De Musica Ligera - The Best for Last

“Latintronica” is a musical genre that can succinctly be described as electronica fused with traditional Latin music. Perhaps one of the most known exponents in recent years of “latintronica” is the Tijuana-based group Nortec Collective. For the past fifteen years, the members of Nortec have earned critical praise for their unique mixing of electronic and techno sounds with elements of Mexico’s Tambora and Norteño musical traditions.  Yet as the cliché goes, “All good things must come to an end” and that is the case with Nortec who will disband this year.

Prior to retiring Nortec will release one final album on September 16th, which possibly not coincidentally is Mexico’s Independence Day.  Entitled Motel Baja, the album is the final entry in Nortec duo’s Bostich + Fussible Border Trilogy and includes collaborators like the Tom Tom Club and Wolfgang Flur of Kraftwerk.

"We really enjoyed working with Nortec Collective. Their sound is filled with freshness and vigor," observed Tom Tom Club's Chris Frantz.

The first single from Motel Baja, “Camino Verde” was released earlier this month and you can listen to it in the embedded video at the top of this post.  On Wednesday another single from the album was released.  “Room Service” was described by Fussible (real name: Pepe Mogt) as “one of those romantic songs that you’d hear in a Tijuana hotel room” that blends the “classic norteño sound of Mexican music from old times, but still has the electronic edge characteristic of the Nortec sound.”

“Room Service” can be heard by clicking this link to The Onion’s A.V. Club. 

Motel Baja can be pre-ordered via iTunes.

De Musica Ligera: Jobim

This Saturday marks what would have been the 87th birthday of the famed Brazilian singer and songwriter Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, "Tom" gained prominence in his native land after he collaborated with poet Vinícius de Moraes to write music for the 1956 play "Orfeu da Conceição" and its subsequent film adaptation, "Black Orpheus." He would soon help spearhead the bossa nova musical genre along with the likes of Luiz Bonfá and João Gilberto.  Jobim would make his name on the world stage by the mid-1960s with the skyrocketing popularity of bossa nova music worldwide.  His first big hit abroad was the recording of "Desafinado" by saxophonist Stan Getz and guitarist Charlie Byrd in 1962.  Yet his main claim to fame was Astrud Gilberto's version of "The Girl From Ipanema" from the classic 1964 album "Getz/Gilberto."
 
Over the next three decades Jobim emerged as an influential jazz artist who worked on albums with well-known musicians such as Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald as well as Brazilian contemporaries like Ellis Regina, Gal Costa and Sergio Mandes.  Songs including "Waters of March", "One Note Samba" and "Wave" became mainstays of jazz and Brazilian music.

The video below the page break comes from Jobim's 1986 performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival.  Recorded eight years before he passed away, Jobim interpreted some of his best-known tunes that continue to be cherished today: 

De Musica Ligera: Remembering Kirsty MacColl

On December 18, 2000, English singer–songwriter Kirsty MacColl died under mysterious circumstances while vacationing with her family in Mexico.  

While scuba diving off the coast of Cozumel with her two sons, MacColl was hit and killed by a speedboat that entered illegally into a swimming-only area. The scuba instructor working with the group, Ivan Diaz, claimed that her final gesture was to save the life of one of her sons by pushing him away from the path of the boat.

Mexican business tycoon Guillermo González Nova owned the boat involved in the incident and he was on board the vessel with his family.  Crewmember José Cen Yam confessed that he drove the boat and his only punishment was to pay a small putative fine.  Yet MacColl's family and her supporters believed that Cen Yam took the blame for his boss and Nova covered up the true circumstances of the accident.  (They claimed that witnesses including Diaz saw Nova admit to police that he was driving the speedboat while Yam “drunkenly” said that Nova promised him money and a house in exchange for lying to the authorities).

The tragedy snuffed out the life of a gifted musician who was best known for having her debut solo single "They Don't Know" covered by Tracey Ullman, singing backing vocals on several songs from The Smiths and collaborating with Shane MacGowan in the holiday classic “Fairytale of New York.”  Yet at the time of her untimely death she was scheduled to present a series on Cuban music for BBC radio, which she recorded in Havana and included interviews with the Buena Vista Social Club and Ry Cooder.  Throughout her career she dabbled with Latin-themed tunes in her songs such as “In These Shoes” and “Us Amazonians” from her final album, Tropical Brainstorm. 

