Rolling Afro-Latin Music 2023: Reggaeton, Salsa,Bachata, Bomba, Latin Jazz, Merengue, Urbano and more Latinx

first 2 cuts are definitely relentless. "Pichirry" has some El Alfa like sped up vocals

el alfa guests on that one, no?

produced by his favorite producer Chael Produciendo too

x-post-- I guess so, I [ducks head] was listening on Spotify on my phone and it didn't list guest vocalists there

After first listen I wish album had more variety in tempos, and not just mostly "relentless" . There are a few cuts that kinda vary

i almost always listen to dembow when i'm in the mood to listen to dembow. i don't mind the constant "relentlessness" because it scratches a very specific itch for me.

I missed it unfortunately. Would have been nice to hear the takes of: CHRISTOPHER WASHBURNE is a Professor of Music and Chair of the Music Department at Columbia University and the Founder of Columbia’s Louis Armstrong Jazz Performance Program.

BENJAMIN LAPIDUS is a Professor of Music at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and The Graduate Center of the City of New York (CUNY).

I wonder if either have been to Cuba lately

In his recent book Ben calls out Chris about something in his book, which I asked Chris about last year. Let’s see if I can tell this.

The story is that when bassist Bobby Rodriguez was asked if he knew Charlie Parker he said “Know him? I helped kill him!” (By dealing him drugs)

Another musician also told me about Bobby Rodriguez saying this to him on a plane flight. Last summer I saw the other guy and Chris playing with Bobby Sanabria at a free show in midtown. I asked Chris “did he tell you that story?” And Chris said “no, Bobby (Rodriguez) told it to me himself.” They had been on a plane together, Chris asked Bobby if he could interview him and said something like “you’ve played with a lot of famous people what can you tell me blah blah blah” and Bobby R volunteered the “Charlie Parker? Know him, I helped kill him!” story. I guess anybody who sat next to him on an airplane would hear this story. Ben Lapidus has several pages of analysis about what made Bobby Rodriguez such a great bass player to counterbalance this tag line.

I don’t own a copy of Chris’s book, I read a library copy, so I can’t refer to it. I enjoyed it but felt it was more of a sociological book whereas Ben Lapidus’s book seems to have a lot more musical and historical detail.

I am referring to Sounding Salsa here. I do have Latin Jazz: The Other Jazz. I have dipped into it but haven’t read it properly. There seem to be a lot of good detailed case studies.

Lapidus thinks the Cuban music panel with Washburne was filmed and they may make it available online. Will let you know. I haven't read either's book yet, but as always they're on my list.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1nGgM7F81g

I found it . But first 7 minutes or so are of a intro and some tech issues. Will check out this "Trends in Cuban Music " panel later

Where do you follow Lapidus?

p4k included rosa pistola's cumbiaton total on their list of overlooked albums. short, 20-min survey of mexico city's "cumbiaton" scene (mix of reggaeton beats with cumbia instrumentation, occasionally also with hyperpop vocals and various animal noises). no surprise it bangs, particularly the first song "mamita sensual"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv9YP5OyT3A

it feels close to the spirit of first-wave reggaeton, with spare beats created by hard, primitive synthesizers and elevated by the sheer audacity of the beats and charisma of the vocals.

x-post to James Redd-- I follow prof and musician Lapidus on Instagram and his musician page on Facebook

Isabelia Herrera wrote about both Kiko El Crazy and Rosa Pistola's Cumbiaton total for P4k

Listened to a few more minutes of that Cuban trends Youtube and Washburne showed clips from that Beyonce video/film where she had Cuban footage in background and showed a quick glimpse of Professor Robert Farris Thompson's awesome book Flash of the Spirit. Washburne telling listeners that Beyonce recognizes the importance of Cuban music and dance is nice but it really doesn't tell me about the panel title "trends in Cuban music"...But maybe they get to that later in the panel

Your post is making me think several things.

Or at least two.

One is that I feel like I have spent the second half of my life making up for the fact that I didn’t take Robert Farris Thompson’s class in college.

Although I don’t think Robby Ameen did either, but he was already gigging so barely in college.

Second is that between the two of those guys on the panel they have a ton of knowledge, much of it first hand, and know how to communicate it, so/but I don’t know how much I care about them attempting to sort out the latest trends.

It reminds me that I'm gonna need to find the box I stuffed Flash of the Spirit into before moving cross-country if I'm gonna write the next chapter of my Cecil Taylor biography properly.

Going to watch some of this stuff right now. Roman Diaz.

This is pretty good. Only vocals and percussion.

Would like to stay for Boleros later on but need to sleep.

