Tag: music

For Black History Month, Celebrate Afro-Latino Music With Smithsonian Folkways

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-images-uploads-gallery-sfw40574_cover_1500_wide-6da431eed4aef700e0da33a5441d4fc1185839e2-s800-c85.jpgvia NPR’s Alt.Latino‘s Felix Contreras:

As part of our celebration of Black History Month and Afro-Latino culture, we turn this week to how the influence of Africa has been interpreted in various Latin and Caribbean cultures. The music of West Africa, where a majority of those enslaved in the Americas came from, was diffused through both an indigenous and Spanish filter to become the distinct sounds and rhythms that we know today.

Cumbia, bachata, mambo and son jarocho are all quite distinct from each other and are still very vibrant expressions of tradition. But, more importantly, they also inform and influence a tidal wave of new expression, mixing with hip-hop, electronic, rock and jazz to form the musical bedrock of Alt.Latino.

In this week’s show, we dive into the vaults of Smithsonian Folkways, the non-profit record label dedicated to American folk traditions of all kinds. Our guide is Folkways curator emeritus Dan Sheehy, who knows a thing or two about Afro-Latino music and culture: He has traveled extensively to produce many of the great recordings in the archive.

LISTEN HERE.

R&B heat you need to hear: ‘Doing the Most’ by Kirby Maurier

On By scenebyginaIn Uncategorized2 Comments
Screen Shot 2015-10-19 at 10.08.41 AM
Kirby Maurier

Most of my music writing centers around South American artists & you can find it over at the U.K. -based Sounds and Colours. (I’ve written about lots of recent hot, new music here!) But on the rare occasion I find myself having to rave about non -Latin or global sounds, I do that here.

Meet Kirby Maurier: an Arkansas-born R&B artist from the Miami area, who happens to be the highest selling independent R&B albums in the South Atlantic Region. Her album, Doing the Most (via Valholla Entertainment), debuting at #162 on Soundscan’s Current R&B charts (US) and I can’t recommend it enough.

Screen Shot 2015-10-19 at 10.08.23 AMHere I go aging myself again (damn you, Internet!), but I went to college when hip-hop R&B / hip-hop soul was at it best. (Don’t we always remember it that way?)

I’m talking about the time of Mary J. Blige, Aaliyah, Faith Evans, TLC, SWV, Total, etc… Those were the divas we brown kids were drawn to at the time. It was their lyrics we sang to on repeat when were in love or licking our wounds over a broken heart.

Maurier reminds me of that. An EP of hers, “Class of ’96,” encapsulates that (as she sings over the beats to many of the R&B beats of that era).

You can hear a good interview about her origins, the new album, and more, over on the Red Light Special podcast. And grab that EP via Worldwide Mixtapes here.

Finally, cop her Doing the Most album over at iTunes, and follow this artist on Facebook. Let’s hope her star continues to rise and she keeps on the focus on good, old-fashioned R&B. Though her lyrics exude more stark confidence, rather than the “come back to me” romance of that 90s R&B (Times have changed; this fits in line with powerful black female being celebrated these days), Kirby Maurier is obviously one to keep you eye on.

Cuba’s MANANA festival: where Afro-Cuban folkloric sounds will mix with electronic sounds

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Photo by me!
Photo by me!

By now, you should all know about MANANA, the music festival happening in Santiago de Cuba in May 2016, right? No! Well, head to Sounds and Colours to learn more.

Basically, it’s a non-profit festival connecting Afro-Cuban Folkloric music with the pioneers of the International Electronic music community. Its organizers are crowdfunding for the three-day event (May 4, 5, 6 2016) via Kickstarter.

If you’re thinking, oh no, the embargo getting lifted means a bunch of molly-popping, daisy crown-wearing millennials overdosing and passing out, fear not. While no one can prevent from those fitting that stereotype from attending if they buy a flight and ticket, that’s not what this festival is aiming to be.

Consider this rumba track by Manenaje Al Benni, which the folks behind Manana shared via their Kickstarter page. I went to Cuba in 2013 and can tell you talented musicians are ALL over that island, playing on the streets, in cafes, and restaurants. (Watch this short clip I shot there.) I am so excited for artists like the ones I saw to perform on a big stage, reach new audiences, and make connections from the electronic dance world for future collaborations.