Below the page break is the video from 1991’s “My Affair”, an upbeat song described by The A.V. Club as a “simple cure” to overcome the sadness one may feel from her untimely death thirteen years ago this month:

De Musica Ligera: The Return of Juana Molina

Argentine comedic actress-turned-singer Juana Molina announced her return to the studios with a new album expected to come out in October.  Wed 21 will be Molina's first album of new music in five years and it was composed, performed, recorded and produced by her.

“Eras” is one of the ten songs from Molina's new album and is described by music blog Earbuddy as "a female-fronted Radiohead track or know it for what it actually is — an excellent new single from Juana Molina."  Judge for yourself by listening to "Eras":

We will be off on Friday though we hope to return over the weekend and possibly answer the following questions:

De Musica Ligera: “Algiers” via Arizona

Last Friday we looked at the latest domestic album release from Colombia’s Bomba Estereo. Another album release occurred on Tuesday from an indie group who we’ve featured before.

“Algiers” is the seventh studio album from Arizona-based group Calexico and their first since 2008. Though The A.V. Club describes the songs on “Algiers” as having “the same parched and airy desert quality that all of the group’s records do”, the album reflects the variety of musical styles including Tejano and mariachi.

Perhaps no other tune from Calexico’s attest album reflects their appreciation of folkloric Mexican music as “Puerto”. The soft strum of acoustic guitars and occasional horns are some of the instruments that are used to construct a lush and melodic song. Listen for yourself:

Calexico is touring London, Paris, Stockholm and other Europe cities this month before returning to tour the U.S. in October.

Video Source – YouTube via Anti Records

Online Sources – Casa de Calexico, The A.V. Club, The Latin Americanist

De Musica Ligera: Soul and Body

Colombian quartet Bomba Estereo released their third album this week, "Elegancia Tropical", in their homeland. The album features the funky mix of cumbia and electro music that has been the band's hallmark over the past few years.

The following is the official music video for "El Alma y El Cuerpo", the first single from "Elegancia Tropical" that will be released internationally in October:

Video Source - YouTube via user bombaestereo

Online Source - Official website for Bomba Estereo

De Musica Ligera: Sugar Man of Steel

This year’s version of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York started one week ago today and will end this Sunday. One of the most focused upon news stories of the event has been the disappearance (and possible defection) of two Cuban actors who starred in a “One Night,” a film featured in Tribeca about Cuban migrants journeying to the U.S.

Among the films in Tribeca focusing on Latinos and Latin America is “Searching for Sugar Man” a documentary on the Mexican-American folk singer simply known as Rodriguez.

Rodriguez may not be a household name in the country of his birth, yet his soulful and politically-conscious music of the 1970s made an impact in numerous nations thousands of miles away. One of these countries was South Africa where his songs resonated with a younger generation opposed to Apartheid and the government’s authoritarianism.

Though Rodriguez was a superstar in South Africa he was unaware that he gained such a status. Thus, an urban legend grew amongst his fans in that country where it as rumored that he committed suicide by going onstage and either lighting himself on fire or shooting himself in the head.

“Searching for Sugar Man” follows two of his South African fans determined to find out the true fate of their musical hero. This brief clip from the documentary provides a glimpse at how Rodriguez’ music taught thousands of South Africans that it was “okay to protest against society”:

“Searching for Sugar Man” will be screened this Friday night at the Clearview Cinemas Chelsea 7 in New York City.

The film is planned for release in New York and Los Angeles on July 27, with more cities to follow.

(Hat tip: Brooklyn Vegan, which also reveals if the urban legend on Rodriguez’ death is true or not).

Video Source – YouTube via MovieclipsCOMINGSOON

Online Sources – Official websites for the Tribeca Film Festival and “Searching for Sugar Man”, Brooklyn Vegan

De Musica Ligera: Genius music

Jazz composer Dafnis Prieto and Young People's Chorus of New York City Francisco Núñez were among the twenty-two people named today as recipients of the 2011 MacArthur Genius Grants.

