth on the yahoo lit.

list.

I read that as son (the genre), not "son" (the child). I like when Orlando contributes! He's freaking brilliant (which isn't to say I agree with all of his opinions by any means) and he seems to like verbally sparring, which can be entertaining to watch. I hope his academic career won't interfere with his ability to realize his musical vision, which is pretty distinct. (I was at a performance of material he composed which mixed jazz, dhrupad, (European) classical, and other elements quite effectively. The sort of thing that sounds like it should have been a mess, but it didn't turn out that way.)

(I feel a little funny talking about that list in any detail, since it's kept private and I kind of like it that way. Not that we are talking about it in any detail at the moment.)

I've also seen Orlando perform in traditional salsa/Cuban contexts and he's pretty impressive. I saw one performance by Conjunto 23 (which plays older styles of Cuban music--son, son montuno, etc.), where he was doing the vocals, and at one point he went into dancehall style vocals.

(Salsa in Philadelphia is a small world. . .)

As for the salsa world in DC, I'd like to go to this event regarding pre-salsa music:

this Wednesday at Zanzibar features the life and career of Tito Rodriguez-1/3 of the Palladium Big Three. Special guest Jim Byers of WPFW 89.3 FM Latin Flavor will recount the life of this mambo legend. Jim is the foremost expert on music from the Palladium Era in the DC metropolitan area. Jim will use video and music clips to highlight his points. Salsa Sabios begins at 7:00 pm

Having recently been really impressed by albums by Angel y Khriz and Casa de Leones, am I wrong in thinking there might be a sea change taking place in reggaeton. It's never been the most album oriented genre of music, but lately I've been hearing some really solid material emerge, and now I'm just hoping there's more great stuff to come this year. I went through a period where I couldn't listen to it anymore, but my enthusiasm for it has been well and truly renewed.

I was thinking up until this point what would people on here say are the ten best reggaeton albums to have been made so far?

antlers, I haven't been listening long enough (and haven't back-tracked enough) to make big generalizations about reggaeton trends, but it seems pretty clear that there has been a lot of shifting around and flux in the genre in the last two or three years (or even just the last couple). I think that's partly the result of experimentation inspired by reggaeton's crossing over from a predominantly Puerto Rican audience to a more general (though still mostly Latino) audience. Have you heard the Nejo & Dalmata album Broke & Famous? I'd definitely recommend that alongside Angel & Khriz and Casa de Leones.

Maybe someone else would venture a list of ten best reggaeton albums.

Actually, a lot of the other (very) recent reggaeton I've checked out has been pretty ho-hum, but it's probably unavoidable that there will always be a surplus of the mediocre.

So last night on a website I recently discovered that posts some flyers for DC area Latino pop events, I see that Angel & Khriz are appearing way out in Maryland tonight at El Boqueron II where I saw Tego Calderon. I think some of these events are mostly advertised on radio, and the Spanish is often too fast for me to pick up. I did not see any ads for this in the local Spanish language newspapers. A further odd thing about this event is that DLG are listed as the opener. That must be a different DLG than the Latin-pop one (Dark Latin Groove) that uh, Sergio (I forgot the producer's name) worked on years ago and I am pretty sure broke up. Unless they're back together.

The bottom line is I'm not going--my kid's got baseball practice and a report I have to help him with.

It looks like DLG might be back together:

http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?WRK=15151579

In some ways they anticipated the current musical climate, so maybe this makes sense, not that I was ever really a fan.

I kinda like them, but I can see how you would not.

Willie Rosario is so cool there in the background:

Willie Rosario w/ young Gilberto Santa Rosa and Tony Vega

Latin jazz show on WBGO right now is pretty cool.

Too late. I missed it (was watching hockey). Maybe next week. WPFW in DC has moved their salsa and latin jazz programming to Sunday night.

Yea, Rosario does look good in that video.

To my surprise, I kind of like this new Manolito y su Trabuco album, La Habana Me Llama. It's fairly salsero-friendly, but it still goes off and does timba things here and there. I think it helps that I like Sixto 'El Indio' Lorente, the singer on this album. (Even so, despite liking him, that generally hasn't been enough to make me like albums on which he appears in the past.)

I do "worry" that eventually I will be worn down by repeated exposure to the mannerisms of contemporary Cuban music and end up liking it. I particularly like this sixth track.

Repeated exposure to something can do that I guess.

Was reading about Jazzfest in New Orleans and I came across this blog posting by Alex Rawls of Offbeat re Calle 13's appearance there over this past weekend:

After the rain, the track was such a mess that it really wasn't fun anymore. Food II (stand area) was shin-deep, and there was a lake in the middle of the festival that I had to go around to get to Congo Square for Calle 13. "We started as a hip-hop group and kept growing and growing. Now we don't know what we are," rapper Residente explained. The Latin Grammy winners were pretty compelling, and the front of the stage was really into the reggaeton (though the band tries to distance itself from reggaeton, I read). http://offbeatpoplife.blogspot.com/"> http://offbeatpoplife.blogspot.com/

Some salsa shows coming to the Washington DC area in May and I can't make any of them:

May 2nd-Orquesta Guayacan (Colombia) with Los Internacionales del Vallenato con Wilmer Manga & Pete Rodgers at El Boqueron II, 1330 East Gude Drive, Rockville,MD

May 4th-Spanish Harlem Orchestra (sorry for mentioning them RS!)at the Univ. of Md. Clarice Smith Center

May 17th-El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico w/ 3 local salsa combos at the Dulles Expo Centre in Chantilly, Virginia

El Gran Combo were awesome when I saw them a few years ago. I don't know much about Orquesta Guayacan or the vallenato artists opening for them.

2 of those 3 shows (not the Spanish Harlem one)have been advertised only in Spanish-language media, and they're both more conducive to dancing than the concert hall Spanish Harlem show

Another last-minute announced reggaeton show (at a club where live shows start around 1 or 2 a.m.) Noztra at H20 in southwest DC Friday night...(and El Gran Combo Saturday night)...And family guy me is gonna miss both the reggaeton one and the salsa one

Wiki says:

NOZTRA (born October 20th 1982 in San Francisco De Macoris, Dominican Republic)Martin Rivera is a Reggaeton Musician. Born in the Dominican Republic, his family moved to New York looking for work when he was seven. At the young age of 16, Noztra began composing his own lyrics and music and continued to develop his rhyming skills.

Guayacan Orquesta put out one of my favorite albums of 2006, Xtremo. Very solid stuff. This simple descarga.com blurb actually does a decent job of describing it: http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21588.10?tFEK2w35;;231

I saw a nice youtube video of them. I am guessing they did other US shows and not just the DC one, but most Spanish-language music flies under the radar of English-language media. I have not been reading that yahoo salsa group e-mail thing lately, I wonder if any of their participants like them or saw them.

Puerto Rican & Salsa Sabios Night Next Thursday Featuring Guest DJ Henry Knowles & DJ Bruno

Next week is Puerto Rican Night and Salsa Sabios Night at Zanzibar. Guest DJ Henry Knowles from New York City known as the World Salsa DJ and DJ Bruno will be supplying the entertainment. The multi media presentation for Salsa Sabios is the history of La Sonora Ponceña.

(Incidentally, I am now relocated to Albuquerque, and won't have internet access at home for a while to come, I think, so you may see some very delayed responses from me. On the other hand, I'm starting to get used to the routine of going to the library for internet access, I may end up being online at least once a day anyway.)

Last night I had a dream I heard a Shakira cover of an old Cuban tune, or something like that, and I actually liked it. I think it was a real life song, but I can't remember what it was, so it's hard to be sure.

Of all Celia’s countless albums, for me, 'Son Con Guaguancó' produced by Al Santiago, is one of her greatest. The Alegre All-Stars, in all but name, accompanied Celia, but playing to arrangements rather than jamming. Al used a lineup featuring four trumpets and baritone sax, which became the trademark combination of the Willie Rosario band from 1968. The session included Victor Paz, Pedro ‘Puchi’ Boulong and Tony Cofresi, trumpets; Mario Rivera, baritone sax; Bobby Rodríguez, bass; Kako, timbales; Frankie Malabe, conga; Johnny ‘Dandy’ Rodríguez, bongo; Charlie Palmieri, piano; and Santos Colón, Willie Torres and Chivirico Dávila, coro. The arrangers were Palmieri, Tito Puente, Louie Ramírez and Bobby Valentín. Al always did do things with panache! Standout tracks are 'Bemba Colora,' arranged by Valentín, and 'No Hay Manteca.' 'Bemba Colora,' considerably extended by her inspiraciones, became a regular part of Celia’s stage show. An exciting performance of the song is captured on the Fania All Stars’ album 'Live at Yankee Stadium Vol. 2' (1975) on Fania and featured in the movie 'Salsa' (1976). (John Child, 99/00 Catalog)
(John Child, 2008-05-16)

That line-up is definitely: whoah! (This is another remastered Fania CD obviously.)

I just heard a great record with Tito and Mario called Golden Latin Jazz Allstars: In Session.

Which has a pretty good lineup too.

On Thursday saw the best conguero ever playing with the best drummer ever. Never even heard of them before- Samuel Torres and Ernesto Simpson. Maybe will post some stuff to the drum geek sick chops thread.

http://www.samueltorres.com/html/text_block.php

interesting bio

The new Kumbia All-Starz single, "Rica y Apretadita," is pretty great. The chorus is very Bollywood, and it works quite well. I'm also a big fan of the most recent Akwid single, "Ombligo a Ombligo," which features Los Tucanes De Tijuana (singing through a vocoder!) on the chorus. That song, mostly because the video is hilarious and is all over mun2, might be my favorite single of the year.

Thanks. That is good. Vocoder, accordion, rapping...
The Youtube/mun2 version seems to cut off a bit at the end

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAU7a0MaSsE&NR=1

Try this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWJFUspffXU

Yea, I guess "Bollywood" is a good way to describe Melissa Jimenez' vocals on that Kumbia Allstarz track. Nice contrast with the reggaeton style rapping

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfDo4AA9oqw&NR=1

Not many new releases catching my interest, but the reissues and compilations keep coming. This one from Fania/Emusica looks good (even though I probably already have a bunch of these songs):

The House That Al Built

Another great new single/video; this one's from a Mexican girl named Amandatitita, whose first album (forthcoming) is called Reina De La Anarcumbia. The song's called "Metrosexual."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAyZ4zVV-pI

I was out at Target today, and picked up two 2-CD compilations by Los Tucanes de Tijuana - La Mejor Coleccion De Corridos and La Mejor Coleccion De Canciones - for $8.99 each, and Ramon Ayala's Antologia De Un Rey, another 2-CD set, for $12.99. If you look up the latter on Amazon, there's two separate customer reviews claiming that someone broke into their car and stole only their copies of the CD.

there's two separate customer reviews claiming that someone broke into their car and stole only their copies of the CD

That's a unique sort of recommendation.