The following artists have already agreed to play if this Kickstarter is a success. 

  • Dubstep pioneer, Mala (Read an interview with Red Bull here)
  • Puerto Rican electronic rumba act, Grupo ÌFÉ
  • Tropical DJ’s, Sofrito
  • “Godfather” of Cuban drumming, Galis
  • Santiago rumba masters, Obba Tuke
  • The legendary Compañía Ballet Folclórico de Oriente

By the way, I asked for clarification on travel permissions for those traveling from the United States, as the embargo isn’t fully lifted yet. The good news is a tourist card allows you to travel legally from the U.S. The cost of the visa/tourist card is £20 per person and the courier charges by DHL would be around £70. More info on that here.

So, please contribute to the Kickstarter if you can. Every little bit helps. And, if you’re able, make travel plans to attend! Cuba was one of the best places I’ve ever been to so far. The people are lovely and the architecture is beautiful. And the food is delicious.

There is so much culture, dance, music, and film, not to mention the country’s world class education. Don’t miss MANANA!

Photo by me from El Bodeguito del Medio, where I drank wonderful mojitos.
Photo by me from El Bodeguito del Medio, where I drank wonderful mojitos.

New hip hop from NYC’s Justin Bates

On By scenebyginaIn Uncategorized1 Comment
Justin Bates
Justin Bates

Brooklyn rapper, Justin Bates (a Chicago native), tells me he often gets “You remind me of someone,” in regards to his sound. YES. Is it Red Man? I’m not sure. But one thing is clear: He’s got a GREAT voice.

Obviously, he’s a great lyricist, too, or I wouldn’t be sharing his latest track, “All On We,” produced by Madwreck. I dig the soulful intro, and again, can’t say enough of Bates’ voice. This song is very reminiscent of 90s New York hip hop for me!

And check out this video for his track, “Turn The Music Up,” from 2012.

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/20853720″>Justin Bates &quot;Turn The Music Up&quot;</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/javiergoin”>jG Films</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

Meet (& support!) Norvis Jr.

On By scenebyginaIn music, New YorkLeave a comment

A little over a year ago, Natalia Linares (the digi-femenista/music manager/publicist) behind conrazón invited a small group of people for a private concert at her Staten Island apartment featuring an independent artist, Norvis Jr.

I’d met him (real name Nelson-Mandela Nance) a couple of times prior to the performance, but I wasn’t familiar with his music. I had no idea what I was in for.

Norvis Jr. sings his types of soul.
Norvis Jr. sings his type of electro-soul in Staten Island.

Not only was I blown away by his unique brand of electro-soul, but the intimacy of the performance coupled with the ‘zone’ he was in signaled to me that I was witnessing something special.

Since then, Norvis Jr., a native of Dallas, TX. now living in Brooklyn, N.Y., has performed at a handful of New York City venues, but now he wants to take his show on the road with a spring 2015 tour. Listen to him here (he’s got a great speaking AND singing voice), and then support his Kickstarter (and its hilarious video displaying his healthy diet!) here.

Norvis Jr. surrounded by a diverse crew of music lovers!
Norvis Jr. surrounded by a diverse crew of music lovers!

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On Grammy Winners, La Santa Cecilia

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On Grammy Winners, La Santa Cecilia
Sharing a photo I posted to Instagram on Halloween night. I can now say I saw the Grammy-winning La Santa Cecilia at the Lincoln Center Atrium that night! You must see this band live. A shame their performance occurred during the pre-telecast, (but not surprising). Latin music is more than the same tropical/urbano songs you hear over & over on the radio. I’m glad these artists are getting OUT THERE by collaborating with mainstream artists who “get it,” such as Elvis Costello, who has a song with La Santa Cecilia on their latest album. You should check out ALL the artists that fall under the somewhat strange category of: Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative. Learn more on La Santa Cecilia here: http://lat.ms/1lgGaxv

KC eighth-grader’s song about poverty holds message of hope

On By scenebyginaIn Education, music, People, placesLeave a comment

Screen shot 2014-01-13 at 11.06.03 AMImage via Kansas City Star

*** I work with Making Movies, and when I see the fruits of their M.U.S.I.C.A. camp (in conjunction with Kansas City’s Mattie Rhodes Center), I can’t help but be amazed at the power of music.