Both gentlemen were praised by the MacArthur Foundation for their immense talents within their respective fields of music. In the case of the Cuban-born Prieto the organization recognized how he “is infusing Latin jazz with a bold new energy and sound” partly due to his “ability to execute highly complex, polyrhythmic structures with extraordinary speed and precision.” These qualities can be appreciated in the clip you can view here from a 2009 performance with his Si o Si ensemble.

Meanwhile, the foundation exalted Núñez’ vision that “elevated the youth chorus to the ranks of serious contemporary music, commissioning and performing some of the most challenging works for youth choirs.” Since its inception in 1988, Núñez has guided the Young People's Chorus (YPC) to include over one thousand singers including some that tour around the world.
The video below shows Núñez leading the YPC earlier this year in a stirring rendition of Picaflor Esmeralda" by Gabriela Lena Frank:

Each grant recipient will get a $500,000 no-strings-attached gift to be doled out over a five-year period. According to Bloomberg, Prieto said that he will use his grant to “self-publish a book on drumming and record a trio album in January for which he has been writing music.” For his part, Núñez told the AP that he “feels like I have an opportunity here and a challenge to figure out something really great” with the grant funds.

Video Sources – WNYC and Young People's Chorus of New York City via YouTube

Online Sources- MacArthur Foundation, ABC News, Bloomberg

De Musica Ligera: The key

We're going to close shop for the weekend and wait out the oncoming Hurricane Irene.

In the meantime, please enjoy the following catchy tune from Venezuelan hip-hop group Cuarto Poder:

Take care readers!

Video Source - Nacional Records via YouTube

De Musica Ligera: Saude!

The Brazil Summerfest concert series takes place this week in New York City and one of the groups participating is Forro in the Dark. They'll be performing at a free concert at the City Winery in Manhattan on Tuesday. The delightful rhythms of the quartet of Brazilian expats can be enjoyed live at tomorrow's gig as well as in the below video:

Video Source – YouTube
Online Source - Brooklyn Vegan

De Musica Ligera: Rumba!

Several days ago it was announced that Manu Chao would go on a U.S. tour starting in August and including concerts in New York, Miami and Austin. Wonderful!

Video Source - YouTube
Online Source - Brooklyn Vegan

De Musica Ligera: Magical Marta

We've previously talked about Marta Gómez, the Colombian-born chanteuse whose music artfully blends folkloric sounds from her homeland with traditional melodies from other South American countries. She is best known for writing and interpreting "Mirame", the theme to the his Colombian telenovela "La Pola". But she will be performing in concert tonight in New York City as part of the release of her latest album, "El Corazon y El Sombrero" (The Heart and the Hat).

Aside from her marvelous music, Gómez also founded the Agua Dulce Foundation, which she claimed has the goal of creating "a better future for Latin American children and through them, their families and communities".

If you can please go and check her out tonight at Joe's Pub in Manhattan; otherwise, enjoy the following video clip of Gómez singing "Mirame" in Cartagena earlier this year:

Online Sources - The Latin America, Joe's Pub, Official Website of Marta Gomez,
Video Sources - YouTube

De Musica Ligera: Feliz aniversário, O Rei!

Today is the seventieth birthday of Roberto Carlos, one of Brazil’s premier singers and composers of the past several decades. He is best known for his adult contemporary hits during the 1970s and 80s including “Amigo” and “Cama y Mesa”. Yet it was in his early years where he was a key member of the “Jovem Guarda” (“Young Guard”) musical genre, which would serve as the precursor to the popular Brazilian music (MPB) movement.

Unfortunately numerous celebrations for have been put on hold since he has been mourning the death of his eldest stepdaughter last Friday. (This came almost a year since his mother, Laura Moreira Braga, died at the age of 96). Despite such difficult personal setbacks, Carlos continues to forge ahead with his musical career that has spanned over fifty years.