Recently got the Tumbao Arsenio Rodriguez box- from Dusty Groove, after Amazon refused to honor its erroneous price. I feel a little guilty, but I haven't been able to get into it yet, I usually put it on and then sooner or later switch over to the Benny Moré one.

Do any cumbia groups tour the U.S. and if so where can I find dates?

If you're looking for techno-cumbia, the blog wayneandwax.com once highlighted a recent dj tour. If you're looking for more traditional cumbia, I think ya gotta look at Spanish-language newspapers or listen to Spanish language radio. I know there's a reggaeton en espanol chatboard, I'm guessing there might be another Spanish language one that includes cumbia info.

Any of you New Yorkers (or anyone who's visited NYC lately) spend the big bucks (or score one of those $25 tickets they sell a few handful of before the show) and see the Broadway winning musical "In the Heights" Here's a quote about it in the Washington Post from the creator (I think I previously wrote about this musical way upthread or elsewhere on ilx)--

"I wrote 'In the Heights' to fix 'The Capeman,' " he says of the 1998 musical from Paul Simon that starred Marc Anthony and Ruben Blades. "Forty years after 'West Side Story' and we're still knife-wielding gangsters." With such stereotypical depictions, he says, " 'The Capeman' broke my heart.' "
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/12/AR2008061202259_pf.html

I was watching a small bit of the Tonys the other night (during breaks in the basketball game and while doing other stuff) and when I last put them on, a performance segment from "In the Heights" was just ending. I will have to check later if anything's on youtube. I should have taped it and then fast-forwarded through it(old-fashioned vcr, no tivo yet).

I went to see The Capeman- Quincy Jones was in the audience!- so I suppose I should probably go see this.

Salsa! Cheo Feliciano Celebrates 50 Years in Music
By Bennett Baumer
June 23, 2008 | Posted in IndyBlog

Salsa star Jose “Cheo” Feliciano celebrated 50 years in the music industry with a legend-laden concert at Madison Square Garden’s WaMu Theater on Friday night.

Latin-jazz and salsa performers Eddie Palmieri, Ismael Miranda, Roberto Roena, Bobby Valentín, Papo Lucca and Johnny Pacheco and percussionist Jimmy Sabater shared the stage with Feliciano on June 20.

Prior to the concert, two movie screens played photos and videos from throughout Feliciano’s career, though the montage seemed under whelming and thin for a performer of Feliciano’s stature. Feliciano first took the stage in a bright red suit jacket and was soon joined by Sabater. Sabater’s vocals couldn’t match Feliciano in the few songs they sung together but the percussionist’s solo drew applause.

But soon Latin-jazz and salsa piano player Eddie Palmieri joined Feliciano and the show took off. The Spanish Harlem Orchestra backed Feliciano all night and played seamlessly as Lucca replaced Palmieri on the piano and Johnny Pacheco took a turn at directing the band.

Feliciano, who made his name as a bolero crooner and singer for the Joe Cuba Sextet and the Fania All-Stars, romanced the crowd with “Amada Mía” and passed out roses to crowd members.

Feliciano told Abel Delgado from www.descarga.com:

“I’m a feeling singer. I interpret it. I think of a bolero as when you whisper to a woman in the ear, you talk, you bring through the message. I think bolero should be in between singing it and talking it. So whenever I go into words like “amor” (in a breathy voice), talk about it, not just “amoooorrrr.” I don’t consider myself a singer. I consider myself an interpreter. And people have said that: “Cheo does not sing the bolero. Cheo talks the bolero.” (http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/archives/Interview18)

The crowd burst into a sing along with favorites “Quitate Tu Para Ponerme” and “A Las Seis.” Feliciano also played classics “Anacaonda” (http://youtube.com/watch?v=mEeUvMZySxo&feature=related) and “Salomé.”

Like many salsa musicians who played in the 1960s and 1970s, Feliciano was shaped and participated in the radical politics of the era. According to www.musicofpuertorico.com, he halted his career for three years in protest of the Vietnam War. During this time, according to www.descarga.com, Feliciano also spent time in his native Puerto Rico in drug rehabilitation to kick his heroin habit. (You can read a brief bio of Feliciano here: http://www.musicofpuertorico.com/index.php/artists/cheo_feliciano/)

The night at MSG’s WaMu theater ended with Feliciano’s classic, “Anacaonda” and a taped message from Ruben Blades (some audience members unfortunately booed), who after putting his name on the bill at the last minute couldn’t make it due to his duties as the Panama’s Minister of Tourism.

Feliciano and Blades are reportedly working on a new project together.

http://www.indypendent.org/2008/06/23/salsa-cheo-feliciano-celebrates-50-years-in-music/

Still enjoying the Nejo & Dalmata and Angel & Khriz albums, but is there anything going on right now reggaeton-wise? Seems like most of the hits right now are all nth singles spun off of albums that have been out for some time. What's new?

Went to see Chris Washburne and the SYOTOS Band on Sunday. Jimmy Delgado was sitting in, on congas.

New reggaeton: I don't know. It seems very quiet at the moment.

X-post

I saw Chris Washburne & the SYOTOS band down my way once. A good solid show--not spectacular but pretty impressive hornwork

Forget about musicians and reggaeton rappers...it's time for RS's fave--salsa dance teams

Dance team directors will receive awards for their special efforts to bring performance to the salsa community tomorrow at Zanzibar. There will be special performances by Conga Beat Dance Company, Las Mambo Mamis, Dance In Time & Ponti Tango.

I heard something (just one song, actually, a cumbia) by Grupo Fantasma out of Austin, TX, and I thought it was pretty good. Here's their myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/fantasmatics

(Haven't listened myself as I don't bring headphones to the library, but maybe I should get some.)

While we're on the topic of boring/vague this-looks-good/that-looks-good, I'm interested in hearing the following (in what has been, imo, a pretty dry year for Afro-Latin music, even reggaeton, if you count that as Afro-Latin): Orquesta Mulenze's Para El Mundo Entero, the Frankie Vazquez album that I don't think is out yet, and my token Cuban pick (Cesar Pedroso is involved) Los Soneros All Stars's La Timba Soy Yo. And I haven't previews any of that, but now that I see Los Soneros All Stars has a myspace, I really want to get headphones.

I can't say I'm a big fan of commercial Latin radio out here. There is no musica tropical programming and the only "reggaeton" I've heard is Flex. I did hear one bachata song yesterday, probably Aventura or Extreme. And then I heard another, a cover of a Monchy & Alexandra song, on a station that mostly plays New Mexican music. I'm not sure it really counts as a commercial station though, it seems quasi-public at least. The ubiquity and popularity of banda just perplexes me. (But none of this really comes as a big surprise. It's a heavily Mexican area and even Philadelphia, with a predominantly PR Hispanic population, has been unable to sustain an FM musica tropical station.) KUNM's Friday night salsa show has a lot of problems too, but I might try to get involved with that eventually, so it might be better to keep mum about what I think of much of their selection.

I realize I could go talk about Mexican radio programming on the Rolling Country Thread, but I don't have anything to add their and would only end up needlessly pissing people off by saying I don't like this and that. At least I'm trying to give more of this music a chance, especially because it's so much bigger here, but I'm not any closer to getting into it, it seems.

This is my favorite Orquesta Mulenze song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSaQ0QbAJvc

Like the horns and the vocals in that one. The video is pretty funny too.

RS, Prince loves Grupo Fantasma. They open for him in Vegas, and the horn section has sat in with him. I saw 'em do a good but not great set for free in DC once---a little funk, a little this, a little that...

Prince loves Grupo Fantasma

Really? Their myspace looked vaguely familiar to me, like I might have "discovered" them previously. I think I'm going to go today to buy headphones (among other things) so I can check out some of the stuff I'm linking to.

This is making the rounds:

Salsa dancing is not an extreme sport
By Agustin Gurza, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 2, 2008

Attention all rude and narcissistic salsa dancers who bumped, elbowed
and butted my wife and me on the dance floor last Sunday at Paseo
Colorado, the Pasadena mall that hosts free music events in its
courtyard: Salsa is a social dance. It's not roller derby, bumper
cars or sumo wrestling. So try not to clobber the guy next to you,
crash into other couples or force fellow dancers off the floor.

One couple was so oblivious to those around them that they nearly
trampled my 5-year-old son, who was innocently standing on the
sidelines holding my wife's purse. Another was so intent on showing
off that they kept swinging wildly into our space and finally just
took it over when we decided to leave in mid-song.

We haven't been out dancing as much as we used to since our boy was
born. But this outing showed that not much has changed about the
showy salsa dance crowd in Los Angeles, who think we're all there
just to watch them. They perform like they're perpetually auditioning
for a role in the next cheesy Hollywood salsa movie, or "Dancing With
the Stars."

Although salsa showoffs can be found anywhere, the lack of dance
floor etiquette is a distinctly and revealing L.A. problem. It's here
over the past decade that a group of young, audacious street dancers
developed a flashy style marked by jaw-dropping acrobatics and death-
defying (especially for the woman) dips, flips, spins and neck drops.
The L.A. style became so popular that people flocked to classes,
hoping to learn the tricks that get all the oohs-and-ahhs from
audiences, not to mention that special admiration from the ladies.

It got so bad that one night club, the Granada in Alhambra, actually
bans such stunts, despite having one of the region's largest dance
floors.

The club is owned by Enio Cordoba, a champion competitor who also
operates Let¢s Dance LA, where I once took lessons. He says he has
actually barred one or two professional dancers from his club.

The showoffs -- the ones who arrive with their posses and proceed to
hog the floor -- are bad for business, Cordoba says. They always want
to get in free, don't spend on drinks and sometimes start fights.
Plus, they scare off good customers, the social dancers, who get
intimidated by the hot shots.

"When we stopped the flips and dips, our numbers went up," he
says. "If you're a jerk, I don't want you in my club. For every guy I
throw out, I get three who are glad they're gone."

Cordoba doesn't disguise his contempt for those he believes
responsible for this trend: a popular trio of Mexican siblings known
as the Vazquez brothers, Luis, Francisco and Johnny, who led a dance
team here known as Salsa Brava. The name says it all. Their moves
were bold, even fearless. The team dissolved in 2004 and the brothers
moved to Europe, but their legacy lives on.

I took lessons from Luis at a studio in Long Beach, and I admit their
style was dazzling. That was eight years ago, and I'm amazed how many
salsa classes are still packed with eager pupils -- and more
multicultural than ever. But a lot of dancers still aren't being
taught the difference between competing on stage and sharing the
floor in a club. Nobody told them that the true tradition of salsa
dancing, epitomized by the Cubans and Puerto Ricans who invented it,
values elegance and economy. The goal is to never stray outside the
boundaries of a single tile square, or bailando en un solo ladrillo,
as so many songs extol.