BY MARÁ ROSE WILLIAMS
The Kansas City Star

Regina del Carmen Sanchez wants to someday make her living writing music, playing her guitar and singing songs that have a message about the world as she sees it.

At 14, Regina’s world is pretty small.

It revolves around the little house she shares with her mom and grandparents on the west side of Kansas City’s urban core. The women of the house spend weekends frying, baking and selling empañadas to supplement the income Regina’s mom brings home as an office assistant.

….

“It’s my dream to become a musician to change people’s lives, to help them understand in an easy way what is happening in the world,” Regina said.

So when she sat down to create her first song, she wrote about being poor, being afraid to open bills, worrying that one not-in-the-budget problem could mean the lights go out.

She was 12 when she wrote “Keep Your Head Up.” It took her several months, writing at home as she lay across her bed or sat at the kitchen table. Sometimes even during breaks in class a lyric would pop into her head and “I would have to write it down right then,” Regina said.

“At the time I was thinking, ‘Let me write a song about the real struggles in my family instead of a song that’s just about me, talking about me,’ ” she said.

My house is in shambles but it beats being homeless.

It’s hot in the summer time, but in the cold the heat’s hopeless.

The bills are coming in and I’m looking so nervous,

because any day now, they could disconnect my service.

The song goes on about needing money, crying and praying, and wondering how long one could endure.

…

Love yourself and never give up. You’ll see a better life if you keep your head up.

Hand me down clothes but I’ve never been shirtless. B een misunderstood but no I’m not worthless.

Labeled a misfit ’cause I’ve always been different. Don’t want to be a number or another statistic.

Keep your head up …

“When she sings this song, you can tell she’s gone through it,” said Juan Carlos Chaurand, who plays percussion and keyboard for Making Movies, a four-member band from Kansas City with an Afro-Cuban/indie rock vibe.

Making Movies hosted the summer M.U.S.I.C.A. camp for low-income urban youths at Kansas City’s Mattie Rhodes Center, where last summer Regina was a camper. The band charges families $15 for the weeklong camp.

Chaurand said that providing inexpensive lessons and a chance to make music to children who otherwise might not have the opportunity is the band’s contribution to efforts to break the cycle of poverty.

One day Regina sang her song for the band members. They helped her write the music and took her to a studio to record it.

“It’s a great song,” Chaurand said. “To see that come out of her is pretty amazing.”

Read the whole story here. Watch a video of Sanchez performing the song with Making Movies below.

 

 

In which I write about my love for Big Band music

On By scenebyginaIn music, New York, PeopleLeave a comment
Image via Revive-Music.com
Image via Revive-Music.com

Totally random fact about me. If I’m getting ready to go out on a Saturday night, chances are I’m listening to old archives of “The Danny Stiles” radio show.

Stiles, who died in 2011, had this totally rad show in which he played “the greatest records of the 1900s” from 8 to 10 p.m. on Saturday nights on WNYC (820AM). Luckily, WNYC still airs archived shows.

I don’t know … it may seem corny, but throughout the show, I imagine couples dancing at parties in that era. In fact, Styles will talk about parties during the Depression, which must have felt like the highlight of the week, considering the circumstances.

I feel as if you could never stop learning about music history in this country. Stiles didn’t just play songs by the greats, such as Frank Sinatra, or one of my personal favorites, Glenn Miller. (Listen to “In The Mood.” You’ll know it. It was a global hit in its day.)

Stiles pays homage to the history of music from our country, often featuring musicians of color, who as you may know, are at the roots of American music, though it was brought to the mainstream by record labels and white singers.

On this week’s show, he played a song that I know (incorrectly) as “Mani” (the Spanish word for peanut) because I’ve heard it on old Spanish radio stations. The song is called “El Manisero/The Peanut Vendor” and though there were several versions by many recording artists, it was Louis Armstrong who made it a big hit in the 1930s as Cuban rhythms was influencing music in the States. It was smart of Armstrong to record it. All of this I learned on the Danny Stiles show.

But wait! There’s more.

How does listening to this show translate to music I’ve heard in the nightclubs today? Well, using “The Peanut Vendor” as an example, Uproot Andy (real name: Andy Gillis) tends to play this track (I’m guessing this is the version he plays, though I can’t be 100 percent sure) at his well-known “Que Bajo?” monthly parties. It’s obvious they sampled “The Peanut Vendor” sound. And now I’ll think of Danny Stiles and Louis Armstrong in 1930 the next time I hear it!

