The Brown University Latin Jazz and Pop Festival
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The Brown University Latin Jazz and Pop Festival Presented by The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies Leslie Cartaya performing at Granoff Center for the Creative Arts 1 In October of 2015, CLACS hosted the first Brown University Latin Jazz and Pop Festival. A celebration of Latin music and cultures, the week featured live performances by Latin Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated musicians as well as panels and lectures about contemporary Latin music. Brown students, staff, and faculty attended many of the events, as did members of the Providence community. CLACS Director Richard Snyder 2 Venues 3 Gina Chavez Joaquín “El Kid” Díaz Ed Calle The Spot Underground 180 Pine Street, Providence, RI Philbert Armenteros Raymer Olalde and Román Díaz 4 Afro-Cuban Rumba Party The Festival began with an unforgettable performance of Afro-Cuban Rumba at The Spot Underground, an off-campus club in downtown Providence. World-renowned percussionists Pedrito Martinez, Raymer Olalde, Philbert Armenteros, and Román Díaz showcased traditional and cutting-edge Cuban sounds. Following the Rumba, Providence local Czésare Santana performed his unique blend of Latin Alternative Folk/Rock/Fusion. Ed Calle and SonLokos The music continued at The Spot Underground with a performance by Ed Calle, a Venezuelan-born saxophonist, composer, and professor and winner of the 2015 Latin Grammy for “Best Instrumental Album.” Calle is one of the most-recorded saxophonists in history. He treated his Providence audience to both original pieces and familiar standards. Calle was followed by SonLokos, a new Miami-based Cuban dance band that features percussionists Raymer Olalde and Philbert Armenteros and vocalist Joaquín “El Kid” Díaz. SonLokos was nominated for a 2015 Latin Grammy for “Best Traditional Tropical Album.” Gina Chavez Trio The Gina Chavez Trio of Austin, Texas, made up of guitarist and vocalist Gina Chavez, percussionist Sammy Foster, and trumpet-player Roy Thomas, also performed at the The Spot Underground. Gina Chavez is an accomplished Latin-folk singer-songwriter who was recently featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert. She is the 2014 John Lennon Songwriting Contest (JLSC) Grand Prize Winner for her song “Siete-D,” a rock-cumbia-rap mix about El Salvador. The 2015 Austin Music Awards recognized her as Austin’s 2015 Musician of the Year and winner of Best Song (“Siete-D”), Best Album (Up.Rooted) and Best Latin Band. Her performance included original songs from Up.Rooted as well as covers of well-known Latin American folk songs. 5 Jesús Andújar and Grupo Sazón Raymer Olalde Audience members Leslie Cartaya dancing during the Steve Roitstein and Ed Calle performance Aurora 276 Westminster Street, Providence, RI PALO! with Jesús Andújar and Grupo Sazón Providence’s own Jesús Andújar & Grupo Sazón kicked off this great night of live music at Aurora with salsa, merengue, cha-cha-cha, and Latin jazz. They opened for PALO!, 2015 Grammy Nominee and 2014 Latin Grammy Nominee as well as Miami New Times’ Best Latin Band 2014. PALO! performs original Afro-Cuban Funk compositions and features vocals by Latin Grammy-nominated singer Leslie Cartaya. 6 AS220 115 Empire Street, Providence, RI Percussion Workshop with Román Díaz, Philbert Armenteros, and Raymer Olalde Members of the public were invited to join the music at a drumming workshop held in downtown Providence at AS220, a local artist-run organization and performance space. This event was co-organized by AS220’s Youth Program. Díaz, Armenteros, and Olalde explored drumming techniques and discussed key elements of the Afro-Cuban music tradition. 7 The Recording Studio at the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts Brown University During the Festival, some of the visiting musicians came together at the recording studio in the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts. Building on Steve Roitstein’s ideas for a song, the artists added material and proceeded to record in the studio. Over the course of the day, the group edited the song, improvised, and developed a more natural flow. By the end of the recording session, they had created “Agua Pa’ Los Santos” (see left). The song was performed live for the first time three days later in the Martinos Auditorium at the Granoff Center. 