People still talk about the time that bandleader Johnny Polanco
nearly got his trombone knocked down his throat by a dancer doing
flips at El Floridita, the restaurant in Hollywood with a tiny dance
floor. Polanco, a hulking figure, took the much smaller and thinner
dancer outside for a little chat.

The alleged offender was none other than Alex Da Silva, a star of the
local scene. I caught up with Da Silva on Thursday night at Mama
Juana's in Studio City, where he teaches a weekly class. He says the
trombone incident was a case of mistaken identity. Da Silva does
admit he and his posse used to invade nightclubs and show off, to try
to get attention, but those were the old days. "Now that we're much
older, we don't have to show off anymore," he says. Standing in the
street lights outside the club on Cahuenga Boulevard, he didn't look
much older than when I first saw him compete in the 1990s. The
Brazilian-born dancer had just moved down from San Francisco and was
wowing fans with his smooth turns and tricks.

In Thursday's class, he had students wrapped like pretzels in a
combination of twists and turns that only Houdini could have worked
his way out of. Later, some people cheered when a couple tried some
low dips, in which the man bent the woman back, her head almost
touching the ground. Never mind that they always lost the beat with
that move.

"The professionals, we know how to do all the tricks without hurting
someone and invading other people's space," Da Silva says. "But a
bunch of amateurs doing all this crazy stuff, they can hurt
themselves."

It all comes back to the teachers. Laura Canellias, an award-winning
veteran, emphasizes etiquette in her classes.

On Wednesday night at J Restaurant and Lounge downtown, she good-
naturedly stressed to her students the need for courtesy on the dance
floor. "Ladies, you've got stilettos and you could put a hole in
someone's foot," warned Canellias, who also teaches ethnic dance at
Santa Monica College. "So take itty-bitty steps and exercise good
floor craftsmanship. It's not about flash. It's about communicating
with your partner."

Some teachers are not so conscientious. Cordoba cites one reckless
instructor who showed men judo moves to trip their partners and force
them off balance so they could not resist being dropped or dipped.
Cordoba says his studio teaches defensive moves so women can avoid
that twinkle-toe trap.

In salsa dancing, etiquette is mostly up to the man. He must
anticipate every move, look over his shoulder and protect his
partner. "He's driving the car," explains Cordoba . "All accidents
are his fault."

Everybody crashes now and then, and I've had my share of mishaps. But
an accident requires an apology. Not like that guy in Pasadena who
backed into me, shoved me into my wife and didn't even turn around
when I repeatedly tapped him on the shoulder.

So I just waited for him to move. I knew his ego was too big to stay
in one spot.

Okay, I have headphones on and I'm checking out the Soneros All Stars myspace, and three tracks in, I want to draw attention to it again:

http://www.soneros-all-stars.com/

If the album maintains the same level of quality I've heard so far, this may be my favorite Afro-Latin album of the year so far (not that that's a huge honor this year). I really like Cesar Pedroso's singer Pepito (heard first here on the third track). This is very Cuban, but I think I like it. I'm not entirely sold on the female singer here, however, and she was one reason I was curious about it. (Not too many good female vocalists in salsa as such these days.) The previous Soneros All Stars album was all changüi, which I haven't been able to get into so far, but the album burned really intensely. It's precisely the kind of album where I might not like it, but I think it's probably pretty good, and at least I have a lot of respect for the energy on display:

http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/21333.10?kG48DHgs;;210

But this new one I think I'm probably going to get.

Very Cuban, but you like it? Hmmmmm, I think I know (without being able to explain very well) by now what you mean by "very Cuban," so I'll have to listen later and see what's different about this one.

Yeah, I often don't have the language to describe these distinctions, but I can hear the differences plain enough.

I like the (housey, even more so, or maybe just in a better way, than "Sexy Movimiento") new WyY song quite a bit. Great hook.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HkURg0ArkU

Oh, and I didn't bring my headphones today. New Wisin and Yandel to save the day.

BY María Vega

Thursday, August 7th 2008, 4:00 AM

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Ruben Blades (l.) and Willie Colón, in frendlier times.

Two never-released songs by the revered Celia Cruz?

A full recording of a live concert by the original Fania All-Stars in Cali, Colombia?

Unpublished music from Eddie Palmieri, Ray Barretto and other legends of Latin music?

These are samples of what has been found so far in the Fania Records archives since 2005, when Emusica bought the fabled label and rescued thousands of original tapes from an upstate warehouse where they had been languishing for years.

The names on these tapes, according to Emusica CEO Giora Breil and other people familiar with the Fania treasure trove, are astonishing.

Breil even talks of “songs unreleased” by Willie Colón and Rubén Blades from “Siembra,” the classic 1978 collaboration album that contained the hits “Pedro Navaja” and “Plástico.”

But Colón, who’s embroiled in a highly-publicized breach of contract lawsuit with Blades in Puerto Rico, says he would move to block any additional releases from the album.

“‘Siembra’ is a complete work. It should not be remixed nor should any material be added that we decided we did not want to release,” the bandleader said in an e-mail.

“I will take legal action to defend the integrity of my project,” he vowed. “Would they change the Mona Lisa’s backdrop or her clothing? That would be a lack of respect towards the artist who created the project.”

Whatever unreleased material may or may not exist from “Siembra,” it seems to be the tip of the Fania iceberg.

“Every day we find new, unreleased recordings,” says Breil.

Locating the Croton-on-Hudson warehouse where the tapes had been stored took some detective work in 2005, says Breil.

Since then, Emusica has been involved in what he called a “labor of love” to identify and preserve the material.

Some of the tapes had to be literally baked in order to save them from disintegrating, and many were not labeled at all, says composer, producer and Emusica consultant Bobby Marín.

To work on them “you had to literally blow the dust off the boxes,” says Marín. And some tapes weigh more than 20 pounds.

It was during this process that Marín noticed that “some titles looked unfamiliar, making me believe that perhaps they were never released.”

His research found that those titles had been “kept in the can for future release, but never were.”

The list of artists in these unpublished recordings, according to Marín, includes the legendary sonero Ismael (Maelo) Rivera; Cuba’s Orquesta Aragón; the dynamic duo of Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz; merengue singer Wilfrido Vargas and many sacred names in Caribbean music including Benny Moré, Daniel Santos, Machito, Mongo Santamaría and Cortijo y su Combo.

There are also five full unpublished albums by the Lebrón Brothers, the Brooklyn orchestra behind the hit “Salsa y Control.”

Marín is still amazed by the quantity of never-published material, which he says can only be explained by the frenzied speed under which artists worked at the time.

“The musicians had a commitment to record so many songs per year, so they accumulated,” Marín says.

But “some of them are really, really good,” he adds. “I can’t understand why they weren’t used.”

One Alegre Label

While Emusica works on its rediscoveries, it keeps producing new compilations.

One of this year’s releases “The House that Al Built,” is an homage to the larger-than-life, funny, colorful Al Santiago.

If Santiago’s name doesn’t ring a bell, you just need to know that Santiago’s label, Alegre, was the one that first recorded Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colón with Héctor Lavoe, and Eddie Palmieri with La Perfecta.

Alegre “was the seed that later spawned Fania,” says Colón.

Santiago was “very eccentric. He may have been a little bit out of his mind, but in a very creative way,” says bandleader Larry Harlow.

Harlow remembers a trip to Puerto Rico where Santiago was running in the corridors of a San Juan hotel at 5 a.m., “totally naked, with a saxophone around his neck.”

Former Alegre producer Bobby Marín — who compiled the two-disc CD — says Santiago was once fined for walking a horse along 42nd St., just because “he wanted to have the sound of a horse.”

But Marín says that for all the wild moments, Santiago’s legacy is one of great music.

The CD includes a sample of the all-out jams of the Alegre All-Stars, with the exuberant voice of a young Cheo Feliciano on songs like “Se Acabó lo que se Daba.”

Marín vividly remembers one of the Colón sessions with Santiago. “I remember going through take 47,” says Marín. “At 4 in the morning!”

Santiago would give musicians “the freedom to do what they wanted and then he’d insist that they do it properly,” adds Marín.

“Was he a proper businessman? No. But was he a fair businessman? Definitely, yes,” says Marín.

“And was he loved by all of his artists? Definitely, yes.”

As if I've bought more than 5% of the ones released so far. But I'm still excited. I hope they don't reissue Siembra with bonus tracks. It's a perfect album as it stands. I'd still be interested in hearing he out-takes in some other context, but whatever.

Good reggaeton songs posted on here. I think people who don't "get" reggaeton (as nebulous as the term "getting it" is) is because a lot of stuff on the radio and at parties is honestly pretty bland. I actually think the 80s hip hop comparison is pretty valid for another reason - retrospectively, we label some as keepers (Rakim, Grandmaster Flash) and toss aside others (Young MC, etc.) who got hype at the time. Cratediggers and hip hop heads have picked out classics that are 20x better than the shit people probably heard at parties in '86. I think a couple years ofswitching by the "Hurban" stations on the radio in California, Miami, Texas, and New York will never convince anyone that it's "good" as in having value.

Besides, some people just don't listen even the good hip hop AT ALL. It'll probably be the same for reggaeton.

Yeah, but "Bust a Move" is just as good as "Follow the Leader" and "The Message". And likewise goes for a lot of the mainstream reggaeton hits.

There's a new Cesar "Pupy" Pedroso solo album in the pipeline. A fanatical timbera was kind enough to pass this link on to me (still very rough sounding, especially with god knows what sort of loss by the time these songs ended up as these audio files):

http://timbaporsiempre.blogspot.com/2008/07/pupy-y-los-que-son-son-nuevo-cantante.html

Actually that's all pretty muddy, especially with my headphones on.

And this one which has a mix of back catalog things and recent releases (in their complete form, I think, though I haven't tested):

http://danytimba.blogspot.com/

This is pretty much the kind of new(er) Cuban stuff I don't like, but you don't have to listen to me. Also, I always turn up the occasional track I like amidst this stuff.

That W&Y song sounds okay. Kind of low-volume on youtube and I can't seem to get it really clear.

a couple years old, I like this a lot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWd5M5WIUyg

Attention: New York area ILX0rs on this thread: Free Jimmy Delgado concert this Wednesday at 7 at Robert (not RJ) Wagner Park (basically part of Battery Park).

i'm loving all the electronic cumbia coming out of argentina at the moment, particularly the releases on zzk and bersa discos. the chancha via circuito album is particularly amazing.

Another great new single/video; this one's from a Mexican girl named Amandatitita, whose first album (forthcoming) is called Reina De La Anarcumbia. The song's called "Metrosexual."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAyZ4zVV-pI

-- unperson, Thursday, 12 June 2008 13:35 (2 months ago) Link

slight spelling corxn for those googling at home: amandititita. i like her. the whole ep is pretty good.

