La Bomba Que No Termina...

Alma Moyo has got to be one of my favorite bomba groups. I love a great bomba just like the next man, but Alma definitely takes me to another place and time. One glance at their roster and you will no doubt notice many a familiar face, such as Jorge "Georgie" Vazquez (playing buleador), who plays with Hot Peas N' Butter, Yerbabuena, and is a big part of the Rincon Criollo family. Dr. Raquel Z Rivera (vocals), is already establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with not only in the realm of song, but literature. Fidel Tavarez (cua), who always plays with so much flavor, has played steadily with Alma Moyo since it's inception along with another notable group by the name of Ilu Aye. Obanilu Allende (primo), at a young age has established himself as one of the best bomberos and pleneros in the city, he can sing, dance, play, truly a triple threat. Manuela Arciniegas (buleador), drummer, cultural worker, and ex-Director of Education for the CCCADI, has played with Yaya and Bambula. Alex LaSalle (maraca), musical director and lead singer, drummer, dancer, historian is another young talent with deep roots in not only the bomba and plena side of things, but is also a heavy in the Palo traditions of Cuba. Julia Gutierrez (coro), has also been brought into the fold, another great dancer and proponent of Bomba and Plena in New York. Of course my ignorance never fails in that I can't identify the other two performers in the video. In anyone knows please leave a comment.

Dennis Flores has been filming much of what's been happening in New York for a couple of years now. If you haven't checked out his YouTube page, you are in for a treat. Not only is the filming quality top notch, the sound quality is great too, which is rare especially among youtube videos. Of course Dennis ain't exactly filming these clips with his camera phone and I am sure he has the best equipment possible at his disposal. Hopefully we will be hearing, or in this case seeing, more from him soon. In the meantime...

(Alma Moyo, Video Credit: Dennis Flores)

Alma Moyo 5.16.2009

When:
Saturday, May 16, 2009 10:00 PM

Where:
Camaradas Bar & Restaurant
2241 1st Ave./ 115th Street
New York
10029
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Bomba has always been a tool for revolution and the celebration of freedom, and a means to cleanse our spirits from the everyday wind and grind of ordinary life. Join Alma Moyo, New York's most exciting Afro Puerto Rican ensemble, and celebrate life, love and Spirit together within an all embracing community dedicated to the preservation of our African legacy in Puerto Rico.

"Realize that You are involved in a situation that is a lot greater than who you are!!!" Sononfu Somé, Dagara People West Africa. We as descendants of a cultural legacy that stems back about 500 years are involved in something greater than we as individuals. Our Afro Puerto Rican cultural tradition, la Bomba, will ignite Camaradas Bar & Restaurant this Saturday Night and the voices of our ancestors will penetrate our very souls. Bomba has always been a tool for revolution and the celebration of freedom, and a means to cleanse our spirits from the everyday wind and grind of ordinary life. Join Alma Moyo, New York's most exciting Afro Puerto Rican ensemble, and celebrate life, love and Spirit together within an all embracing community dedicated to the preservation of our African legacy in Puerto Rico. starts at 10pm $5 Cover

Alma Moyo - 2/26/2009

Bomba Classes - POSTPONED!!

This is the latest from Julia:

Familia,

Alma Moyo's BOMBA CLASSES (at Hybryd Fight Dance Studios) are temporarily postponed due to construction challenges at our space We are aiming to start all sessions soon, so keep in touch! Thank you for your interest, we will see you soon!

**Come and check out Alma Moyo on SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7TH 2009 ~ 9:00 pm ~@Camaradas, El Barrio2241 1st Avenue and 115th Street, El Barrio, NY $5.00 coverIn a special performance in collaboration with the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute that celebrates Afro-Boricua heritage with live bomba music, song & dance. The evening will also begin with a special opening performance of live Afro-Bolivian music!

For more information about the new class schedule and/or to sign up on Alma Moyo's mailing list, contact us at: rioloiza@gmail.com / almamoyo7@yahoo.com http://www.almamoyo.com/ / www.myspace.com/almamoyo

(Alex LaSalle @ a Workshop, Photo Credit: Alma Moyo)

Reminder - Bomba Classes

Message from Julia:

Hola Familia,

Just a quick reminder that Alma Moyo's Bomba dance and percussion dance classes will begin next Thursday, January 22nd @ 7:00 pm - all students, ages and skill levels are welcomed! Ladies - please bring a dance skirt if it's available to youPercussion Students - please bring your own instruments! Any questions, please feel free to contact me! See you all there!

Julia L. Gutierrez-Rivera

rioloiza@gmail.com

Click here...

Bomba Classes - Washington Heights

I just got an email from Julia on some upcoming classes taught by none other than herself and Alex LaSalle.

Thursdays, 7:00 pm8:30 pm

Hybrid Fight Dance Studios
1828 Amsterdam Ave (btwn 150 151 Sts)
Washington Heights, NY 10031
C train to 155th Street

STARTING JANUARY 22ND, 2009
ALL ARE WELCOME!