Saw Farris Thompson do a talk/presentation in person once and was wowed. Yes to Flash of the Spirit. I still haven't watched rest of the panel video but want too. Washburne and Lapidus know their stuff and are good musicians. Lapidus is on a new single too I think that sounded good on my first quick listen.

Other stuff not as rooted in the past that I heard yesterday and liked on Sirius XM Caliente- Karol G collaboration with Maldy - I thing the song was "Gatubela" it's Latin pop/reggaeton ; Bad Bunny w/ Eladio Carion song; Rauw Alejandro "Todo de Ti" from his 2021 Vice Versa is great Latin pop dance ; Rauw's latest w/ collaboration w/ Rosalia "Beso" is growing on me

I used to think salsa singer Victor Manuelle was too syrupy but he's been growing on me ever since wife and I saw him on vacation at a gig in Mexico City . Heard a good cut from him on radio last night too

I need to check out new Tego Calderon reggaeton single and guitarist& tres player/professor Benjamin Lapidus Blues for Ochun latin jazz album

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2023/04/28/tego-calderon-reggaeton-new-song/

Keep seeing things for that Ben Lapidus record now that I started following him. Will listen soon.

I need to listen to Lapidus as well.

I see Eddie Palmieri's health is ok again and he's busy touring and will be down my way in the fall.

In reggaeton/pop news am seeing complaints on twitter that the Karol G US tour is in demand and that Ticketmaster is jacking up prices (she needs to do a Robert Smith of the Cure to that entity). No DC area show announced for her but they're adding more NY & New Jersey ones

Whilst picking up my lunch I ran into a guy who plays with Lapidus as well as being an academic in a very similar area. He told me something to the effect that Lapidus always has plenty of things going on at once, lots of irons in the fire.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/03/arts/music/carlos-henriquez-jazz-at-lincoln-center.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Interesting Ed Morales written article about NY bassist Carlos Henriquez who led an Allstar tribute over the weekend to Tito Puente and Tito Rodriguez at Jazz at Lincoln Center. He’s pals with Wynton Marsalis and willing to correct Marsalis! But he hasn’t lost touch with his Bronx roots and seeks out lesser known musicians who deserve credit.

Article references 100th anniversary of Tito Puente’s birth and upcoming May 20 Lehman Center gig; Hostos Community College exhibit; and more. Henriquez had a 2021 album South Bronx Story and is working on a new one.

Didn’t go up to NY for the above Lincoln Center gig, but I heard an awesome song from first Fania Allstars album on the radio.

Listening to Benjamin Lapidus album. I like the guest vocals on opening cuts. Will add more here later.

Wished I liked his own vocals more.

https://centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/event/the-bad-bunny-symposium-thinking-with-bad-bunny-beibi-2/

Bad Bunny symposium live from NY today Friday and Saturday. On zoom as well

Thursday, May 18, 2023, 8 pm eastern: Post mambo Sessions presents another round of Afro-Cuban Rare Groove Listening Sessions with Pablo Herrera and Alexis El d'Boys, this one focused on recordings of Afro-Cuban sacred music.

This is a N*d S*blette thing

Saw that 60 year-old something Dominican salsa singer Jose Alberto El Canario is going to be in Virginia Beach in June when I am there. Over a decade ago saw him do a couple of great live shows. Have not kept up with him since.

Listening to Kiko El Crazy again tonight. Some of his relentless dembow from current second album, plus some of the first album that has some pop-reggaeton, edm, and a bit of more traditional Caribbean flavorings on certain tracks.

Gonna be away and miss dc area gig of Kiko el Crazy Friday night . I wrote a preview for local alt-weekly website

Kiko el Crazy has been sampled by Bad Bunny, quoted by Rosalia, and got an 8 from I. H in Pitchfork. Not too much other crossover attention. My preview of tonight’s gig is here with previews of other stuff

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/605653/beetlejuice-rare-books-and-more-best-bets-for-may-18-24/

I missed another Ned S# online zoom thing on Cuban music

Sorry

Don't think I can make this but https://www.lincolncenter.org/series/lincoln-center-presents/latin-jazz-in-new-york-city-1920-1960

DC used to have plenty of panels like that too, but not in awhile

I remember when Jerry Gonzales showed up late for a Smithsonian panel, calmly strutting down the aisle with his horn in a beat up case, with punk rock like attitude

Picked up Camarão - The imaginary Soundtrack to a Brazilian Western Movie 1964 - 1974 on Analog Africa at the weekend. Not quite the description I'd give the work. It's Brazilian Forro music though and it's great!

https://analogafrica.bandcamp.com/album/the-imaginary-soundtrack-to-a-brazilian-western-movie-1964-1974-analog-africa-nr-25