BLOQUE 53
Bloque 53 is part of the new generation of salsa orchestras, and have differentiated themselves as one of the premier dance bands to evolve over the past several years. Fortified with vibes and trombones, the band, led by percussionist Joaquin Arteaga, seamlessly mixes cutting edge salsa dura with the heavy swing of classic roots salsa auténtica. Singers Yadira Ferrer, Damian Alonso “el Bombon” and Freddy Ramos quickly bring their latest production, Tumba Puchunga, to a full sizzling boil. A Big DJ Alert and Very Highly Recommended. - elW
DJ and audiophile alert! Download NOW in HIGHEST QUALITY FLAC file, or our standard high quality mp3/320. You chose! Do it fast, because Bloque 53 is back with a swinging vibes-based salsa project that will seduce you right on to the dancefloor. Get ready to be reminded why you fell in love with salsa in the first place. With this, their third release, Joaquin Arteaga and his crew, all craftsmen of clave, continue to raise the bar for Afro-Antillana dance music. Very Highly Recommended.
“Integrado por musicos de la nueva generación de la salsa de Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia, y Catalunya, con una amplia trayectoria musical, Bloque 53 enciende las pistas de baile con un sonido caliente y a su vez mentolado por el timbre del vibrafono. Han tenido un excelente reconocimiento de los críticos mas duros de la salsa en el mundo.”
BLOQUE 53
Te Hace Mover Los Pies (2011)
53 are back with a superb vibes-based dance album that will but the swing back in your salsa.
Something magical happens when salsa dura and the vibraphone engage in musical discourse. Ice melts, clouds part and the soundtrack to a groove-driven life is revealed. The instrument, when handled by someone like Marcel Pascual, makes even the most gritty of urban Latin dance music disarmingly sexy. Like the famous quote from The Godfather, Part III: Just when you thought you were out, they pull you back in. And you happily go. That’s because pianist-composer Andrew Cañadell and percussionist Joaquin “Joaco” Arteaga know what works. They had tremendous success with their first album, La Ruta de la Salsa, and, with Te Hace Mover Los Pies, they continue to push the envelope. Take no prisoners: move them to the dancefloor. Here’s a big DJ Alert, and perfect timing for your New Year’s Eve party. – elW
BLOQUE 53
La Ruta De La Salsa (2010)
One of the tastiest salsa releases so far this year comes from Barcelona, Spain. This vibes-based smoker is lead by timbalero-bongocero Joaquin Arteaga who knows how to lay down rich grooves. I’m a sucker for salsa with vibes (Louie Ramirez, Dorance Lorza, Black Sugar Sextette, Grupo Latin Vibe etc.), and, if you are too, this one, folks, is a no-brainer. Check out the tracks “Baila La Negra,” the fiery “Ese Dolar” or the rumba “Barcelona Tiene!!!” deftly handled by vocalist Diana Feria. Most of the tracks were composed by Arteaga, including the gem “Ya Yo No Sufro.” And there is a jazzy dance number, an interpretation of Robert Wright and George Forrest’s “Stranger in Paradise.” All good stuff and… Highly Recommended.
In light of the fact that the PENYA EP just recently made it to our Best of 2011 list, producer and musician Jimmy Le M sent this terrific Chismosa video our way. I think you’ll agree, great stuff all around. Show your love for Penya. Purchase both the single and the EP.
PENYA’s debut EP reflects a rare breadth of musical vision informed by years of experience in a multitude of different genres that include Latin American, film music, folk, classical and rock. Each member of the band brings live, acoustic performances of real musicianship to illuminate the journey that PENYA takes the listener on. The vocals in PENYA’s colourful and vibey travelogue come in the form of ANGELICA LOPEZ. Hailing from Cartagena, on Colombia’s caribbean coast, Angelica brings a unique combination of the ethereal with the earthy – think Kate Bush meets Celia Cruz.
Credits:
Author: Angelica Lopez
Composer: Angelica Lopez/Jim le Messurier
Arranger: Jim le Messurier
Lead Vocal: Angelica Lopez
Backing Vocals: Angelica Lopez/Jenny Rodriguez/Jim le Messurier
Drums: Jim le Messurier
Congas: Magnus Mehta
Bass: Adolfredo Pulido
Piano: Joseph Roberts
Violin: Sonia Slany
Violin in live gig footage: Darius Johnson
Flute: Rowland Sutherland
Video Cast: Fernando Chevez ‘Kanela’; Adela Quintana; Elizabeth Chevez
In light of the recent release of the fabulous compilation Ismael Rivera, Maelo – A Man and His Music, we dug up this terrific rendition of El Negro Bembón interpreted by a trio of salsa greats: Victor Manuelle, Tony Vega and Michael Stuart. It’s a very well done production, set in a nightclub and enhanced by fully-fashioned salsa dancers. A great song, great version, great dancing. Turn it up, and enjoy.
And, here’s a 1959 version with Maelo performing with Cortijo y Su Combo in the film Maruja…
One of our favorite singers, the great Frankie Vázquez, is seen here as the lead vocalist for Fuego 77. The band released a self-titled album in the late ’70s (Alegre 6019) which was available on cd years ago. Hopefully Codigo, who now owns the Alegre catalog, will reissue the title. A classic. The video drops out with audio static for about 5 seconds or so in the middle. However, on the whole, it is much better quality than most crummy YouTube offerings.
