Septeto Santiaguero – Son Sublime!
El Septeto Santiaguero have put out a new recording “Vamos Pa La Fiesta” that is a beautiful testament to the Cuban Son. This compositions are classic but not tired relics of an authentic form of music. The music is full of excitement, joy, regret, sadness and the gamut of emotions that reflect life’s experiences. Septeto Santiaguero are not as well known as other groups that perform the Cuban son but this recording may be their big breakthrough. Not only are they incredible musicians and singers whose vocal timbres and phrasing invoke the spirit of Cuni, Barroso, Valdes and Piniero. They also feature special guest collaborations from guests such as Ruben Blades, Cheo Feliciano, Jose Alberto “El Canario”and percussionist extraordinare Luisito Quintero. The result is a rich listening experience which transports you to the island where the Son is a respected national treasure that keeps evolving with every new generation. You can feel the energy as this solid group performs Son with a certain heartfelt afinque that is truly their own. I had the opportunity to catch them live at last year’s Tempo Latino festival in France where they tore it up! This recording should open doors for this fine...
read moreTiempo Libre with SF Symphony at Dolores Park
One of the fine moments I did have this Summer was my MC stint with Tiempo Libre along with the SF Symphony at Dolores Park this past July. The San Francisco Symphony travelled to Dolores Park on a sunny Sunday afternoon in the Mission last July 22nd. The community that watched the free show had their picnic spots set up at the Park. The Mission Cultural Center were involved in this concert with the Symphony along with the SF Arts Commission and the McKesson corporation. The Symphony brought with them a powerhouse of a band with Tiempo Libre, an exciting Miami based septet made up of Cuban born musicians who are adept at playing Afro-Cuban son, timba and salsa. I was invited by the San Francisco Symphony to emcee their event at Dolores Park. I represented KPFA and my program “Con Sabor”. The park which was packed to the gills by a wide cross section of people from timba aficionados to the trendy “beautiful” people to some folks who wouldn’t have stepped on Dolores Park soil let alone the Mission a decade ago. However since gentrification has changed the population and landscape of the Mission, the opportunity seemed right for the Symphony to throw this free classical music bacchanal. The expansive staging and sound were top-notch. The Symphony were dressed in their Sunday best attire. The Symphony were set up in a u formation on stage while the center of the stage was set up with Tiempo Libre’s equipment. The Symphony presented their special program of classical music with a Latin theme for the first half of the show. The Symphony started the second half by playing a short suite before introducing Tiempo Libre. People moved past the barricades in the large grassy area in the front of the stage and turned it into a dance floor for the duration of the set. Tiempo Libre was superb. The band led by keyboardist Jorge Gomez took the stage and tore it up with their musically fat sounding versions of timeless Cuban classic standards such as “Que Bueno Baila Usted”, “El Manicero” and “Son De La Loma”. The band had a tight and explosive sound while their vocalist Joaquin Diaz danced and grinded “a la timba cubana” while he sang his pregones (refrains) to a happy crowd. The symphony backed Tiempo Libre sounding like a massive charanga with their string arrangements. The fired up crowd brought back Tiempo Libre for an encore after they played their set of rehearsed numbers with the Symphony. Suddenly, the band switched to a hypnotic timba rhythm and the crowd went crazy! The syncopated sounds of the keyboards, driving synths, funk bass, the fierce polyrhythms of the percussion locked into the timba groove while Diaz led a call and response with the excited crowd. They managed to get quite a few hands in the air at the SF Symphony concert. A few Symphony musicians who were on stage dancing in their seats while grooving to the irresistible rhythms of Tiempo Libre! Thanks to Louisa Spier and the fine staff at the SF Symphony, the SF Arts Commission and the Mission Cultural Center for their support and tireless work at pulling this event off! It was a memorable afternoon to be a part...
read moreMoving
I have been missing in action for most of this summer. I moved to a new place. In the process, I missed most of the events, concerts, happenings and even some promotional activities that I set up for the station that I work for and represent. It’s a mental and physical process that taxes you because of the countless amount of details involved in business transactions, the preparations and packing that needs to be done before a move and finally, in the emotional transition from one place to another. Change can be exhilarating, frightening, hopeful…in short, the whole gamut of emotions at the same time. My wife Isidra and I wanted to take the family to a place where my son Adrian would be able to grow beyond the craziness of Oaktown. So we did it. We still have business to settle there as well as adjusting to our new surroundings. There is good news..I am refocusing on activating this blog again because in my life…music really...
read moreNotes From A Friday Night
Last Friday night, I was running around taking care of business but I managed to catch some music along the way around San Francisco. My friends at La Bohemia Productions presented Paris based Sergent Garcia who rocked the trendy Mezzanine club with this latin Reggae world groove. He cheerfully led the crowd who was dancing to his raggamuffin beat. His rhymes flowing on top of his anthemic funky dance hall salsa-fied sound. On the other side of the city, the outside air was in a cold mist and the music hot at the Fillmore Plaza stage of the Salsa Festival At The Fillmore last weekend. The festival was produced by Roy Bennett with assistance from Neftali Rosado (leader of Pa’l Bailador). I caught Carlos Del Sol leading a blistering salsa all-stars ensemble featuring renowned timbalero Louie Romero, trumpeter Julius Melendez, pianist Marco Diaz, bassist Saul Sierra, trombonist Jaime Dubberly..you get the idea. Salsa Dura was on the menu as vocalist Del Sol served it up as he fronted this band with swing. Del Sol makes an engaging frontman blessed with his idol looks and fine voice. He was joined by another fine vocalist singing lead on the other tunes. Grupo Bakkan also was on fire with their commercial brand of Salsa with three vocalists led by Toni Neito. And the multi-cultural Bay Area crowd agreed with that assessment by packing the Yoshi’s lounge dance floor as Bakkan put out the hits. Veteran sonero Fito Reinoso shook the Rasselas spacious back room with his blazing Cuban son, salsa and timba. Backed by the latest version of his long running band “Ritmo Y Armonia”, Reinoso stretched out the tunes until the dancers had to totally surrender to his ectastic sound. Somewhere in-between everything, I went to support the KPFA sponsored event featuring veteran English roots rocker James Hunter. He seduced the Bimbos 365 crowd with his retro 50’s-60’s blue-eyed English soul. Hunter was a master craftsman at working the crowd with deep soul pouring out of his voice on every tune. His vocal chops and tasty guitar work drove the tight band to higher...
read moreEssential Listening July 2012
Here are a pair of great cds just in time for Summer listening: Cheo Feliciano/Ruben Blades “Eba Say Aja”(Ariel Rivas Music) – Two of Salsa great soneros make a gem of a recording! They sing each other’s hits backed by a “phat” Vibes sound a la Joe Cuba and a tight rhythm section. These distinctive stylists are at the top of their game: Blades’s sharp intense flow compliments the smooth Feliciano whose soneos are on point. They get together for two soulful duets “Lo Bueno Ya Viene” and the dynamic bolero “Si Te Dicen”. The real delight is hearing Ruben covering Feliciano’s signature tunes such as “Nina” and Feliciano coming back with a gorgeous version of Blades’ “Sin Tu Carino”. La Excelencia “Ecos Del Barrio” (Handle With Care) – With their hearts on their sleeve, this street wise monster of a band has put out their best recording so far. Salsa dura con conciencia is what La Excelencia does best. “La Economia” says it all with it’s relevant social commentary and afinque. This band swings with fire as it chronicles what is happening with the neighborhood today. Their big bold sound also takes an Asian flavor with the irresistible “Descarga La Excelencia” or their bid for global domination “Pa’l Mundo...
read moreYomo 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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