Listening to this new Soneros All Stars thing again on a PC where the sound works. Scroll down for complete album (La Timba Soy Yo). As before, I don't love the female vocalist on this, but Pepito is pretty good, maybe great. He first appears on the fourth track "Conciencia."

I like that Taino song.

I burned my older brother a bunch of recent CDs, picking out stuff I thought he might like (often things I like that are closer to having a 70s pop/rock sensibility in some way or other), but I also burned him a reggaeton mix partly to better give him any idea of what I've actually listened to lately. I figured he wouldn't like it (I was thinking of how he complained about the repetitiousness of hip-hop I played for him back in the early 90s), but I'd give it to him anyway. That ended up being the disc he liked the best in what I gave him.

Still, I like this Soneros All Stars stuff in spite of some of the timba conventions/mannerisms. Even that trumpet sound kind of annoys me.

Couldn't find a better quality in youtube only a live version but recommend it either way:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfZmj6dJgns

I love this comment (as in: what an idiot) on the W&Y youtube page Reverend linked to above: "Stupid mexicans go back home."

hahaha didn't see that

Alegre sampler/history is pretty cool so far, at least disk one is.

OK, now I'm onto the Tito Puente 78s.

Didn't notice the "Think" break in "Siguelo" til now. A+ summer jam.

probably came via the old Rob Base sample of it. Great song although I don't think it even needed that loop in it.

no, it didn't need it per se, but shit is like icing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqzId5B9y9s&feature=related

Non-trendy cumbia from El Salvador's Orquesta San Vincente. I'm trying to decide whether to go see them and a host of other El Salvadorian acts at a big outdoor show September 14th

So there's a ILX Sandbox thread for Mexican music, but is there one here--I did not see it.

Saw the Jon Caramanica NY Times review of the NYC show of the Unidos Tour with Intocable and Horoscopos de Durango. Hunted around on the internet and found one little reference to that tour having been in DC last night at the DC Armory. They never advertised that show in the DC area Spanish languages newspapers that I look at. I guess DC promoters of Mexican regional music just use radio (and tv?). I like the one Intocable cd I have.

I need to research it some more...

Daddy Yankee on the news a bit yesterday (described on one tv newscast as a Puerto Rican reggae singer) for appearing with and endorsing John McCain. Weird.

Vicente Fernandez at MSG on 10/4!!!

He was in Albuquerque lately, with his son, I think. I would probably go check him out just to check out a legend (if I had any money).

curmudgeon, Is the ILX sandbox active again? Did I miss something? I've been offline for several days, and am not on much lately anyway.

I'm hearing bad things about the new Daddy Yankee CD/movie soundtrack, which I'm sort of happy about, given his McCain endorsement.

The sandbox is not active again (I don't think) although when I was looking for a Mexico thread, the one that showed up via google search was labeled as a sandbox thread.

Cowboy hat wearing California based Mexican group Grupo Exterminador are appearing around here this weekend.

Their myspace site says California but maybe those corrido singing guys are not from there

Saw Julieta Venegas do a fine pop show at the Kennedy Center. It was a free show and over 2,000 people were there.

The Latin Grammy nominations came out the other day. I will have to find the link. A publicist sent me an e-mail about Kenny G's new cd and how it was nominated. Call me a snob but I can't imagine that being very good.

I think these Latin Grammys are somehow separate from the regular Grammys that include a few token international categories.

Yes, the Latin Grammys are entirely separate, with their own ceremony (televised on Spanish-language TV though I can't remember if Univision or Telemundo airs it). Big nominees this year were Café Tacuba (6 for their weak-ass new album), Juanes (5 or 6) and Gustavo Santaolalla (5 or so, a couple of 'em for producing the Tacuba and Juanes albums). Venegas I think was nominated for her MTV Unplugged album, which is fucking great.

Ana Gabriel's gonna be at the small theater in Mytown in two weeks. I've pitched a review to the local paper; if they don't take it there's no way I'll be able to go - tickets are like $70-150.

http://www.grammy.com/latin/9_latin/

Venegas followed the format of the MTV Unplugged cd. Some of the same musicians in the 14 piece band and the same arrangements. Her show in NYC I think was real pricey.

While I wasn't wowed by the Cafe Tacuba, I thought it was ok. Is there a current rock en espanol band you like? I watched some youtube videos of Porter, and was unimpressed. I thought they were supposed to be a big deal.

Oh and that tango-electronica cd that Gustavo Santaolalla was involved with left me unimpressed also. He has guest vocalists on a few songs. It's gotten some rave reviews, maybe I should give it another shot.

Best Urban Music Album
Mejor Album de Música Urbana
Melhor Álbum de Música "Urban"
(For solo artists, duos or groups.
Para interpretaciones por artistas solistas, dúos o grupos.
Para artistas-solo, duplas ou grupos.)

Sobrenatural
Alexis & Fido
[Norte/ Sony BMG Music]

El Abayarde Contra-Ataca
Tego Calderón
[Warner Music Latina]

Te Quiero
Flex
[Asterisco Record SDAD Ltda.]

It's My Time
Tito El Bambino
[EMI/Televisa]

Los Extraterrestres
Wisin y Yandel
[Machete Music]

The rest (as relevant to this thread):

Category 7

Best Pop Album By A Duo Or Group With Vocal
Mejor Album Vocal Pop Dúo o Grupo
Melhor Álbum Pop Para Duplas ou Grupo Vocal
(For established duos or groups, with vocals.
Para dúos o grupos establecidos, con vocales.
Para duplas ou grupos com vocal. )

Fantasía Pop
Belanova
[Universal Music Mexico]

10
Hombres G
[Warner Music Spain]

Nadha
Kudai
[EMI Music Mexico]

AB Quintanilla Presenta Kumbia All Starz - Planeta Kumbia
Kumbia All Starz
[EMI Televisa Music]

Empezar Desde Cero
RBD
[EMI Music Mexico]

Category 9

Best Urban Song
Mejor Canción Urbana
Melhor Canção Urban
(A Songwriter's Award. A song must contain at least 51% of the lyrics in Spanish or Portuguese and must be a new song. Singles or Tracks only.
Premio al Compositor(es). Una canción debe contener por lo menos el 51% de letra en Español o Portugués, además deberá de ser una canción nueva. Solamente sencillos o cortes.
Prêmio para o(s) Compositor(es). Uma canção deve conter pelo menos 51% de letra em espanhol ou português e deve ser uma nova canção. Somente singles ou faixas.)

Al Son Del Boom
"Tingui" & Daddy Yankee, songwriters (Miguelito Featuring Daddy Yankee)
Track from: El Heredero
[Machete Music/ El Cartel Records]

El Tra
Tito El Bambino, songwriter (Tito El Bambino)
Track from: It's My Time
[EMI Televisa Music]

Ni Fu Ni Fa
Tego Calderón, songwriter (Tego Calderón)
Track from: El Abayarde Contra-Ataca
[Warner Music Latina]

Soy Igual Que Tu
Alexis, Fido & Toby Love, songwriters (Alexis & Fido Featuring Toby Love)
Track from: Sobrenatural
[Norte/ Sony BMG Music]

Te Quiero
Flex, songwriter (Flex)
Track from: Te Quiero
[EMI Televisa Music]

Field 5 - Tropical

Category 15

Best Salsa Album
Mejor Album de Salsa
Melhor Álbum de Salsa
(For solo artists, duo or group performances. Vocal or instrumental albums.
Para interpretaciones por artistas solistas, dúos o grupos, vocales o instrumentales.
Para artistas - solo, duplas ou performances em grupo. Vocais ou instrumentais.)

El Cantante
Marc Anthony
[Norte/Sony BMG Music]

Auténtico
Grupo Galé
[Codiscos/Tropisounds]

Soy
Victor Manuelle
[Kiyavi Records/Sony BMG Music]

Puro Corazón...
Maelo Ruiz
[Codiscos/Tropisounds]

Contraste
Gilberto Santa Rosa
[Norte/Sony BMG Music]

[I did not know Grupo Galé had released an album of new material in the last year. They've put out a lot of great stuff over the years, but I think it's kind of tapered off recently.]

Category 16

Best Cumbia/Vallenato Album
Mejor Album de Cumbia/Vallenato
Melhor Álbum de Cumbia/Vallenato
(For solo artists, duo or group performances. Vocal or instrumental.
Para interpretaciones por artistas solistas, dúos o grupos. Vocales o instrumentales.
Para artistas - solo, duplas ou performances em grupo. Vocais ou instrumentais. )

Chicas De Canela
Chicas De Canela
[Freddie Records]

Somos La Esencia
El Combo De Las Estrellas
[Codiscos/Tropisounds]

La Mandarina
Gusi & Beto
[Vibra Music]

Soló Clásicos
Peter Manjarrés, Emiliano Zuleta y Sergio Luis
[Codiscos]

Palabra De Honor
Emiliano Zuleta y Toba Zuleta
[Cañaguate Music Ent./Codiscos]

Best Contemporary Tropical Album
Mejor Album Tropical Contemporáneo
Melhor Álbum Tropical Contemporâneo
(For solo artists, duo or group performances. Vocal or instrumental.
Para interpretaciones por artistas solistas, dúos o grupos, vocales o instrumentales.
Para artistas - solo, duplas ou performances em grupo, vocais ou instrumentais.)

El Súper Joe
Joe Arroyo
[Discos Fuentes]

Señor Bachata
José Feliciano
[Siente Music/ Universal Music Latino]

Gratitud
Fonseca
[EMI Televisa Music]

Porro Nuevo
Adriana Lucía
[EMI Colombia]

Exitos En Dos Tiempos
Olga Tañón
[Univision Records]

Category 18

Best Traditional Tropical Album
Mejor Album Tropical Tradicional
Melhor Álbum Tropical Tradicional
(For solo artists, duo or group performances. Vocal or Instrumental.
Para interpretaciones por artistas solistas, dúos o grupos, vocales o instrumentales.
Para artistas - solo, duplas ou performances em grupo. Vocais ou instrumentais.)

Cuba: Un Viaje Musical
Albita, Rey Ruíz y Donato Poveda
[Apollo Music]

Bohemio
Chucho Avellanet Con El Trío Los Andinos
[Apollo Music/Norte/Klasico Records]

El Cuatro Puertorriqueño... Reafirmación
Edwin Colón Zayas
[ECZ]

90 Millas
Gloria Estefan
[Burgundy Records/SonyBMG Music]

Una Navidad A Mi Estilo
Victor Manuelle
[Kiyavi Corp./Machete Music]

Category 19

Best Tropical Song
Mejor Canción Tropical
Melhor Canção Tropical
(A Songwriter(s) Award. A song must contain at least 51% of the lyrics in Spanish and must be a new song. Singles or Tracks only.
Premio al Compositor(es). Una canción debe contener por lo menos el 51% de letra en Español y deberá ser una canción nueva. Solamente sencillos o cortes.
Prêmio ao(s) Compositor(es). Uma canção deve conter pelo menos 51% de letra em espanhol e deve ser uma nova canção. Somente singles ou faixas.)

