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

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

I like Alvaro Diaz on first quick listen

the workers painting my bathroom like listening to Dominican bachata singer Zacarias Ferreira as did one of the moving company employees. Ferreira also did 2 shows recently in the DC area

https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/2021-latin-grammys-winners-list-1234999583/

Latin Grammys

Saw a tweet saying reggaeton vocalist Myke Towers performed on Latin Grammys w/ salsa band doing “Perequito Pin Pin.

I wonder if this is on YouTube or a Latin Grammys page

Latin Grammys Honor ‘Patria y Vida’ and Celebrate Rubén Blades
The Cuban protest anthem was named song of the year. Camilo and Juan Luis Guerra tied for the most awards. Blades, honored as person of the year, also won album of the year.

Myke Towers rapping with salsa dancers and band on 2021 Latin Grammys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5wQq7xsX1o

Not amazing but I like that Towers live rendition even if that’s a Grammys cliche to get different generations to all enjoy

Eslabon Armado are a California based Mexican pop group with ranchera roots I think. This song is getting lots of radio and Spotify plays. I like it (kinda soft but that’s ok)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CULF9lXH87w

https://afropop.org/audio-programs/the-sound-of-new-york-latin-music

"The Sound of New York Latin Music" takes a deep sonic dive into the great New York Latin discography, with host Georges Collinet and guest host Ned Sublette, who produced and megamixed. Special guest Dr. Ben Lapidus, author of New York and the International Sound of Latin Music 1940-1990, tells us stories of the musicians and the conditions that made the city's music unique. With nonstop music by Ray Barretto, Jerry González and the Fort Apache Band, Markolino Diamond, a snippet of Joe Quijano's bugalú version of "Fiddler on the Roof," and about a thousand more.

Cool. I’ve seen Ben Lapidus play tres when Mike Eckroth does his Arsenio Rodriguez tribute, which is a lot of fun.

Didn’t know about his recent book though, nor that Chris Washburne had one as well.

Hmm. Looks like Mike Eckroth's sister Rachel is nominated for a Grammy. Maybe I will bring it up on the Rolling Jazz thread.

Haven't seen Lapidus play, but maybe someday. Oh wow, Washburne's Latin Jazz book came out in 2020. Who knew?

Here's sad news:

RIP flamboyant, brilliant Yale art and music professor Robert Farris Thompson. I saw him speak in DC twice and was wowed by his knowledge of African art, music, and religion as well as Afro-Latino art, music, and faith. This Texas raised guy, who spent some years living in Nigeria, schooled audiences ( including me) on the history of pre-salsa mambo music in an entertaining manner that was also scholarly. Beyoncé is seen reading his book Black Gods and Kings in her Black is King movie, and his Flash of the Spirit book on African art and culture inspired many.

I almost took his class Freshman year, but in the end I only sat in on the first few classes. Little did I know...

Was looking to see if any musicians commented on his passing. Didn't see anything right away but then finallly I saw a long post by Neil Clarke.

Eddie Palmieri tweet

Sending my deepest condolences to the family of my dear friend Dr. Robert Farris Thompson. I thank him from the bottom of my heart for his depth of work as an art historian and including my musical contributions within the content of his many books and additional publications. 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/fYsRCq73SF

— Eddie Palmieri (@EddiePalmieri) November 30, 2021

Greg Tate-musician and critic in a public FB and IG post

A giant of African cultural scholarship no longer walks among us but along what Sun Ra called The Celestial Road. Professor Robert Farris Thompson’s lectures and books impact on C. Daniel Dawson,David Hammons. Jean Michel Basquiat, Kelly Jones, Kerry James Marshall, Henry Louis Gates, Judith Wilson, Sanford Biggers, and Arthur Jafa was immense, especially Flash of the Spirit which we essayed upon in Flyboy In The Buttermilk under the title ‘Guerilla Scholar On The Loose’. Peace go witcha Professor RFT.