Pele may’ve earned the nickname of "O Rei" (“The King”) for his prowess on the soccer field though the same nickname has been given to Roberto Carlos. It’s a deserved label for such a prolific and well-respected musician whose influence throughout the Americas cannot be overlooked.

The following comes from the early 1970s and is, in my view, one of his most underrated hits: “Se eu pudesse voltar no tempo” (“If I could turn back time”).

Video Source - YouTube
Online Sources- eBand, La Republica, Jornal O Norte

De Musica Ligera: Lero-Lero

Every month several blogs specializing in music feature artists from around the world as part of a project entitled the Music Alliance Pact. ("It's sort of like the WTO without the human rights violations," according to the I Guess I'm Floating blog).

April's version of the MAP (as featured in the Einstein Music Journal) contains a fantastic variety of over thirty international musicians from countries like Singapore, South Africa, and Sweden. Latin America is also well represented by the likes of Peruvian rockeros Kuraka and Mexican DJ Toy Selectah.

Brazilian singer Luisa Maita receives a deserved mention in the MAP for a song described as such:

Lero-Lero is the minimalist samba that opens the debut album from singer Luísa Maita. It’s a song that calmly grows, almost without you noticing – her soft voice takes you to a special place in your head and suddenly you’re just dancing and singing along with her.

Lero-Lero can be downloaded for free via her website. Nonetheless, here is the video for this delightful song from Luisa Maita:

Video Source - Cumbancha Music via YouTube
Online Sources - I Guess I'm Floating, Einstein Music Journal, Official website of Luisa Maita

De Musica Ligera: Lollapalooza in Chile

For the first time a version of the Lollapalooza music festival was held outside of the U.S. Kanye West, The Killers, Cypress Hill and Jane's Addition were some of the more internationally-known acts that performed at Lollapalooza Chile last weekend. There were also a variety of Ibero-American musicians present in Santiago including Spanish rapper Mala Rodriguez, groovy Colombians Bomba Estereo and up-and-coming Chilean songwriter Francisca Valenzuela.

One of the groups that performed to crowds of thousands at O'Higgins Park was local group Chico Trujillo. In his detailed and must-read review of Lollapalooza Chile, New York Times music critic Jon Pareles mentioned:

Unlike their Anglo colleagues, the Latin American bands didn’t indulge themselves in self-pity. The Chilean group Chico Trujillo, an overwhelming local favorite, revealed itself as a world-class party band.

Pareles was definitely not kidding:

Pareles concluded in his article that Lollapalooza Chile "might also spur its Anglo visitors to look beyond their own borders." Hopefully one can better appreciate not only the Spanish-speaking acts of the festival but also discover the rich plethora of musical styles and genres throughout the Americas.

Video Source - YouTube
Online Sources - New York Times, Cuaderno Latinoamericano

De Musica Ligera: Devlish dance unfairly burns Calle 13

Puerto Rican reggaeton duo Calle 13 is no strangers to controversy due to their political views. The group pulls no punches in letting their opinions be heard such as lead singer Rene “Residente” Perez calling Puerto Rican Gov. Luis Fortuno a “son of a massive bitch” during a performance at the 2009 edition of the Premios MTV Latin America.

On Wednesday Calle 13 helped open this year’s edition of Chile’s prestigious Viña del Mar music festival with a mix of high-tempo music and songs with a social message. Organizers tried to censor the group yet that did not stop Perez from appearing on stage with “Arriba Mapuche” written on his back. His solidarity with Chilean indigenous people extended to inviting Yatiris to perform a type of native dance called la diablada:

Oddly enough the above performance of la diablada has caused controversy in Bolivia where Minister for Culture Elizabeth Salguero said she would send a letter of complaint to Chile. Her ire is that Calle 13 neglected to acknowledge that the dance is Bolivian in origin. “We are glad when our dances and cultural expressions are spread to other countries but they need to recognize that they are from Bolivia,” said Salguero to a local daily.