Conteo Regresivo
Juan José Hernández, songwriter (Gilberto Santa Rosa)
Track from: Contraste
[Norte/Sony BMG Music]

Llegó El Amor
Víctor Manuelle, songwriter (Gilberto Santa Rosa)
Track from: Contraste
[Norte/Sony BMG Music]

Me Vio Llorar
Jorge Celedón, songwriter (Jorge Celedón y Jimmy Zambrano)
Track from: De Lo Nuevo...Lo Mejor
[Norte/Sony BMG Music]

Píntame De Colores
Emilio Estefan, Jr., Gloria Estefan, Alberto Gaitan & Ricardo Gaitan,
songwriters (Gloria Estefan)
Track from: 90 Millas
[Burgundy Records/Sony BMG Music]

Category 28

Best Folk Album
Mejor Album Folklórico
Melhor Álbum de Música Folclórica
(For solo artists, duo or group performances. Vocal or Instrumental.
Para interpretaciones por artistas solistas, dúos o grupos, vocales o instrumentales.
Para artistas - solo, duplas ou performances em grupo. Vocais ou instrumentais.)

Mil Caminos
Damaris
[Independiente]

Terra
Mariza
[EMI Music Portugal]

Zamba Malató
Perú Negro
[Times Square Records]

20 Éxitos
Walter Silva
[Vibra Music Entertainment S.A.]

Caballo!
Cholo Valderrama
[Vibra Music Entertainment S.A.]

Field 10 - Jazz

Category 31

Best Latin Jazz Album
Mejor Album de Jazz Latino
Melhor Álbum de Jazz Latino
(For solo artists, duo or group performances. Vocal or Instrumental.
Para interpretaciones por artistas solistas, dúos o grupos, vocales o instrumentales.
Para artistas - solo, duplas ou performances em grupo. Vocais ou instrumentais.)

Afro Bop Alliance
Caribbean Jazz Project Featuring Dave Samuels
[Heads Up International]

Brasilianos 2
Hamilton de Holanda Quinteto
[Brasilianos]

Nonada
Rodolfo Stroeter, Tutty Moreno, Nailor Proveta, André Mehmari y Teco Cardoso
[Pau Brasil/Biscoito Fino]

Cultural Survival
David Sánchez
[Concord Picante]

Charlie Sepúlveda & The Turnaround
Charlie Sepúlveda & The Turnaround
[Turnaround Records]

Category 49

Best Long Form Music Video
Mejor Video Musical Versión Larga
Melhor Vídeo Musical Versão Longa
(For Video Packages consisting of more than one song. Award to the Artist and to the Video Director/Producer of at least 51% of the total playing time.
Para Videos Musicales que contienen mas de una canción. Premio al Artista(s), Director(es) del Video y Productor(es) del Video.
Para vídeos musicais que constam de mais de uma canção. Prêmio para o(s) Artista(s), Director(es) do Video e Produtor(es) do Video.)

Papitour
Miguel Bosé
Eduardo Sánchez, video director; Carlos Sanchez, video producer
[Cavaro Audiovisual]

90 Millas
Gloria Estefan
Emilio Estefan, Jr., video director; Emilio Estefan, Jr., video producer
[Burgundy Records/SonyBMG/Music]

Dos Pájaros De Un Tiro
Serrat y Sabina
Luis Parraga, video director; Caster Films S.L., video producer
[Caster Films S.L.]

Buenos Aires, Dias Y Noches De Tango
Varios Artistas
Omar Quiroga & Fabio Zabrowski, video directors; Andres Mayo, video producer
[Tangodvd]

MTV Unplugged
Julieta Venegas
Milton Lage, video director; Michael Dagnery & José Tillán, video producers
[Norte/Sony BMG Music]

The new Cesar "Pupy" Pedroso album sounds good, from what I've heard here (which includes most of its tracks):

http://www.uksalsa4all.com/la_clave_cubana/latest_news_september08.html

As far as the Latin Grammys, I care even less than usual about them this year.

Enjoy the complimentary buffet from 6-6:45 and $2.00 Margaritas until 7 pm followed by DJ Bruno’s presentation on the life and career of Ismael Rivera-El Sonero Mayor from 7-8 pm. Take a 30 minute break and then take the Samba Class offered on the lower level from 8:30-9:30 pm by Danielle Areco

Alas, I won't be able to get schooled on Ismael Rivera at Zanzibar in DC Thursday night. I bet it will be good. DJ Bruno knows his stuff.

the buffet might be tasty too (but Zanzibar just got reclassified by DC authorities as a bar rather than as a restaurant--it's previous classification)

At least check out the first track from this new Pupy album. It really smokes, the vocals just keep coming at you, thr way I like.

The link: http://www.uksalsa4all.com/la_clave_cubana/musica/si_me_quiere_conocer.html

(I tried to proofread the post above but I'm having trouble displaying the edit box (what's this thing called?) on these monitors. Probably the library is using an outdated browser, I don't know.)

Bio Ritmo put out an EP I liked a couple years ago, but I wondered whatever happened to the planned album. It's coming out now:

http://www.rockpaperscissors.biz/index.cfm/fuseaction/current.press_release/project_id/360.cfm

If this is any good it might save the salsa year somewhat. This "Bionic Boogaloo" isn't exactly blowing me away though.

On “A la cha,” Riccio composed a nod towards Egyptian icon Abdel Halim Hafez, adding a Middle Eastern feel. “I had no idea who he was when I picked up an album while we were on the road,” explains Riccio. “We listened to this 40-minute suite over and over. This sound eventually made it into this song. We added a great horn opening reminiscent of the Dapkings and voilà.”

Ah, this could win me over.

Looks like Dafnis Prieto is playing a freebie at the NYPL Performing Arts Branch tomorrow night.

x-post

Bio Ritmo, since they're based a short ways from me in Richmond, VA play DC quite regularly and I always miss them somehow. They got rained out Saturday night at their planned freebie outdoor show at the Kennedy center. I think their new one is supposed to be funkier and go beyond salsa.

Speaking of live shows I'm missing (cuz of parental duties or not wanting to be out late on a weeknight usually) Cuban flautist/bandleader Orlando "Maraca" Valle and band are gonna be at Zanzibar in DC Thursday (NYC at SOBs the night before). The cuts on his myspace site don't sound to my ears as good as the hype he has gotten(Latin-jazz meets timba meets trad Cuban etc. etc.--Cuba's biggest new star blah blah blah). Maybe I haven't listened to the right stuff, or heard him with the right people (he does some gigs with big name Latin jazz cats)

http://billboardpublicitywire.com/releases/2008/09/prweb1323244.htm

http://www.myspace.com/maracavalle

/

This Maraca Valle one sounds more energetic. He'll be at Zanzibar with band tonight (Thursday)

James did you go see Prieto?

No, I've seen him before. I went and saw Brian Lynch instead.

Interviewed Residente from Calle 13 yesterday; will be reviewing their new one for the Voice. They've finally and irrevocably graduated from reggaeton; the new disc features a song with Balkan instrumentation (he told me he's been listening to Emil Kusturica), another that's Dixieland, and two collaborations - the first one, "No Hay Nadie Como Tu," is with Cafe Tacuba, and "La Perla" is a seven-minute track featuring Ruben Blades. Blades even raps on the track, which seems weird for a few seconds but then you realize it's not all that different from how he used to talk-sing on his 70s records, so it works really well. The whole album's good; I still think Tego Calderon is doing more interesting work, and I still think Calle 13 dip into pastiche too much, and their videos are still on the wrong side of the absurd/vulgar line (for purposes of this measurement, Eminem = bad; early David Lee Roth = good). But it's a good record and will surely keep their hardcore fans happy and sweep up awards a year from now.

I will want to hear that, certainly. Not sure I'll go out and buy it since I don't really like anything on their last one very much.

New Luisito Carrion on the horizon, which is good news for people like me, along with the pair of new Sonora Poncena CDs(one a Christmas album) due out shortly.

Here's a link to my interview with Residente.

Nice interview. I wonder what is happening in reggaeton? I haven't listened to much lately.

what curmudgeon said

Hm. Looks like Chris Washburne has a book out now.

The new Calle 13 album is........smooth.

That's all I have to say about it at the moment.

I like "Electro Movimiento" for what it is, but it doesn't fit with the rest of the album at all.

I need to get it. Just read another interesting interview with them (the Washington Post Express).

James, is Washburne's book some kind of history of Latin-jazz, or is it about his own music-making, or both?

It's about his own music-making. His academic self writing about his musician self.

Here is web page http://www.temple.edu/tempress/titles/1557_reg.html

I haven't read it, but it seems like a combined memoir and salsa history. It definitely looks worthwhile to me.

Sorry I have so little to say on this thread these days (if anyone cares). No discretionary money (except for Italian pastries--and that was just today), no high-speed internet connection, etc. But I don't feel like I'm missing that much new stuff in reggaeton or salsa (or ? . . .) anyway. Look at this thread, all year we've been asking "what's going on reggaeton?" It seems to be going through a lull, at the very least.

I see the new edition of Siembra is out, with the bonus tracks. That's something I'd like to hear. And this sounds good:

Old Time Cumbia From Colombia
Import CD (Creole Stream 0870395), Released 2008;
Editor's Pick:
Original vintage gemlike cumbias, gaitas and porros from bands like Pedro Laza Y Sus Pelayeros, Pacho Galan Y Su Orquesta, Lucho Bermudez y Su Orquesta, Climaco Sarmiento Y Su Orquesta and others. Compiled from the vaults of Colombia's Discos Fuentes by Japan's Hitoshi Kohiyama. Review to follow shortly.
Highly Recommended. (BP, 2008-10-19)

Disco Fuentes archival cumbia tracks as chosen by Japanese Latin music lover. How bad can that be? (Who is Hitoshi Kohiyama? DJ? Musician? Should I know?)

There's a new Oscar D'Leon. He's certainly capable of greatness, but it depends on what sort of songs and arrangements he gets smothered by. Descarga.com likes it, for what it's worth. I will be on the look out for other reviews. (This is something that will actually get reviewed a little, since it's Oscar D'Leon.)

Looks like new Wisin & Yandel in November.

Also, Isaac Delgado (who defected from Cuba a year or two back) is on Machete now.

the never-ending zumba dance craze

RS, good to see you posting again.

The dance studio I teach at offers zumba classes.

You teach at a dance studio? That's impressive. (Seriously.) What do you teach?

Hiphop & tap

They use "Pam Pam" in the Zumba class at my studio, I keep hearing it when I come out of my classes.

So you must be a really good dancer (well obviously). You probably already dance salsa better than I do. :(

(Not that I really dance at all these days, unfortunately. Still trying to get established in my new city.)

I only know the basics of salsa and can kind of fake my way through the rest. I've never taken formal lessons of it.

btw, how's New Mexico?

