The most excellent author/songstress/musician, Dr. Raquel Z Rivera reached out to me to post an some interesting dates featuring an interesting singer by the name of Catarina Dos Santos.
About the CD release: Catarina Dos Santos is an amazing singer/composer from Portugal who lives in El Barrio and does jazz mixed with Afro-diasporic/African roots music of Brazil, Cape Verde, Portugal and Angola music. I'm impressed by her sophistication and at the same time rootedness in traditions. Plus she is a great performer with a beautiful spirit.
Here is some info regarding the events from Catarina herself:
It's with great happiness that I announce the date of my CD Release Party. "No Balanço do Mar" will have its presentation June 4th at 7:30pm, at Pregones Theatre.
This cd is my first one with original music, and it's the result of a research of the musical links between Lisbon's African identity and the North East of Brazil. It was recorded last year, between Lisbon, São Paulo and New York, and includes musicians from Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique and Brazil. It's beautiful music, and I hope to see you all at this wonderful theatre. There will be an after party on Saturday, June 6th, 6pm, at my house, we will be cooking some great Angolan dishes, and I am getting ready to do a show that I directed at Camaradas, with a blend of Angolan and Brazilian music.
I was fortunate to have a sponsorship to bring from Lisbon two amazing musicians, Mick Trovoada, from Angola, and Rolando Semedo, from Cape Verde, and they will grace us with music that is rarely played in NY, and that will keep you dancin'!
So, here it is:
June 4th at 7:30pm - "NO BALANÇO DO MAR" CD RELEASE PARTY
@ Pregones Theatre, 571-575 Walton Avenue, Bronx
(Take 2, 4 or 5 trains to 149th St. Grand Concourse (1st stop in the Bronx) and walk down 149th street 2 minutes, turn right on Walton Avenue.
- June 6th at 10pm - "FROM ANGOLA TO BRAZIL"
A Celebration of African Brazilian Music!
@ Camaradas, 115th Street and 1st Avenue, NYC
(Kimbombo (ao vivo no Chapito) - Catarina Dos Santos, Video Credit: soundbit1977)
Despite the fact that this is not purely folkloric in nature I chose to posted it here because of the over all emphasis on percussion. These are several excerpts from the all women ensemble Retumba playing at the Seaport in NYC. Retumba presents the entire spectrum of playing singing and dancing.
Well we've hit the 20k mark, and hopefully we will be around for many more. Willie and I have always tried to provide as much information in regard to and in respect to the NYC hand drumming scene (i.e. rumba, bomba y plena, Dominican Roots, etc...) If you are new to the blog, stay tuned because we still have a couple of tricks up our sleeve.
(Oba Ire - Camilo playing caja, Phot Credit: CEMGMusic)
New York has always been fertile ground for young and upcoming talent. As expected Camilo Molina is no exception. A native of El Barrio, Camilo has achieved what most never get to achieve. He has acquired such a proficiency within so many styles of percussion that he has made himself an indispensable asset within the NY percussion scene.
(Tony Rosa and a younger Camilo, Photo Credit: Martin Cohen)
Taken from Camilo's myspace:
Camilo Ernesto Molina Gaetán is an accomplished percussionist of 18 years old and is a graduate of Heritage High School in El Barrio, New York. At the age of two, Camilo began studying with Los Pleneros de la 21 – a community based group dedicated to playing folkloric Puerto Rican music – in their children’s workshop. It was as a student in the workshops where Camilo had met his first teachers: Alberto “Tito” Cepeda and Juan Gutierrez – both considered master Latin percussionists - with whom he studied Afro-Puerto Rican Folkloric music (Bomba y Plena). Advancing in skill through the years, Camilo has progressed from being a student to graduating into a percussionist teacher for the community workshops offered by Los Pleneros de la 21.
Camilo has also studied at Boys Harbor Conservatory with renowned percussionists Johnny Almendra, and Louis Bauzo since the age of four. Under Mr. Almendra’s guidance, Camilo studied Salsa and Jazz percussion instruments (Congas, Timbales, Bongós and Drum-set). Under the tutelage of Mr. Bauzo, Camilo has had the opportunity to study Afro-Cuban folkloric rhythms and instruments including Rumba, Bata drums, Guiro/Bembe and Santería chants. Camilo is also a graduate from the Julliard School of Music (2003) under the MAP/PATH after initiating said programs in fall of 2000.
Through the years, Camilo has traveled to Cuba to participate in FolkCuba, the Annual Havana Jazz Festival in December 2000 with the group Insight as well as for a cultural exchange as a member of Los Pleneros de la 21 in the summer of 2003. In 2008 Camilo also traveled to Berlin, Germany as a member of Los Pleneros de la 21, to perform in the world famous House of World Cultures. In New York Camilo has participated in workshops with Los Hermanos Cepeda and Afro-Cuba de Matanzas in the Dos Alas program (1996 & 1998). In the fall of 2000, Camilo had the great honor to be selected as one of ten semifinalists to compete in the Thelonious Monk International Afro-Latin Hand Drum Competition (at the time he competed against Pedrito Martinez). He went on to become a finalist and was selected third place winner, who, at age ten was the youngest finalist in the 14-year history of the competition. Camilo also received a proclamation from the City Council of New York honoring him for his musical talents and achievements in the fall of 2000, as well as the Celia Cruz Scholarship (2004) which allowed Camilo to travel to Miami, Florida to perform in the Latin Billboard Music awards in a tribute to Celia Cruz. He has also received The Harbor Achievement Award (2001), which was awarded to him by music mogul Russel Simmons.
Camilo has played/plays with Ilu Aye, Los Pleneros de la 21, Yerbabuena, Oba Ire, Anya Ade, and various other groups in the city. Camilo is well known and respected within the Afro Caribbean drumming scene in NY and all over the states. It is obvious that his hard work and dedication has paid off so far, let's just hope this is just the tip of the iceberg for the young percussionist.
(Camilo playing traps with Yerbabuena, Video Credit: NYCityKids)
