Rolling Afro-Latin Music 2021: Reggaeton, Salsa, Bomba, Latin Jazz, Bachata, Merengue, Urbano and more Latinx

https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/N/New-York-and-the-International-Sound-of-Latin-Music-1940-1990

Recent book by Ben Lapidus that author Ned Sublette mentioned he is reading

https://cri.fiu.edu/events/2021/teaching-the-cuban-discography-the-archive-as-clave/

Plus a free July 1 online Ned Sublette Cuban records talk

http://www.internationalsalsamuseum.org/advisory-board/

Some folks are trying to create a salsa music museum in the Bronx. They recently had a press conference

Rauw Alejandro in New York Times article by Isabelia Herrera

He adds house, bolero, baile funk, r‘’n’b to his sound

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/25/arts/music/rauw-alejandro-vice-versa.html

my favourite Rauw of the ones I’ve heard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mPXwuPc650
Rauw Alejandro ft. Mr. Naisgai • 2/Catorce

like it a lot more than “Todo de Ti” upthread

(he gets bonus points for his name too. that phonetic spelling of Raúl he goes by happens to also be a Dutch word meaning rough or raw - tho I guess the “raw” association (in English) may be deliberate on his part)

From Rauw's opening phrasing and pauses I can see why Bad Bunny is a fan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP9Bto5lOEQ

Patria y Vida” is song inspiring Cuban protestors

Patria y Vida has been a phenomenon since its release this year. The song is a collaboration between a group of Afro-Cuban reggaeton and hip-hop stars based in Miami, such as Yotuel Romero and Alexander Delgado, along with rappers Maykel Osorbo and El Funky, who live in Cuba. A YouTube video of the song has been viewed nearly 6 million times.

NPR article

https://www.npr.org/2021/07/13/1015318087/the-hip-hop-song-thats-driving-cubas-unprecedented-protests

I wonder if song “Patria y Vida” is getting any radio or or online streaming playlist attention outside of Cuban circles ? Or too political & not pop enough for mainstream Latinx marketing?

Old guys & older music nerds are seeing npr, The Guardian, & Rolling Stone articles about song shared online

Doh! Heard some Latinx pop and reggaeton I liked in car radio but didn’t figure out who the artists were.

But since then have been listening to Rauw Alejandro. Critics like to play up the songs that go beyond pop reggaeton , and he deserves credit for trying even if they don’t always work. I like the disco-y “Todo de Ti” and the more minimalist “2/Catorce “ mentioned above or elsewhere on ilx

James Redd may be the only person other than me who cares about this here, or mybe someone else on jazz thread (sent to me by a publicist though, so someone else must care)

The Afro Latin Jazz Alliance (ALJA), in partnership with Lantern Organization and Mega Development, has announced, along with the New York City Department of Housing Development and Preservation, plans to bring a new 16,000 square feet Afro Latin Music & Arts Center along with 330 affordable housing units to East Harlem. The project, Timbale Terrace, will construct a new mixed-use development on the east side of Park Avenue between East 118th Street and East 119th Street (formerly a NYPD 25th Precinct Parking Site) with a performing arts center operated by the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance. Timbale Terrace will offer housing to low-income families while the Afro Latin Music & Arts Center will provide community programs, music and technical production training, after-school programs, free arts education classes, community event spaces, world-class live performances, and more.

The opening of the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance's very own Afro Latin Music & Arts Center affords an opportunity to advance a wider range of innovative Latin jazz programs to diverse communities across the metro area. Timbale Terrace consolidates and expands ALJA's varied initiatives offering comprehensive support to their close network of standout musicians and educators in the form of live performances, educational teaching ventures, individual artist grants, and an ability to participate in a citywide lottery for apartments at Timbale Terrace. 50% of the affordable units will be given a community preference status for residents who live in East Harlem. Many teaching artists and musicians will qualify as Timbale Terrace applicants based on their household income.

RIP Fania label legendary pianist Larry Harlow

https://www.npr.org/2021/08/20/1029760076/larry-harlow-salsa-music-icon-dead

rauw showed up on the ty dolla $ign/dvsn collab album. he sounds great on the track, but the track itself is pretty lifeless (unsurprising for a murda beatz production)

Was reading about a Canadian based producer who is mixing reggaeton and afrobeatS together

checked out the whole rauw album and it's very good imo. all his genre experiments work to some degree (especially the jungle/garage one), and he's got a stronger voice than basically all the mainstream reggaetoneros at the moment (maybe besides ozuna, but rauw's slightly lower pitch seems more english language-radio-friendly to me).

anyway, big fan of rauw, definitely think he can be the next balvin/bunny level star in this space.

I really like this new Marc Anthony song (which is apparently a reworking of an Africando song I've never heard). His scraggly look and newly gravelly voice work well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EarnVR8_Og

Have never seen Marc Anthony live and am tempted to see him Friday night at Capital One Arena in DC but Live Nation isn’t requiring vaccinations at arena shows here until October, so I don’t quite feel ready for that ( plus wife and I will be helping out my elderly Mom anyway that night). Another time hopefully.

Interesting. Wanna say I never saw him live, but I did once, sort of.

Yeah Rauw Alejandro “Todas de ti” is pop disco that some say steals from others, but I still like it.