I like it but I can't find a job. I'm not doing much, I'm not experiencing much of it, because I don't have the money to do anything (and I'm not feeling creative to just find things to do for free, you know), but I still like it.

Sorry.

So musician/author Ned Sublette is now doing an e-mail newsletter that I hoped would be all kinds of cool stuff about Cuban and New orleans music. Alas, it's mostly just links to election articles in the NY Times and elsewhere (interesting but overkill to me). Sometimes though he plugs events in NYC (where he is living again, I think). So New Yorkers-- check out this expensive but good show Saturday

http://www.hostos.cuny.edu/culturearts/events.html

November 1 -- a much-awaited event at Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture in the Bronx the reunion concert of Grupo Folklórico Experimental Nuevayorquino

>This extraordinary group of musicians recorded just two LP’s in the
>early
1970’s, but it spawned other groups such as Libre and the Fort Apache Band.
It included the likes of Manny Oquendo, Jerry and Andy González, Chocolate Armenteros, Milton Cardona and others. Says Descarga.com, “…some of the finest examples of Afro-Cuban and Afro-Puerto Rican artistry.” This special reunion concert is being put together by the producers of Grupo Folklórico’s remarkable recordings, René López and Andy Kaufman.

Hey, Eddie Palmieri is at S.O.Bs tonight.

Not wowed on first listen to new Calle 13. Need to give it a closer and more attentive hearing maybe. My Best Buy and Target have both shrunk their Latin sections. May have to just go online for those choices as well now.

So a promoter e-mails me today about this reggaeton show tonight. They usually just advertise 'em on AM radio and via flyers (but not internet or Spanish or English language newspapers). Better late than never with the reaching out.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 31TH
Performing Together For The First Time!
From
Puerto Rico
DON CHEZINA & BIG BOY

at Mexico Lindo in Bladensburg, MD (just outside DC)

Don Chezina is old school reggaeton.

More on New Mexico, or Albuquerque anyway, (for Reverend) since I didn't really say much. . . I find it more civil than the east coast. Also, I think it is accepting of difference (I'm thinking mostly racial and ethnic, but also other types of difference) in a way that I think is more typical of a larger, more diverse, city, which is nice. (Of course, a population of half a million isn't exactly chopped liver, and I'm not sure I should think of it as "small," but it's smaller than what I'm used to.) There seems to be a genuine ground-level support of the arts here, in general. There's a sort of mix of arty and down to earth. It seems to be considered normal to be involved in or interested in the arts, and that manfists at the popular level (sometimes in the form of some bad art, but that's okay). The huge spoken word/poetry slam scene is an example. (Not my thing at all at this point, but I still see it as a positive.) There's still some sense of a distinct local culture, which I like. I think I have seen like forty different brands of New Mexican produced salsa, for instance. That may sort of be a trivial example, but the little things add up. There are still people who raise chickens in their yards here. (I haven't actually seen that but I'm aware of it.) Also, there are a fair number of semi-amatuer bee-keepers here (and actually bees are doing better in NM than they are in most other states, probably because it's less densely populated). There's more of an agricultural base than I expected, even after I should have known there would be. There is a Hispanic slant to a lot of the arts offerings, but that's fine with me. It never gets to the point where I feel like there isn't anything else on offer.

Sounds pretty cool. Just curious, are you a native Philadelphian?

Not exactly. I was born somewhere else in Pennsylvania (I'd rather not say since it's one of those credit card ID type questions) and I grew up in Delaware County (close to Philadelphia) and Northeast Philly. I have lived more than half my life in Philadelphia though.

The mountains here are great too though I didn't see them as often as I'd like, but I like how sometimes you will be walking down a street and unexpectedly catch an unobstructed view of the Sandias (because you just get lucky and have a line of vision with no buildings in the way). Overall I like the weather, though the dryness can be a bit rough at times (but the dryness is also why I'm here because = no mold in the air).

Cuban-born/classically trained violinist Alfredo De La Fe came to attention with Tipica 73 as an innovative soloist. Earning a reputation as a wildman, he played with many of the Salsa greats in New York and, later, Colombia. He can be credited as the first wah-wah electric violinist in the Latin music realm.
Robert Leaver

De La Fe has been to the Washington DC area a bunch of times but I've never seen him before. He's gonna be in Bethesda tonight and I'm going--

ALFREDO DE LA FE at Juste Lounge Tomorrow, November 8, 2008-Come Early for Dinner With Alfredo & Round Table Discussion

Cuban Salsa violinist, Alfredo De La Fe will perform with Joe Falero & the DC Latin Jazz All Stars tomorrow at Juste Lounge. If you have never seen him you are in for an amazing experience-one you will never forget. If you have seen him, you will be back. Meet Alfredo during a dinner round table discussion from 7-8:30 pm.

There were like 15 of us there early for the roundtable. They were showing video of various Cuban groups on a screen and De La Fe, who sitting right next to me, chatted about the old Cuban musicians, plus Los Van Van, his family's defection from Cuba, his switching to Latin from classical at age 12, his years with Typica 73 & Eddie Palmieri & Tito Puente, his favorite salsa pianist--33 year-old Peruvian Cesar Correa, and the state of salsa--he says it is stinky everywhere but Columbia. While expressing some thanks to all the folks taking salsa dance classes and to salsa dancers in general, he also complained that too many of them have no interest in the musicians, and rarely ever look up at them.

Sorry for not checkin in on this thread in months

I really like Monareta's electronic take on cumbia; Crooked Stilo's reggaeton/cumbia/rap stuff, not so much

Welcome back, I guess you're busy with the little one.

So allmusic.com tells me it's not new but I keep hearing Oro Solido's very speedy noveltyish bilingual merengue cut "Maria Se Fue("where's Maria? She left)" on my local FM Spanish language pop station. I kinda like it

Richie Rumbero on the mambony board says there are in fact younger salsa musicians:

http://www.mambonyc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=692

With some help of youtube.com, I'm going to cite just a few of the new young musicians/artists who are currently on the N.Y. scene and are all uder the age of 30.

You have a young 21 year old bonafide sonero in Hector "Papote" Jimenez:

Yeisson Villamar, another baby faced 20 year old who plays piano and has the afro-cuban chops of a Charlie Palmieri and the jazz chops of a Bud Powell:

Crystal Vargas. A 20-something female lovely and bad ass on percussion. Don't mess with her. Or she'll beat you up:

Orlando Vega and Erik Piza: Young percussionists from New Jersey:

Jessica Rodriguez, who learned to play percussion as a pre-teen at the Boys & Girls Harbor Music Conservatory in Spanish Harlem:

Crystal Torres is a young jazz vocalist and trumpeter out of Philly, but makes her home and base of operations in NY/NJ. Check her out leading her band...

Obviously, not everyone I can think of is featured on youtube (yet), but there's a whole lot more. Why you could start an under 30 big band orchestra and still have left over. Also take note that many of the younger generation happen to be female. Which I think is a very good and important thing...

So talking to De La Fe was really cool. A real nice guy. I wish I knew more and could have asked better questions. He kept talking about his mentor "Pupi." Later through googling I think he was referring to Felix Pupi Legarreta. And now he has me wanting to get every old Eddie Palmieri album there is. At times he came across like a cranky old man--"these kids today in Spanish Harlem don't know Tito Puente, all they know is Daddy Yankee and Puff Daddy," but I just nodded my head. Yea, maybe music education in school these days is nonexistent, but I bet lots of kids in 1966 did not know much about musicians from 40 years before either.

De La Fe is one of the great salsa instrumentalists, so lucky you to get to speak with him. I liked this: the state of salsa--he says it is stinky everywhere but Columbia, even though I don't completely agree. It's at least refreshing compared to the way a lot of NYC types put down Colombian salsa ("salsa for cookie cutter dancers" that sort of thing).

And now he has me wanting to get every old Eddie Palmieri album there is.

Generally a good idea.

"Maria Se Fue("where's Maria? She left)" on my local FM Spanish language pop station. I kinda like it

Classic moronic merengue, and I mean that in a good way.

Here's De La Fe with Eddie Palmieri performing a song from the 70s:

De La Fe lived in Colombia for 14 years he said and he loves it there. He is heading down there shortly to take part in a Colombian tv soap opera where he will play the role of a rediscovered Buena Vista Social Club like violinist who had been struggling with drugs and alcohol but is now trying to revive himself via music. Also, I am not sure why young Colombians supposedly know salsa history and others elsewhere don't, but that's what he says. He also likes Colombian salsa, culture, etc. He even said that when he told his mother that he had a new girlfriend, his Mom said, "she's Colombian, right."

He says salsa was huge in Europe in the '90s but is less so now.

Yeah, he has had some legal issues around drugs which have made it impossible for him to live in the US, at times. I don't know all the details. But that part sounds sort of like his real life. Lise Waxer's City of Musical Memory goes into some detail describing and analyzing the way Caleños identify with salsa. (I don't think what De La Fe is describing in Colombia is coutnry-wide.)

Typically, there is a flurry of late-year Afro-Latin releases that look promising: the new Isaac Delgado, a new Tirso Duarte reggaeton CD (he's Cuban--talented vocalist but I haven't particularly liked the style he's worked in), and a project pulling together vocalists Herman Olivera, Cano Estremera, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Victor Manuelle, and Isaac Delgado. Of course, a lot of times these big super-group type projects (not that it's exactly a super-group) are a let-down, but this is something I'd like to hear. Also, El Gran Combo is getting it together and releasing remastered CD editions of some old albums. The editor's pick section of descarga.com remains a good current awareness source. Where is the promised Frankie Vazquez album or the Luisito Carrion album, which I think is supposedly already out?

New W&Y this month too.

Anybody watch the Latin Grammys on univision tonight? I watched a little of it and taped part of it. I missed the opening though with Juanes and John Legend together. I saw Jenni Rivera sing with a mariachi band and uh, some famous Mexican male singer whose name I should know but don't. Then she dueted with Olga Tanon and they were joined by another female singer. Julieta Venegas played accordion on a nice pop song from her live MTV unplugged cd and dueted with some other accordion players.

Anybody watch it? The closest to reggaeton I saw was Flex.

He did a goofy Happy Days/Grease thing. Lots of over-the-top melodramatic ballads.

I did not see it.

I haven't watched my tape of it yet. I think Victor Manuelle performed. Ah yes, here he is on youtube (two little kids do some nice athletic dance moves 2/3 of the way through):

Here's Flex y Belinda. Pop w/ a bit of reggaeton (and maybe bachata). Eh. But you get roller-skaters.

This may not fit on this thread here exactly but I like this poppy Julieta Venegas song and she's joined by various other accordionists-

que viva el acordeon mexico, texas, colombia argentina a Youtube comment

Lots of over-the-top melodrama on this year's performances that I did not link to (from mariachi to Cafe Tacuba to Juanes to various others)

I was in H-town during this and large areas of downtown were all shut down. I did not go to gawk, instead just ate a Subway sub in my room and passed out right after J.V. did her accordion thing.