Our favorite sonera, Choco Orta, pays a heartfelt and fiery tribute to soneras and salseras from all over the word. Filmed by Walter Baez, this is one fine performance at the Copacabana. If you don’t have it already, be sure to get Choco’s newest album, Choco Swing. This great track is on that album. Great stuff…
Writer and filmmaker Mathew Ramirez Warren has almost completed his extraordinary documentary of the Boogaloo movement in New York City in the ’60s and ’70s. Below you will find a trailer video, as well as a way to help support the completion of the project. Show your support and keep the flame burning. Beep beep, ahhh, beep beep…
The Film
From 1965 to 1970, musicians in New York City fused English and Spanish lyrics with Afro-Cuban, jazz, rock and R&B rhythms and melodies to create Latin boogaloo. It was a period of revolution and social awakening and young Latinos in search of their identity, growing up in neighborhoods like East Harlem and the South Bronx, adopted Latin boogaloo as their soundtrack.
This audience, once on the verge of leaving Latin music behind, now came to appreciate it. With the emergence of salsa, another New York creation, some say the Latin boogaloo was killed off, not by the fans, but by industry politics. We Like It Like That explores this fascinating, though often overlooked, bridge in Latin music history, seeking to understand its context in the story of Latinos in America and its continued influence around the world today.
Featuring original interviews with Joe Bataan, Johnny Colon, Ricardo Ray, Jimmy Sabater (of the Joe Cuba Sextet), Joey Pastrana, Larry Harlow, Harvey Averne, Angel Lebron (of the Lebron Brothers), Benny Bonilla (of the the Pete Rodriguez band), Felipe Luciano, Aurora Flores, Sandra Maria Esteves, Alex Masucci, Oliver Wang, Juan Flores, Bobby Sanabria, Bobbito Garcia and others.
Status
A work in progress cut of the film premiered in New York City at Central Park Summer Stage on August 10th, alongside an amazing concert with Mr. Boogaloo Blues, Johnny Colon and the king of Latin soul, Joe Bataan.
We filmed the event and plan to include footage from what turned out to be a truly special and historic night in the final version of the film. Read more about the event at the Summer Stage Website and watch Johnny and Joe discuss their music and promote the event, along with DJ Turmix on the ABC7 show Tiempo.
Where Will the Funds Go?
The funds from this campaign will see us through the final edit of the film and help us buy the rights to more of the archival footage needed to complete and officially release the film.
Because We Like It Like That is a music documentary, we are also in the process of securing rights to the songs that we highlight in the film. If we raise any money over our funding level we will put it towards buying song rights.
Why Kickstarter?
We have finished about 3/4 of the film! It has taken almost two years to get to this point, but we are thankful to be here. However, making a documentary is only half the work. Releasing the film is the other half. Through Kickstarter we hope to raise enough funds to put us well on our way towards completing the film for submission to major film festivals, PBS, a possible theatrical release and a successful DVD release. Our reason for making this film has been to inform the public about this incredible period in New York City and Latin music history, and to put a spotlight on the music of these phenomenal artists, whose musical contributions have been overlooked for too long.
Mathew Ramirez Warren
New York, NY
Writer and filmmaker, Mathew Ramirez Warren is a native of New York City. He received an M.A. from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and has been a regular contributor to the New York Times and Wax Poetics Magazine. In 2007, he began exploring documentary filmmaking, and in addition to his work in print, he has produced numerous videos for NYTimes.com and WaxPoetics.com. Since beginning work on his upcoming feature length documentary on the Latin boogaloo era, "We Like It Like That," Mathew has come to be viewed as an expert in the field and has written the liner notes on several album re-issues for Fania Records. He continues to live in New York City and has established his own production company, Muddy Science.
This one has been making the rounds recently. It was brought to my attention because I am included in Aracataca DJ Tomek’s email thread and, damn, it made my day. Here’s what a little be of ingenuity, spirit, flexibility and good looks will get you. That and a whole lot of practice. Stick with it… the payoff is worth it.
Thanks Tomek. – elW
I used to love watching Soul Train (1971-2006) hosted by Don Cornelius on Saturday mornings. The best part was, invariably, the line dance where couples strutted down aisle doing either freestyle or something they choreographed. I’m thinkin’ that a salsa version of Soul Train would have been too cool for school.
Soul Train was an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.
As a nod to Soul Train’s longevity, the show’s opening sequence (during later seasons) contains a claim that it was the “longest-running, first-run, nationally-syndicated program in television history,” with over 1,100 episodes produced from the show’s debut through the 2005-06 season.
The series was created by Don Cornelius, who also served as its first host and executive producer, and aired first-run episodes from 1971 to 2006. Production was suspended following the 2005-2006 season, with a rerun package (known as The Best of Soul Train) airing for two years after that. (Wikipedia)
Twobarbreak, a perennial Youtube favorite poster, has lots of very cool dance clips. Here’s one of my current selections, a gem that features Al & Leon (Al Minns and Leon James), legendary jazz dance duo in the ’30s and ’40s that laid the groundwork for what was to come decades later.
BLOQUE 53
BLOQUE 53
BLOQUE 53