Bonus fact: Another of my favorite Big Band songs is “Midnight, the Stars, and You,” by Ray Noble, otherwise known as one of the songs in The Shining. Creepy, right? 🙂

 

Zuzuka Poderosa’s ‘Carioca Bass’ EP Out Now!

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Stream the EP in Full at FACT Magazine 

Buy it on iTunes!

FREE DOWNLOAD in Discobelle of Jubilee/Burt Fox Remix

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“Zuzuka has turned to our minds like the impact of a helicopter against the building; like a hot gate of sound.  Zuzuka is a Big Bang. Zuzuka is poderosa.” – NHM (Spain / London)“She’s very prolific. We love all the stuff that she does. She has an interesting way with words.”
– NPR’s Alt Latino’s ‘Mad Musical Scientists’

About the EP via FACT Mag:
On her Carioca Bass EP, she has collaborated with Bay Area producer Kush Arora on a pair of baile funk tunes that use the genre’s everything-in-the-blender ethos to subwoofer melting effect. The title of ‘Seda’ (Portuguese for “rolling papers”) is a play on words, as Zuzuka meditates on the criminalization/legalization of pot over a club-rap grinder. ‘Psicodelia’ owes more to baile funk’s Miami bass tradition, with Zuzuka rapping about fireworks that are actually blasts of favela gunfire.

Upcoming Tour Dates:
Chicago, IL – Fri, Feb 8th | Beauty Bar

San Francisco, CA – Sat, Feb 9th | Tormenta Tropical @ Elbo Room
Brooklyn, NY – Fri, Feb 15th | Public Assembly | Tickets

Born in Vitoria, Brazil, ZUZUKA PODEROSA grew up in Rio and spent her formative years in the West Indies. She later moved to Brooklyn, NY, to study jazz vocal improvisation and work at her poetry. For the past few years, she’s been building up the underground Baile Funk, Moombahton and Global Bass scene in New York.

The EP is produced by the Bay Area’s Kush Arora. Kush Arora has walked the line between culture, experimentalism, and percussive bass music for the last 15 years in San Francisco and beyond. With over 10 discs to his name and countless singles, all shades of Dub, Garage, Dancehall, and Indo-Caribbean influences merge into his unique futuristic sound.

“She sounds dangerous, intense, unhinged, and different and more experimental than the baile funk, carioca, and tropical bass vocalists I hear out there. She has an amazing stage presence, uncompromising attitude and intense energy that she pushes forth, and her willingness to experiment outside of the small box of samples and traditions from the Brazilian electronic movement. She has that knack to take people, propel them into motion to get down and forget about the world, but lyrically she’s not all fun and games, which is very important to me.” – Kush Arora

Tracks on the EP are remixed by:
Jubilee: Though now splitting her time between Miami and Brooklyn, XLR8R’s “artist to watch” Jubilee will always be Brooklyn’s bass sweetheart. Known for her rambunctious combination of upfront bass music, UK house, and tropical flavors, she has become a surefire remedy for ailing dancefloors around the globe.

Sonora: Sonora Longoria, is a producer of Latin and third world/global bass music who resides in San Antonio, Texas. The “cumbia child” Sonora has accomplished quite a few projects with global artists, one being for his “Remezcla” EP series where he takes on remixing and recording with carioca bass diva Zuzuka Poderosa.

Nego Mozambique: a Brazilian expat living in Toronto, who has been in the electronic music scene for more than ten years, performing live acts of his own compositions, mash ups and remixes, and also creating soundtracks for TV and movies.

Others include: Vancouver’s HXDB, Chicago’s Chrissy Murderbot, Miami’s Burt Fox and CEE.

Song meanings:
‘Psicodelia‘ is an upbeat track featuring Zuzuka rapping about fireworks at a party that are, in fact, gunfire and bombs in one of Brazil’s favelas.

‘Seda‘ is a play on words. Seda is Portuguese for rolling papers. In this song, Zuzuka touches on everything sexy about the drug while advocating for its legalization as there are “worse things happening to people because of its criminalization.”

Press Inquiries: Gina at ginavergel@gmail.com
Booking Inquiries: Devin at Devin@surefireagency.com