Another book to add to the list...

Bobby Sanabria said about Farris Thompson:

Professor of Mambo, Cool, and the Multiverse. I was honored to have him write the liner notes to our first Grammy nominated album, Afro-Cuban Dream: Live & In Clave!!! way back in 2000. His books are essential reading. His final book on Mambo will be forthcoming.

His tango book looking good to me.

7.
Rauw Alejandro
"Todo de Ti

NPR top song list

Pareles listed some alt Latino stuff in NY Times - Bomba Estereo and others

Pareles best 2021 album list in NY Times has Bomba Estereo, Mon Laferte, & Mdou Moctar in his top albums plus in his 15 more deserving albums -Arooj Aftab, “Vulture Prince”

Khaira Arby, “New York Live” and Cuban pianist Omar Sosa- East African Journeys

Jon Caramanica has reggaeton on his list including Rauw Alejandro

This C Tangana album that made Rolling Stone top 10 ( as did Rauw A ) is pretty good. He’s from Spain and used to write w/ Rosalia ( and they were together). He’s got rumba , flamenco, bachata, folk and rapping and singing on his 2021 album.

Still have yet to listen to Michele Rosewoman but she always seems to have a great band.

C Tangana is my most listened to album of the year according to my Spotify unwrapped. For a dabbler like me it's a nice dip into the various genres. My favourite is Ingobernable with the Gypsy Kings. NPR also has it at as their no.5 album. I had not paid any attention to him before this year and but then I realised most of the Rosalia's El Mal Querer album was co-written by him.

I really like the way C Tangana utilizes multiple genres and does so in a way that doesn't seem forced.

A decade old, but I just came across this whilst checking up on Kirk Lightsey.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR5ezSoPCuw

Jerry Gonzalez has been gone 3 years now. His brother for a bit too. I liked their attitudes and their playing. Does Lightsey's 2021 Coltrane revisited have a Latin jazz feel to it?

Don't know, will check it out. I never even knew Lightsey and Gonzalez were so tight.

Did Greg Tate ever write about Latin jazz or salsa?

Not that I am aware of but it is certainly possible.

Feel like probably not much though.

He was a big fan of Robert Farris Thompson (an advocate for African and Latin), but Tate seems to just to have been into African music more than Latin (in addition to African-American)

2. Yotuel, Gente de Zona, Descemer Bueno, Maykel Osorbo, El Funky, ‘Patria y Vida’

Jon Pareles #2 song on his 2021 song list in NY Times

He has a C Tangana song too plus a few others that might interest folks on this thread

12. Jorge Drexler and C. Tangana, ‘Tocarte’

A Camilo song and a Yendry song too on Pareles list too

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/07/arts/music/best-songs.html

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-spanish-language-albums-2021-1269982/

Something for everyone--35 albums. reggaeton, pop, salsa, rock, folk . Well maybe not Latin jazz

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/22/arts/music/reggaeton-electronic-fusions.html

Reggaeton & edm hybrid songs plus some Reggaeton & r’n’b or house hybrids

Jazz Critics poll 2021 has a separate category for Latin Jazz

Latin

1) Miguel Zenón & Luis Perdomo, El Arte Del Bolero (Miel Music) 23
2) Arturo O’Farrill, . . . Dreaming in Lions . . . (Blue Note) 21
3) Eliane Elias, Mirror Mirror (Candid) 8
4) (tie) Carlos Henriquez, The South Bronx Story (Tiger Turn) 7
4) (tie) Ches Smith & We All Break, Path of Seven Colors (Pyroclastic) 7
6) (tie) Rubén Blades y Roberto Delgado & Orquesta, Salswing! (Rubén Blades Productions) 4
6) (tie) Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Virtual Birdland (Zoho) 4

Rolling Afro-Latin Music 2022: Reggaeton, Salsa, Bomba, Latin Jazz, Bachata, Merengue, Urbano and more Latinx

new 2022 thread