Isaac Delgado has a good voice, but the final results never excite me (this is not a real promotional video just some thrown together thing):

Isaac Delgado, do the bolero album various people have suggested. I think that would work.

Maybe if I were repeatedly exposed to these songs in a club setting I would get to like them. I think they are weaker-feeling than what's needed right now to keep (?) salsa alive.

That Julieta Venegas song is really. . . long.

And I am not even interested in listening to that whole Victor Manuelle clip. I'm sick of him. Okay, that's my contribution to negativity for the day (at least on this thread).

Oh yeah, I forgot you were sick of Manuelle a long while ago. The Venegas song is only long so the other accordionists can join in. But she keeps returning to that great melody so that make it worth sticking it out if you ask me.

Colombian group the Salsa Brothers coming to DC Friday. Not sure I can go though.

Salsa Brothers or Latin Brothers? I'm not saying there is no such band, but I've never heard of any Salsa Brothers.

New Wisin y Yandel:

I'm surprised The Reverend hasn't caught this already.

The next big thing after reggaeton is. . . Latin house? That's not exactly what I was hoping for (though it might make somebody happy). I do like some of the vocals on this track, as usual, but the jury is still out on the overall sound.

I wonder if my local Big K-Mart has this yet, probably my best brick and mortar hope of finding it. (I like hearing , say, Fleetwood Mac alongside banda and other Mexican music when I'm there.)

Hector the Father apparently giving up music for religion:

http://www.latingossip.com/chisme/hector-el-father-retires-for-god.html

x-post. Latin Brothers not Salsa Brothers. typo...

Yeah, I'd heard the WyY song but hadn't posted about it. Reggaeton is slowly turning into mook house, although with a glance at the pop charts it could be argued that so is everything else. I realize I was sort of cheerleading a reggaeton/house fusion a while back, but I don't really like what's become of it. Of the Wisin y Yandel singles in that style, the only one I really like is "Siguelo", although maybe this one will grow on me.

A better direction imo would be more toward the more soca-ish sound of UK funky house. "No Te Veo" and "Calabria 2007" (not exactly reggaeton, but got played on reggaeton stations, and the guy who did it said it was influenced by reggaeton so close enough for me) and a couple other things pointed in that direction.

Wisin y Yandel: always going for subtlety.

Suggest Ban Permalink
― _Rockist__Scientist_, Saturday, February 23, 2008 9:09 AM Bookmark

^^^prescient

Another funky house-ish reggaeton song RS pointed out a while back: Arcangel, "Me He Enamorado de Ti"

Usual caveats--Tijana Ilitch has frequently had factual errors in her commentaries, and I don't always agree with her opinions either, but here's part of her commentary on the recent Latin Grammys show in Houston-

Olga Tanon was so angry that the merengue category was axed from this year's awards that it was surprising she agreed to perform, although - looking at the lack of merengue albums that were released this year - who can blame the academy? (Merengue music was grouped into the 'Best Contemporary Tropical Album' category). Tanon is quoted as blaming the popularity of reggaeton for upstaging merengue, but reggaeton has problems of its own and is represented in only a handful of urban music categories.

http://latinmusic.about.com/b/2008/11/14/no-latin-grammy-for-awards-show.htm

I don't like what I've heard of the new W&Y so far at all. What is "mook house"? I guess in a few years we can have a dembow revival and all will be well.

I heard the new Sonora Poncena Christmas album. Not bad, but nothing essential.

Speaking of house, some moron is banging and tapping along with a house song, here in the library, and reminding me of why I'm not really crazy about house to begin with. (And I just moved over here to escape some guy who was picking his teeth with his fingers and coughing a lot, while at one of the public PCs. I just love using library internet PCs.)

"Mook house" would be the type of subtlety-free house listened to by mookish dudes who go to cheesy bridge-and-tunnel crowd clubs while wearing horizontally striped shirts. I realize I'm doing some epic strawmanning here.

(And if you banging and tapping along to house you are DOING IT WRONG. Jack, motherfucker. Okay, not really.)

I actually stole the term "mook house" from Strongo, who used it here: Haircut house - S/D

Key post:

in the U.S. i believe we'd refer to this stuff as either MOOK HOUSE or BRIDGE AND TUNNEL

― PARTYMAN (dubplatestyle), Thursday, August 10, 2006 5:27 AM Bookmark

And you realize that "Bridge and tunnel" is 1970s Manhattan residents dissing folks who come into town from Joisey.

So the 'La Mente Maestra' of the Wisin y Yandel cd is DJ Nesty, who produced most of the album. And it's not all W y Y either, apparently--kinda a dj mix I guess.

Descarga.com and someone on the Yahoo salsa group are raving about the Jose Lugo & band salsa album. I see that Peter Watrous on descarga likes the new Isaac Delgado cd.

And you realize that "Bridge and tunnel" is 1970s Manhattan residents dissing folks who come into town from Joisey.

Suggest Ban Permalink
― curmudgeon, Thursday, November 20, 2008 9:15 PM Bookmark

exactly

Although, in this case, I was using it more as short-hand for "boorish suburbanites".

While that is sometimes true, I also have memories of being a suburbanite going to hipster DC places and parties and being sneered at by people who I quickly realized were not in fact cool and while they lived in town, were not really exploring all it had to offer. Although that's not the same as "boorish suburbanites" going to cheesy dance clubs. Those places I've avoided (mostly).

I should mention that I've lived in the suburbs all my life and have had similar experiences in hipster places.

But once again, I'm well aware that I'm using a strawman. They're occassionally useful.

Anyway, my point is that some recent reggaeton is leaning strongly in the direction of the music that gets played at cheesy dance clubs (as opposed to non-cheesy dance clubs).

But is "mook" an American term? It sounds so British. Sorry to further the digression.

Yeah, it is. I highly doubt the veracity of the claim that this is any sort of neologism, and whoever wrote this doth protest too much, but urbandict sez:

1. mook 654 up, 235 down
A term coined by Douglas Rushkoff in an episode of PBS's "Frontline" entitled "The Merchants of Cool." Mooks are archetypal young males(teens-early 20s) who act like moronic boneheads. They are self centered simpletons who live a drunken frat-boy lifestyle(or are frat-boys). Examples can be found anytime someone watches "Jackass." Rushkoff claimed that the media glorifies this ideal and stifles natural self expression, however, some people might argue teenage boys have always acted like morons(its actually a long-standing stereotype). Nonetheless, standardized conformist dumbass-culture behind a veneer of exhuberance is a scary notion indeed.

Anyway, my point is that some recent reggaeton is leaning strongly in the direction of the music that gets played at cheesy dance clubs (as opposed to non-cheesy dance clubs).

― afrofuturist philosopher (The Reverend), Friday, November 21, 2008 6:14 AM (16 hours ago)

I'd like to go try at least once of the several DC dance clubs that say their djs spin reggaeton and disco to check out the transformation of the sound in that environment. There's also another place where a salsa percussionist dj's and plays according to their e-mails--MUSIC BY: JOE FALERO & VARIOUS GUEST DJ'S
salsa, merengue, reggaetton, batchata, hip hop, house & more...

that should read "one of the several."

It would be interesting to experience the different extremes once.

Please report back!

When I finally do so, I will.

I'm sorry but, the samples I've heard from that Jose Lugo CD sound like he is sticking way to close to ye olde salsa dura formula. Just because the current state of salsa is sorry doesn't mean the answer is to try to make the horn arrangements sound just like they did back at the Paladium. (I don't know if that's really what's going on, but that's the vibe I get.) Also, who needs the addition of the slack, smooth Latin jazz tracks?

And Isaac Delgado is a boring singer with a good voice.

I hate to say it, but the more recent salsa releases I hear, the better the new Cesar Pedroso material sounds.

Interesting. I'm trying to figure out what is the answer for salsa--for some, at descarga.com and elsewhere it is trying to sound like back in the Palladium era and others are just looking back to the 70s and even the salsa dura movement is retro itself at this point. I'll have to check out the Pedrosa.

Meanwhile, this Cuban reggaeton by Tirso Duarte (better know as a timbero) is not bad:

http://www.reverbnation.com/tirsoduarteoff

I still think the flow of Cuban reggaeton rapping tends to be really inferior to what I hear in PR reggaeton, but the overall sound here is pleasant. Sort of a salsaton type of thing.

To myself: okay, let's not get carried away with the Cuban music love. Some of the rapping here is pretty awful..

That's more like it! I was afraid for awhile that the Cuban Music Police were holding you hostage and dictating your posts.

Had to hunt around online to find Pedrosa. Of course, he's listed via nicknme--Pupy--and his band Los Que Son Son. Listened on myspace. Sounds good although I'm not yet ready to join ex-NY Times writer Peter Watrous, now at desgarga.com, who calls the new release the most intelligent dance release of 2008 (or something like that).

Had to hunt around online to find Pedrosa.

I posted a link to that album a long while back: http://www.uksalsa4all.com/la_clave_cubana/latest_news_september08.html

I want to emphasize this album in particular, not just his work in general. Does the myspace have the new album? This is the first album I've heard by him that I like so consistently.

Thanks. The myspace site has uhh...let me find it-

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=198904042

And someone on that Yahoo salsero collective group just posted this long but interesting Time international edition article (that may come out in the US in a week). I think the writer jumps to some quick conclusions that may not be exactly correct, but it's interesting nonetheless--

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1862454-1,00.html

The myspace site has uhh...let me find it-

That's old and sounds more like Los Van Van than this new stuff does. Please check out the new album! (Also Los Soneros All Stars, Featuring Cesar Pedroso: La Timba Soy Yo, which I also previously posted a link for.

Have we mentioned that descarga.com is now putting up fairly generous audio samples for a lot of their new items?

I'm checking out a bunch of old Cuban bolero recordings and liking almost all of them to some extent.

I foresee an old age spent listening to boleros.

Ha.

Category 61 - Best Tropical Latin Album(Vocal or Instrumental.) • Cuba: Un Viaje Musical - A Musical Journey -Albita, Rey Ruíz & Donato Poveda[Apollo Music] • Renacer-DLG[Machete Music] • Señor Bachata-José Feliciano[Universal Music Latino] • Frutero Moderno-Gonzalo Grau y La Clave Secreta[2008 Gonzalo Grau] • Back On The Streets... Taste Of Spanish Harlem Vol. 2--New Swing Sextet[Cotique/Emusica Records]

Descarga.com interview with Henry Fiol:

http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/archives/Interview58?EMFEFfrw;;12

(I haven't read it yet, but this should be interesting.)

Those John Child interviews are long. And you can stream or download Fiol as a zipdrive from his website (you may have mentioned this upthread or maybe I read it in that Yahoo salsero collective e-mail)

Those John Child interviews are long.