Unfortunately this has not been the only time in recent years that la diablada has caused an overreaction. In 2009 Salguero’s predecessor, Pablo Groux, criticized Peru’s Miss Universe pageant representative for wearing a la diablada-related costume. Yet as blogger Midori Snyder noted at the time “both Peru and Chile claim the tradition of the Devil Dance as well -- and a former Miss Universe from Chile wore the costume way back in 1983 and 1989 during the pageant.”

Video Source - YouTube
Online Sources- La Razon, RPP, The Latin Americanist, Peru21, In the Labyrinth

De Musica Ligera: Opera a la Mexicana

What happens when you combine two great forms of music? The result could be either an unmitigated train wreck or a brilliant concept come to life. Thankfully the latter occurred several nights ago in Houston, Texas.

“Cruzar la cara de la Luna” (“To Cross the Face of the Moon”) was billed as the world’s first mariachi opera and it took place on Saturday at the Houston Grand Opera. Mezzo-sopranos Cecilia Duarte and Vanessa Cerda performed along with the thirteen-member Mariachi Vargas de Tecatitlan to tell a tale of family bonding, immigration, and the tying of cultures.

José "Pepe" Martinez, music director of Mariachi Vargas, composed the music while Broadway director Leonard Foglia helped guide the unique mariachi opera. In remarks to the Houston Chronicle, Foglia said that he wanted to write a story “with universal appeal” and he received personal inspiration from his Italian-born father. He added that now was the ideal time to feature such a one-of-a-kind tale:

"Everyone wants his story told," Foglia says, "wants to feel his life has some significance to the larger society. It's important to tell these stories, especially now, when there is sometimes such a rancorous debate about immigration."

Four additional staged performances (with the same vocal leads but a different mariachi group) of “Cruzar…” will be held from December 3-5 at the Talento Bilingüe de Houston. Otherwise please enjoy the following video taken by one of the audience members who attended Saturday’s performance:

Video Source - YouTube
Online Sources- Talento Bilingüe de Houston, La Opinion, Houston Chronicle, Wikipedia

De Musica Ligera: "Rioplatense" rhythms

Bajofondo is likely best known as a group created by Argentina's musical jack of all trades Gustavo Santaolalla. Bajofondo is more than just one person, however, as their music incorporates sounds from the Rio de la Plata area in Argentina and Uruguay along with more contemporary music. Their early work from when they were known as Bajofondo Tango Club coupled tango along with electronic music. Their more recent efforts feature a more diverse and rich set of music mixed with the rioplatense rhythms that Bajofondo's members hold dear to their hearts.

Their latest album, 2007's "Mar Dulce", included guest artists such as Gustavo Cerati, Nelly Furtado, and Elvis Costello. "El Anden" features Spanish rapper Mala Rodriguez and is a gem from a very complete and marvelous album:

Bajofondo will be playing tonight at New York's Highline Ballroom along with Contramano. If you can please check it out!

Online Sources - Bajofondo at MySpace Music, Highline Ballroom
Video Source - YouTube

De Musica Ligera: A “bomba” of sound

Earlier this month the latest edition of the Bumbershoot arts and music festival was held in Seattle, Washington. Mary J. Blige and Bob Dylan were among those who headlined Bumbershoot but the event also included several acts from Latin America such as Garotas Suecas and Ozomatli. One of these bands was the brilliant Bomba Estereo, a group that combines electronic beast with traditional Colombian music like the cumbia. “A little on the edgy side, the psychedelic effects seamlessly blend into glamorous electronic carnival,” was the way music blog Aurgasm described Bomba Estereo. See and listen for yourself:

Online Sources- Bumbershoot, YouTube, Aurgasm

De Musica Ligera: Fun in the sun

Though Monday may be Labor Day here in the States we won’t be taking the day off and we’ll be posting on that day. For now, we leave you with a great song from Spanish musician Pablo Díaz-Reixa a.k.a. El Guincho. His next album entitled “Pop Negro” will be released on September 13th. The following song entitled “Antillas” has been aptly described by the Stereogum music blog as a “five-minute bundle of clattering loops and sunny harmonies”. It is an ideal summer song whether that season is near its end as it is in the U.S. or soon to commence in several South American countries.

Online Sources- elguincho.com, YouTube, Stereogum