Intensive Puerto Rican Bomba
DANCE & PERCUSSION CLASSES

Honoring our cultural heritage and spiritual legacy
by
Alexander LaSalle (Director, Alma Moyó)
Julia GutiérrezRivera (dance teacher)

For more information: almamoyo7@yahoo.com / rioloiza@gmail.com
www.almamoyo.com / http://www.myspace.com.almamoyo/

About Alma Moyo:

Alma Moyo is an Afro-Boricua musical group dedicated to the preservation of Puerto Rico's oldest living African musical and cultural tradition, la Bomba. Founded in 2002, under the musical direction of Alexander Vale LaSalle (Moca, Puerto Rico), the group's members are a talented intergenerational mix of musicians, educators, community organizers and historians from Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Offering performances, school-based residencies, workshops and lectures, since its inception, Alma Moyo has toured regionally and collaborated with numerous bomba collectives in the US and Puerto Rico, all to critical acclaim. The group is hailed as the next movement in Pan-Caribbean Musical Expression, and is considered as NYC's new bomba ensemble powerhouse.

BOMBA has its roots in the Western coast of Africa and especially in the Congo/Bantu people of Central Africa. Bomba refers to a Bantu word that translates according to the Kikongo language into "drum" and "music". Bomba arrived in Puerto Rico during the slave trade in the late 1500's, where it continued to evolve, picking up influences from New Orleans, Haiti, Guadaloupe and other Caribbean islands. Bomba music follows the Call and Response tradition common to all African music and has served as a means of communication where members of the community express the reality of their daily life through song and dance.

About the Instructors:

Alexander LaSalle, a researcher & lecturer of the oral history of Afro Antillean traditions, Mr. LaSalle is a skilled percussionist, songwriter and singer whose versatile musical talents lend themselves to singing Afro-Boricua, Afro-Dominican, Afro-Cuban and Haitian traditional music. As the founder/director of Alma Moyo, one of NYC's most powerful Bomba ensembles, Alex works dedicatedly to honor the legacy and voice of the ancestors from the bomba communities stemming from Mayagüez, Cataño and Guayama. Alex is a member of Los Pleneros de la 21, Juan Usera y La Tribu and has performed with numerous groups both in Puerto Rico and throughout the United States

Julia L. Gutiérrez-Rivera weaned as a child on bomba and plena, received formal training as a part of Los Pleneros de la 21's Bomba and Plena Children's Worshops' Pioneer Class. As a young woman, she is now recognized as one of NYC's premier Bomba and Plena dancers of her generation. Taught by many of NY's bomba and plena luminaries, including founding members of Los Pleneros de la 21, Eugenia Ramos, Paco Rivera, Tito Cepeda, and Roberto Cepeda, Julia embraces diverse regional influences in her dance as a member of Los Pleneros de la 21, Alma Moyo, and Bámbula. Julia has also worked with La Tribu, William Cepeda's Afro-Boricua and Afro-Rican Jazz ensembles, Papo Vázquez Pirate Troubadours and Plena Libre. Julia has provided workshops for students of all ages nationally for the past four years.

Alma Moyo - Tomorrow !!!

If I were in NY tomorrow, there would be no question as to where I would be, $5 bucks!

Alma Moyo

(Alma Moyo, w/ Harry Belafonte, Bob Thompson, Daniel Dawson, Photo Credit: Alma Moyo)

I am trying to get in touch with Alex LaSalle. He is the leader/lead singer of Alma Moyo one of the great bomba y plena groups in the city. I don't have much information on them yet, but hopefully that won't be the case for too much longer. Their repertoire consists of some pretty classic bombas since Alex himself has done extensive research at various institutions that hold in their collections certain bombas from yesteryear.

Here is a little info about Alex from "The Legacy Circle".

From Moca, Puerto Rico, Alex is the founder and musical director of Alma Moyó. He is a skilled percussionist, songwriter and singer whose versatile musical talents lend themselves to singing Afro-Boricua, Afro-Dominican, Afro- Cuban and Haitian traditional music, including Rara, Palo and Salve, Bomba, Plena, and Musica Jibara. Alex is fluent in the Afro-Cuban Kongo language and an avid cultural researcher and oral historian. He has presented lectures on Afro-Puerto Rican spirituality and culture and Pan-Caribbean and African cultural connections for educators and students at Yale University, El Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico, Long Island University, Columbia University, New York University, Tufts University, and others. A teaching artist in the public schools of New York City , Alex has taught Pre-K through adult age populations in the South Bronx and City-wide and has performed with such groups as William Cepeda’s Afro-Boricua, Pa'lo Monte, Ntima Ngoma Mayombe, La 21 Division, Son del Batey, and Los Tambores de Felix Alduen, and now Los Pleneros de la 21. Alexander is also a specialist in Sance, a spiritual system that evolved from Vodoun practices in Puerto Rico and throughout the major Antilles in the early 1800's. He is also the Bakonfula (soon to be steward) to the oldest house of Palo Mayombe in Cuba, La Casa de Batalla Sacara Empeño. He hails from an old lineage of healers, herbalists, and spiritualists of traditional African religious and spiritual ways of life.

According to Manuela Arciniegas, Alma Moyo will be putting out an album soon, so as soon as I know more, so will you. In the meantime check out this great video showing Alma Moyo, and Obanilu Allende marcando as only he can.

(Alma Moyo, Video Credit: bosefod)

* Alex if you happen to be reading this drop me a line...