Yomo Toro RIP
Got the sad news yesterday that the great Puerto Rican master of the cuatro, Yomo Toro passed away. A musical genius and a virtuoso of his instrument which sounds like a cross between a mandolin and a guitar, his many contributions embellished the Fania sound of the 70’s. From his unforgettable performances with the Fania All Stars to his legendary recordings with Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe, Yomo was a unique presence proudly representing his Puerto Rican heritage. He was one of a kind! I had the immense luck of working with Yomo when he appeared at San Francisco Carnaval more than 2 decades ago! He wasn’t on a big ego trip. On the contrary, he was humble and very gracious. That man had more swing going on with his small group than most salsa orchestras at the time! We are lucky that Yomo has left us with a legacy of great music from the Fania days to his solo career. He has joined the giant jam session in the heavens with all the ancestors who have blessed us with their music. Ciao...
Read MoreCarnaval Flashback
Carnaval 2012…the party came and left! If you were a part of it, you felt the heat from sweaty bodies in glitzy costumes, heard great live music and felt the rush of the excited crowd. It was a outdoor party in HD. The Carnaval Parade in San Francisco has always been a mix of the indigenous with the stylish splashed with color on the streets of the Mission District. The Carnaval Festival is one big party with three stages on 17th, 20th and 22nd. I was involved as entertainment coordinator for the two-day festival as well as the MC for the 17th Street stage. It was a lot of work but was gratifying to see Ricardo Lemvo fire up an already acclerated crowd at the festival you helped to organize with other hard working folks. There were no slouches in the lineups for the two days that featured Avance, Bayonics, Boca Do Rio, Manicato, Team Bahia, Afrolicious, Candelaria, Pa’l Bailador, Mestiza, the Cuban Cowboys, Borinquen, Native Elements, Fito Reinoso, Bang Data, DJ Quick & The DJ Project and others. With incredible floor shows provided all weekend by the likes of the Aquarella Dancers, Ginga Brasil featuring Queen Ashley George, Fogo Na Roupa’s dancing Carnaval army and Samba funketeers. All one can say after a weekend of that…what a...
Read MoreHitting The Ground Running
It’s incredible how time flies by. I just returned from a family vacation in Cozumel, Mexico a week ago. Last week, the biggest decisions in my life was which beach we were going to and what are we going to eat. Vacations are wonderful if you can get away and if you can afford them in the age of Obama, global warming and dark financial realities. However, it’s been non-stop since I returned from Cozumel. I hit the ground running because of my job realities as Music Director at KPFA Radio and as Entertainment Coordinator for this year’s SF Carnaval 2012. Add to that my DJ/Host gigs at Cafe Cocomo and special events such as the upcoming Windsor Carnaval. And balancing a home life with a family and I’m smokin’ baby!!! It’s funny how much you need to push your energy level to accomplish everything that you want in life. Well I’m ready…let’s the games...
Read MoreKeeping the engine running at SXSW
I’m remembering the whirlwind that was SXSW in Austin. You have to tackle a conference and festival such as SXSW with plans A to F. You have to be ready to walk a lot if you start around 11 am and go to the late nighttime hours. My schedule included interviews meeting artists, publicists and managers on Thursday and Friday which also means that you are missing something because something is always happening at SXSW. I was also sick with a cold the entire time that I was in Austin which meant you also have to keep your energy up through attending day time scenes such as the MTV Woodie Awards to catch rising blues star Gary Clark Jr. and juggle your time to see latin alternative darlings Ximena Sarinana, Natalie LaFourcade and Javina Mena jam with Mexico’s Torreblanca. In between you make the time to catch a bit of Springsteen’s keynote address before running to meet up with Bomba Estereo at the Omni Hotel six blocks away. Then shoot back to the Austin Convention Center to pick up the ticket for the Boss’s show. I had to eat a bite at the Sounds of Spain party where I could take a breather to enjoy a little dish of paella, chorizo and ensalada and savoring a glass of Marques De Caceres. I’m just talking about a few hours into Thursday. Let alone the night time gigs where there were showcases in every part of downtown...
Read MoreRecovering from my SXSW Hangover
I have recovered from my week long hangover from attending South By Southwest in Austin, Texas. I represented KPFA in my position as Music Director but what got me there was my coverage as a radio journalist and a life long passion for music. I was ill throughout my entire trip to SXSW but I did manage to interview some key figures in World, Electronica and Latin Alternative music: Simon Mejia, the brain child of Colombia’s electro cumbia gods “Bomba Estereo”, Jairo “Muchachito” and Simon from Spain’s rumba catalana fusion giants “Muchachito Bombo Infierno” and the fiery Nigerian songstress Nneka whose latest cd “Soul Is Heavy” is pulsating with hip-hop, reggae, funk and African grooves. I was one of the lucky few who got picked from a special lottery to attend Bruce Springsteen’s exclusive intimate concert in Austin…what an awesome show! A two hour, forty minute set with The Boss and his mighty E-Street Band now augmented with a 5 piece horn section (including the late Clarence Clemons nephew on tenor sax) and 2 background vocalists. Bruce was mighty impressive as he rocked the hell of the Moody Theater, home of tv’s Austin City Limits. Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, Eric Burdon, Tom Morello, Joe Ely, Alejandro Escovedo and The Arcade Fire joined The Boss on stage! There is so much happening at SXSW that you are actually missing 10 cool things for the one act that you choose to see. It’s an endurance test to see a third of what you wanted to see in the first place. More to come...
Read MoreLive Appearances
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