Music headlines on the Americas

* The newest wave in rock en español coming out of Mexico is more reminiscent of English language pop-rock groups like Blink-182 and Green Day instead of rock en español mainstays like Café Tacuba and Mana.

* National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” recently looked at four Cuban musicians that represent a new generation of music from the island that incorporate traditional and international sounds.

*Brazilian funker/tropicalista Curumin is finishing a tour of the U.S. this week; blogger Brooklyn Vegan includes an MP3 file in his post on Curumin.

* By now perhaps you’ve heard that Shakira heads the nominations for the Latin Grammys with 6 selections, but did you also know that four nominations were handed to Ricardo Arjona, Gustavo Cerati, and (personal favorite) Julieta Venegas?

* Speaking of personal favorites, Colombian rockeros Aterciopledos will embark on a brief tour of the U.S. later this month in order to support their first new album in 5 years.

* If you’re in a children’s music group nominated for a Latin Grammy then it would be wise to avoid being caught on your tour bus hiding over 500 pounds of cocaine.

* Cuban jazz + hip-hop + Afrobeat + salsa + Colombian cumbia = Yerba Buena

* “Latin American and Spanish music had a profound affect on me," said Marta Topferova- a rising star in Latin music who acquired her passion for it while growing up in her native Czech Republic.

* Over a decade after tragic death, Tejana music legend Selena will be honored with her own set of commemorative postage stamps.

* The press in the Dominican Republic ripped Venezuelan crooner Ricardo Monataner for being overly talkative and not singing enough at a pair of concerts last month in Santo Domingo.

Haven’t heard the music of any of the artists mentioned above? Don’t fret as here is a list of links to videos by some of the abovementioned artists, via YouTube:

* Aterciopledos – “Bolero Falaz”
* Curumin performing live in Chicago last month.
* Gustavo Cerati – “Te Llevo Para Que Me Quieres”
* Habana Abierta (see second item above) – “Corazón Boomerang”
* Julieta Venegas – “De Mis Pasos” (Live, 2006)
* Ricardo Arjona – “Desnuda”
* Ricardo Montaner – “Tan Enamorados”
* Selena - “I Could Fall in Love”
* Shakira – “Hips Don’t Lie” (Live, 2006)
* Yerba Buena – “Guajira”
* Zoé (see first item above) – “Via Lactea”

Update (7 October): I forgot to mention this before, but on Saturday (today) El Museo del Barrio will host a symposium on the social and cultural aspects of meringue music in the Caribbean. Several ethnomusicologists will speak during the symposium as part of a current exhibition on Dominican art at El Museo.

What…“Pan-Caribbean Perspectives on Merengue”

Where… El Museo del Barrio, 1230 5^th Avenue (at 104^th Street), Manhattan, New York City

When…2:00pm to 4:00pm

Admission…Free to the public

Link…..http://www.elmuseo.org/cal.html

Links- Dominican Today, voymusic.com, National Public Radio, Vivirlatino, Christian Science Monitor, Brooklyn Vegan, Reuters, New York Press, The Monitor (U.S.), BBC News, Hispanic PR Wire, YouTube

Image- Purdue University Latino Cultural Center (Mural entitled “Latin Dance, Music, Art and Rhythm").

Tags- music, Latin America