Also I like by others that I have heard on radio lately:
Nati Natasha las nenas
A Fruko y Tesos remix
Tata remix w/ several or more on it

I need to listen to Loud Podcast reggaeton history w/ Ivy Queen

they got el alfa and farruko on "si trucho no es trucho remix" and surprise surprise it sounds great

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KktT_jxfR8s

Yeah Rauw Alejandro “Todas de ti” is pop disco that some say steals from others, but I still like it.

i like "desenfocado," which kinda sounds like phantogram or something

*desenfocao

X-post - I liked Marc Anthony’s scraggly look and his acting in the movie version of “In the Heights “ too

Ife “Fake Blood” on first listen is a kind of interesting mix of various styles w/ rapped lyrics about Black Lives Matter, some auto tuned chants, programmed synth and bass beats , and what sounds like maracas too

Isabelia Herrera in NY Times says it’s a revelation

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/15/magazine/dancing-new-york-summer.html

Fascinating to me article on dancing in the pandemic in Nueva York to various Afro-Latinx and black styles with bits about age, race, class and more

RIP ROBERTO ROENA 1940-2021 Roberto Roena was a Puerto Rican salsa music percussionist, orchestra leader, and dancer. Was in El Gran Combo and had his own band Su Apollo Sound who had records on Fania

https://latinomusiccafe.com/2010/01/24/the-legend-of-roberto-roena-part-1/

A detailed history sorta of Roena penned awhile ago

As I said in the obituary thread on ILE, I've heard the first 10 Apollo Sound albums and there's not a bad one in the bunch. The guy was a legend for a reason.

Meanwhile in Latin pop

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/latin/9635302/2021-billboard-latin-music-awards-full-list-bad-bunny

Camilo got 10 Latin Grammys nominations , Juan Luis Guerra 6 and Bad Bunny 4 ( some others got 4 also)

Leila Cobo in Billboard says:

Overwhelmingly, this year’s nominations lean more toward fusions, reflecting tradition, but also a new Latin pop movement that easily coexists with urban innovators. In sharp contrast to 2020’s reggaetón-heavy slate of nominations, this year, save for Bad Bunny’s El Ultimo Tour del Mundo’s nomination for album of the year, reggaetón was mostly eschewed in the main categories. The only “urban” nominations in record or song of the year, for example, went to tracks that cross genres, like Rauw Alejandro’s “Todo de Ti,” Maluma’s “Hawai” and Tainy and J Balvin’s “Agua.”

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/latin/9637170/2021-latin-grammys-nomination/

C. Tangana received five 2021 Latin GRAMMY® nominations for his breakthrough album ‘El Madrileño’ today. He has been nominated in the “Album of the Year” category, in the “Best Pop/Rock Song” category for “Hong Kong (Feat. Andres Calamaro)”, “Record of the Year” for “Te Olvidaste (Feat. Omar Apollo)” and a double nomination in the “Best Alternative Song” category for “Te Olvidaste” and “Nominao (Feat. Jorge Drexler)."

gonna check C Tangana album out too

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-10-06/ivy-queen-spotify-podcast-loud-gets-reggaeton-history-right

This 10 part podcast on the history of reggaeton is hosted by Ivy Queen and has been getting favorable writeups ( from what I have seen) . Alas, it was produced by Spotify

Felix Contreras of npr, writer Julyssa Lopez , and others re how reggaeton artists feel disrespected by Latin Grammys

https://www.kawc.org/post/reggaeton-rules-latinx-music-not-latin-grammys

Chilean singer Mon Laferte has been living in Mexico since 2007. While her last album had big band arrangements, salsa and some electro , her new one reflects traditional Mexican influences in part.

Washington Post writeup by a freelancer:

“It isn’t only mariachi,” Laferte says. “I tried to showcase music from different regions.” In “Seis,” there are collaborations with La Arrolladora Banda El Limón de René Camacho, a brass ensemble from Sinaloa, and with Mujeres del Viento Florido, an orchestra formed by Indigenous Oaxacan women. Irreverent, soulful and self-assured, Laferte nails every note on “Seis” with style and originality

Laferte recently I just learned spent some time in Los Angeles and is releasing another album. This time Latin pop for 1940 Carmen album due Oct 29. Her prior one Seis, with the Mexican aspects, came out in April

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW6L_lTrIFg

On this C Tangana tiny desk home concert from some months back, the large ensemble suddenly do some nice a capella singing of New Order “Bizarre Love Triangle “(every time I see …get down on my knees and pray) in the middle

Reading Carina del Valle Schorske free subscription email about dancing in NYC. She wrote interesting NY Times magazine article I linked to above a little while ago. Latest email has details related to that article.

Because of family responsibilities I keep missing N#d S#blette’s Thursday night postmambo online events with movie docs and guest speakers. Tonight he is showing a doc Old Man Bebo about Cuban pianist Bebo Valdes .

At Birdland for Isaac Delgado now.

This is great! I knew some of the horn players but this keyboard player who I still don’t know the name of is killing.

Salsa dura, sabrosura!

Esto es el guaguanco!

I mean he didn’t sing that particular song, just a couple of other guaguancos.

Sorry, Issac Delgado

You may have seen Ned there. Or he went the night before I guess. Hmmm, trying to remember if Delgado has ever come down to DC. I dunno. Sounds like a good show. I don’t recognize band but Ned says band is :

. Let the record show that the band is: Issac Delgado Jr. (pno), Yorgis Goiricelaya (bass), Liván Mesa (keys), Marcos López (timbal), Camilo Molina (timbal, Fri and Sat), with a double conga chair -- Manny Márquez and Roberto Vizcaíno Jr. -- each with three drums and also each with a juego de bongó as well. Horns are Mike Rodríguez, trp; Román Filiu, sax; Carlos Pérez (former Havana d'Primera), bone

Reading a reference to Alvaro Diaz as emo reggaeton . Need to investigate