Some of the Gene Golden collection of percussion

Raices Habanera at a Chicago Festival 8/29/09

Quinto Mayor

(Quinto Mayor, Video Credit: Gene Golden)

Pancho Quinto

Pancho Quinto's group played at La Esquina Habanera some time ago, and guess who got the footage. Gene just put these up on youtube. Check them out.

(Pancho Quinto y Su Anagui, El Negro Triana, Lazaro Rizo - vocals, Puntilla - quinto, Miguel Puntilla Rios - tres dos, Octavio Rodriguez - tumbador)



(Videos Courtesy of Gene Golden)

Yambu con Angel, Willie, Apache, Babafemi...

(Bruckner Yambu, Video Credit: Dennis Flores)

Bruckner Rumba

(Willie, Angel, Anthony, Apache, Photo Credit: Ivan Ferrer)

Willie organized a rumba outside of his building which unfortunately I could not make. Dennis Flores took some video which will hopefully make it's way to us soon. Willie told me it was a successful rumba. I wouldn't want to miss the next one.

* I have updated this post with more pics by Ivan Ferrer.

(Angel Rodriguez, Photo Credit: Ivan Ferrer)



(Apache Rivera and Willie El Ruso, Photo Credit: Ivan Ferrer)



(Jose "Apache" Rivera, Photo Credit: Ivan Ferrer)



(Babafemi, Photo Credit: Ivan Ferrer)



(Jose Rivera, Photo Credit: Ivan Ferrer)



(Jose Rivera, Photo Credit: Ivan Ferrer)

Quinto Mayor

More great clips from Gene Golden's stash. Can anyone help me name the chekere player, and the singer?

Los Afortunados

Gene put up a great video of Los Afortunados playing a guaguanco at a recording studio in Brooklyn (I believe). Gene Golden on tres dos, Alberto Serrano on tumbador, Felix Sanabria on quinto, Skip Burney on guagua, Donald Eaton on chekere, Manuel "El Llanero" Solitario on voz y clave, Bill, Paula Ballan, Chico Alvarez on coro.

In this next clip you have Skip singing akpwon to a great guiro, with Donald Eaton, Bill on chekeres, Felix on guataca, Paula Ballan, Alberto Serrano, Manuel Martinez singing the ankori part, and of course Gene Golden on caja.

All videos uploaded by Gene Golden.

Los Afortunados w/ Chico Alvarez & Crew

Gene has been putting up some great stuff on facebook, and for those that don't have an account, take it from me, you are missing out. Hopefully we will get him on board with Sentimiento soon, so we can post more vids directly to the blog, in the meantime I will share what I can. Check out this rare Los Afortunados recording from yesteryear featuring members of Chico Alvarez band. Gene is on tumbas, Alberto Serrano on quinto, Manuel El Llanero on clave, Donald Eaton on chekere, Paula Ballan, coro, Felix Sanabria on cencerro. Unfortunately I can't name the bass, tres, and flute player. If you know, let us know.

(Los Afortunados w/ Chico Alvarez, Video Credit: Gene Golden)

Raices Habaneras @ Esquina Habanera

The now defunct Esquina Habanera hosted some of the best rumba in the city for a couple of years. At it's strongest, you had acts like Los Munequitos coming through, and famous rumberos such as Ernesto Gatel, Amado Dedeu, Orlando Puntilla, and countless others. The Raices Habanera crew (based out of NJ) had many regulars in attendance throughout. Gene Golden was no exception.

This elder of "la rumba Nuevayorkina", was definitely a mainstay and his latest youtube offering has him taking part in a tasty columbia, check it out for yourself:

(Columbia @ Equina Habanera, Video Credit: Gene Golden)

La Rumba Ya Se Formo Con...

Barry Cox was kind enough to share this piece of nostalgia that he found. The city has hosted many a rumba a various venues and the Wreck Room, was one of them. Now this piece of history will only exist in the collective minds of the ones who participated, the ones who organized, and the ones who remember.

You can check out the Union Guarachera agrupacion at Mark Sander's site:

http://fidelseyeglasses.blogspot.com/2009/01/video-nyc-rumba-street-festival.html

(Los Munequitos sat in with regulars at the rumba one night, Jonathan Troncoso, Photo Credit: Barry Cox)



(Los Munequitos, Photo Credit: Barry Cox)