8 Martinos Auditorium at the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts Brown University Leslie Cartaya and guest musicians Pedrito Martinez Román Díaz and Ed Calle 9 The Day of Orula Celebration The Day of Orula is traditionally a day of feast honoring Orula, a central Orisha of the Yoruba religion. This special evening featured Cuban singer and composer Descemer Bueno, who won three Latin Grammy Awards in 2014, including “Song of the Year” for Descemer Bueno “Bailando,” as well as master Afro- Cuban percussionist Pedrito Martinez and Afro-Cuban funk group PALO! Even the Brown University Jazz Band joined in for a few songs. By the end of the show, all of the performers had joined together on stage, and the audience was on their feet. Descemer Bueno’s set included a surprise Flamenco One of Cuba’s top dancers performance. performs during “Bailando” 10 The Brown University Jazz Band At the Day of Orula Celebration, the Brown University Jazz Band joined the festivities and performed with Leslie Cartaya, Descemer Bueno, Ed Calle, and Pedrito Martinez. This talented group of students collaborated with the artists to add a diversity of sound to the environment and further encouraged the audience to dance. Brown students were able to work with the artists and learn more about their genre of music, enhancing the experience of both the jazz band members and the visiting musicians. 11 Joukowsky Forum, Watson Institute Brown University Roundtable Discussion on the Roots of Afro-Cuban Music Musicologist Ned Sublette, author of Cuba and Its Music, was joined by Martin Cohen, founder of the Latin Percussion (LP) brand of percussion instruments, Arturo Gómez, Music Director of KUVO/KVJZ Denver, and researcher and blogger Eva Silot Bravo for a discussion of past and present Afro-Cuban music. Martin Cohen and Arturo Gómez Eva Silot Bravo and Ned Sublette 12 Kim Koo Library, Watson Institute Brown University El Paquete, or, the Present Moment in Cuban Music: A Descarga Musicologist Ned Sublette spoke about the historical roots of contemporary Afro-Cuban music. Gina Chavez and Jodi Granado discuss their campaign, Niñas Arriba Gina Chavez and Jodi Granado spoke with students about their work providing young women in El Salvador with funding for college. A conversation with Martin Cohen Martin Cohen, founder of Latin Percussion (LP), the world’s largest producer of hand percussion instruments, discussed his experiences in the music business. 13 The Festival and Fundación Botín 14 Each year since 2010, the Botín Foundation, headquartered in Santander, Cantabria, Spain, has offered talented university students from throughout Latin America the opportunity to take part in the Program for Strengthening Public Service in Latin America. October 2015 marked the sixth consecutive year that students participating in the Botín Foundation Program for Strengthening Public Service in Latin America convened at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs for the U.S. portion of the program. This year’s cohort was comprised of 32 undergraduate students from 14 Latin American countries with a vocation for public service. The Botín scholars spent one week at Brown before traveling to Spain and Brazil for the remainder of the two-month program. 15 While at Brown, the Botín scholars took part in activities focused on public service and leadership, including workshops, training sessions, and lectures by Brown faculty, former President of Chile Ricardo Lagos, and other experts on Latin America. The scholars also had the opportunity to speak with Rhode Island public officials and participate in various cultural activities. The fact that the music festival was planned to coincide with the Botín scholars’ visit added a new element to the program. The scholars attended most of the festival events and participated in a private percussion workshop with Philbert Armenteros, Román Díaz, and Raymer Olalde. The festival added new experiences to their trip, and they added energy to the festival. 16 Press 17 Latino Public Radio 1290 AM President and host of Rhode Island’s Latino Public Radio, Dr. Pablo Rodríguez, interviewed CLACS Director Richard Snyder about the Latin Jazz and Pop Festival. Public Figures in Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza A Miami-based film crew led by director Joe Cardona interviewed the Mayor of Providence Jorge O. Elorza for a PBS documentary about the music festival, Ivy Leage Rumba. Mayor Elorza discussed the importance and cultural significance of bringing world-class Latin Jazz and Pop artists to Providence. Elorza highlighted how this blend of cultures, ethnicities, and perspectives makes the city vibrant. 18 B-Side Magazine During the Festival, Austin-based musician Gina Chavez was interviewed by first-year student Katherine Chavez for Brown’s student- run music publication, B-Side Magazine. The magazine featured a video interview with Gina Chavez as well as an overview of the festival from a student perspective. “At every concert of the Latin Jazz and Pop Festival, the audience was the most enthusiastic I have ever seen at a concert. During [Jesús] Andújar’s performance, the audience formed a conga line. In another moment they used someone’s belt to start a game of limbo. Strangers started to dance together in pairs, helping each other to get a feel for the movement of the music.” - Katherine Chavez, B-Side Magazine 19 A PBS Documentary Throughout the Festival, Miami-based Director Joe Cardona, known for films such as The Day It Snowed in Miami, Celia the Queen and Miami Boheme, led a crew that filmed the performances and interactions behind-the-scenes. They also interviewed musicians, public figures in Providence, Brown faculty, and CLACS Director Richard Snyder.