And? . . .

That's good as his questions are generally good, I just have to find the time to dig through it all.

Yup. I've reread the Barry Rogers article several times and don't think I ever made it to the end.

Oh wow, old footage of the somewhat overlooked Camilo Azuquita (usually just "Azuquita" for short):

suave
-----------------------------------

[/i]AYALA BEN-YEHUDA
Billboard correspondent, Latin

1. Ximena Sariñana, "Mediocre" (Sei Track/Warner).
2. Alex*Cuba, "Agua del Pozo" (Caracol/EMI).
3. Calle 13, "Los de Atrás Vienen Conmigo" (Sony BMG).
4. Jenni Rivera, "Jenni" (Fonovisa).
5. Forro in the Dark, "Dia de Roda" (Nublu).
6. Kinky, "Barracuda" (Kin-Kon/Nettwerk).
7. Bajofondo, "Mar Dulce" (Surco/Decca)
8. Nation Beat, "Legends of the Preacher" (Modiba)
9. Akwid, "La Novela" (Headliners/Univision)
10. Amandititita, "Amandititita" (Sony BMG).[/i]

I don't get the love for Bajofonda (a project of rock en espnaol superproducer Gustavo Santaolalla)---mostly cliched tango and electronica hybrid cuts plus one with Elvis Costello singing a standard Elvis Costello melody over music that doesn't match up. I like the song with Gustavo Cerrati (from Soda Stereo) singing best. I need to listen to the one with Julieta Venegas again.

JUDY CANTOR-NAVAS
Billboard en Espanol editor

1. Julieta Venegas, "MTV Unplugged" (Norte). The Mexican singer/songwriter shares her moment in the pop spotlight with diverse artists for an album that defines contemporary Latin song.
2. Calle 13, "Los de atrás vienen conmigo" (Norte). The Puerto Rican reggaetoneros pose as clowns in a circus that combines urban, electro and Latin beats with smart social satire.
3. Bebo Valdés & Javier Colina, "Live at the Village Vanguard" (Calle 54/Norte). The amazing story of Afro-Cuban jazz comes alive in the hands of the 90-year-old pianist on a historic concert album.
4. Soda Stereo, "Gira: Me Veras Volver" (Norte). The group that broke down the borders of Latin American rock makes history again on its record-breaking 2007 reunion tour.
5. Curumin, "Japanpopshow" (Quannum Projects). Sao Paulo singer and multi-instrumentalist Curumin's freestyle mix of funk, samba, soul, dance and dub is the now sound of Brazil.
6. Issac Delgado, "Asi Soy" (Machete Music). Havana's top salsero brings his smooth voice and sophisticated dance floor style to the U.S.
7. Aterciopelados, "Río" (Nacional). Iconic Latin alternative duo's musically expansive roots rock plea for the earth heralds a Nueva Canción movement for the 21st century.
8. No lo Soporto, "Avián" (BMG Argentina). Elegant power pop and dreamy electro-ballads from a Buenos Aires female trio to watch.
9. Buika, "Niña de fuego" (Warner Music Spain). The young Spanish lounge singer brings her bedroom voice and dramatic style to flamenco, boleros and jazz.
10. Dan Zanes, "Nueva York" (Festival Five Records) Zanes hosts a fiesta with some of New York's leading Latin bands, performing a set of rootsy Spanish songs for kids to sing.

That Buika cd is nice--kinda like Nina Simone moving to Spain and singing flamenco after listening to bossa nova and fado

LEILA COBO
Billboard executive director of content and programming, Latin music and entertainment

1. Ricardo Arjona, "5to Piso" (Warner Music Latina). Okay, I confess I'm a sucker for Arjona. This set of stories, beautifully done, is a perfect marriage of substance and commercial appeal.
2. Luis Fonsi, "Palabras del Silencio" (Universal Music Latino). Fonsi's best album to date consolidates him as a songwriter and a star.
3. Laura Pausini, "Primavera Anticipada" (Warner Music Latina). An album that vacillates between nostalgia and joy, it is Pausini's loveliest -- and most personal.
4. Cabas, "Amores Difíciles" (EMI Latin). The Colombian singer/songwriter is in his best form, aptly blending styles but never losing sight of radio appeal.
5. Akwid, "La Novela" (Fonovisa). A gem of an album that mixes humor and depth. The best mix of regional Mexican and rap the brotherly duo has delivered so far.
6. Jenni Rivera, "Jenni" (Fonovisa). The banda diva really comes of age here on an album full of guts and personality.
7. Calle 13, "Los De Atrás Vienen Conmigo" (Sony BMG). You'd think irreverent rappers Calle 13 would run out of ideas. Not so. An album full of imagination.
8. Ximena Sariñana, "Mediocre" (Warner Music Latina). A memorable debut from what promises to be a strong female voice.
9. Locos Por Juana, "La Verdad" (Universal Music Latino). The Miami party band is finally getting its day in the sun. A unique sound and swing merits it.
10. Fonseca, "Gratitud" (Emi Televisa). Originally known for his "tropi-pop" sound, Fonseca took a risk with an album that explores many different sonic palettes. The result highlights an artist with depth and great potential.

Ximena Sarinana, from the youtube videos I watched, reminds me of Julieta Venegas and Natalia Fourcade, i.e., bouncy pop. That is a compliment if you're wondering.

The Calle 13 cd is growing on me. I think Mr. Phil (as opposed to unperson phil) plugged the Jenni Rivera on another thread. Laura Pausini is an Italian singer who vocalizes her singer/songwriter pop in many languages.

Taking another listen to the new Soneros All Stars and the new Pupy (minus three tracks though), I think I actually prefer the Soneros All Stars (but Pupy apparently had a large hand in that as well).

And I guarantee one or both of these will be all over the best of lists put out (in, like March 2009) by those Latin music covering writers from The Beat who you like.

(Which doesn't say that much since I think those guys are overly enthusiastic about timba in general.)

You're right. Those Billboard lists above skew more pop.

You're likely right about those writers from the Beat in re to Soneros Allstars with Pupy-- I just found the following The Beat column from Dave Hucker (a UK based writer and dj) online:

This is a great collaboration and he has given the release a completely new dimension, putting this into a totally different league. One of the things Pupy does is create a great big pulsating thump with extra songo rhythmical density and washes of sound. To the production he introduces new elements like members of his own super-tuff band including his young hotshot hipster vocalists Armando “Mandy” Cantero and Jose “Pepito” Gomez, alongside my fave roots Cuban female vocalist Cristina Azcuy (Papi Oviedo/Bana Congo). The result is a sound mixing the best of the old and the new with a modern perspective.

http://www.technobeat.com/HUCKER4/DiggingDeep.html

Here's the link to Hucker's columns

Hucker also likes Roberto Linares Brown, a Cuban who is now based in Toronto. One youtube video I checked out was more traditional salsa, but not this one

Funny, I just found that Hucker write-up this past Saturday. I'm glad someone with a little bit of a readership has noticed this album. I particularliy Pepito's vocals (on Pupy's recording in general), although I've read he has now left Pupy's band.

I think one thing I like about La Timba Soy Yo is precisely the mixture of traditional frameworks with Cesar Pedroso's distinctive contemporary sound. Pupy minus some of the timba (despite the title) is maybe why it works so well for me (although he does have his own sound normally which avoids some things I don't like in timba).

Jody Rosen, the Slate columnist, bigs up Calle 13 in his best of 2008 list and in his exchange with Ann Powers and Robert Christgau

I have heard from pretty much my most reliable source of Latin music leads that the new De La Ghetto album is good, but the three or four tracks I heard from it sounded pretty bad to me. (A couple of them were in English.)

But maybe the Reverend could look into it and report back, if he's desperate for at least one possibly decent "reggaeton" (in quotes because from what I heard it was more hip-hop) album this year.

For those of you who won't see this otherwise, here's a timbales duel between three of the greatest: Tito Puente, Kako, and Nicky Marrero:

And here's something else (cumbia thing Jace DJ Rupture linked to on his mudd up blog)

http://www.lacongona.com/

http://www.reggaetonline.net/reggaeton-top-20.php

this week/last week/weeks on the chart
1. 2 10 Llamado De Emergencia - Daddy Yankee Talento De Barrio
2. 5 2 Me Estas Tentando - Wisin & Yandel La Mente Maestra
3. 10 2 Por Amar A Ciegas - Arcangel El Fenomeno
4. 1 18 Subete - Alexis & Fido Sobrenatural Upgraded 2.0
5. 9 11 Lloro Por Ti - Enrique Iglesias ft. Wisin & Yandel Official Remix
6. 19 11 Virtual Diva - Don Omar
7. 3 18 Na De Na - Angel & Khriz ft. Gocho Showtime
8. 15 9 No Me Doy Por Vencido - Luis Fonsi Ft. MJ Official Remix

9. 4 17 Dance - Angel & Khriz ft. Wayne Wonder Carribean Connection
10. 18 10 Te Hice Volar - Erre XI ft. La Sista Los Brothers
11. 20 12 Pa Kum Pa - Daddy Yankee Talento De Barrio
12. NEW 1 Tiemblo -Baby Rasta & Gringo The Comeback
13. 5 11 Pecadora - Yenziel & Mike SIngle
14. 6 17 Tuve Un Sueño - RKM & Ken-Y ft. Plan B The Royalty
15. 7 12 Cuerpo Sensual -RKM & Ken-Y ft. Don Omar The Royalty
16. 8 15 Vamos Pa'l Agua - Tito El Bambino
17. 11 9 Gracias A Dios - Mach & Daddy Gracias A Dios
18. 12 29 Siguelo - Wisin y Yandel Los Extraterrestres : Otra Dimension
19. 13 10 Veo Veo - Yaga & Mackie Los Mackieavelikos
20. 14 10 Hablaron De Mi Remix- Baby Rasta & Gringo ft. MC Ceja The Comeback

That chart is based on the votes of people who go to the site.

Saw a Washington City Paper ballot vote for Ximena Sariñana (Sei Track/Warner). She's the new Latin-popper who reminds me of Julieta Venegas and Natalia Fourcade

damn. La Onda Tropical is closing shop. It's pretty much where I discovered Latin music. They've got a nice 2008 roundup up. RIP.

That's too bad. It was a nice site

This doesn't sound superb, but given the paucity of recent solid salsa releases (in my opinion anyway), this is one I will probably pick up, the new Luisito Carrion CD mentioned earlier:

http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/23419.10?W8yHEjnx;;381

(Anyway, it sounds pretty good.)

From “Yo Quisiera” (on Broke & Famous): “I’d like to dedicate this song to all my people down there in New York.” Since when is Puerto Rico north of New York? Okay, I’m being too literal, but the shout out always makes me laugh.

Symbolically Puerto Rico always has to be on top!

RS, you get to start the '09 thread (please), thanks

Oh, okay. Hold on.