Venezuelan bands on Starbucks CD - Cafe con Musica

By Russell Maddicks
If you like a little Latin flava with your mocha coconut frapuccino then look no further than coffee chain Starbucks who have just released "Cafe con Musica" - their first compilation of contemporary Latino sounds in collaboration with LA-based indie label Nacional Records.

Two of the 16 tracks are by Venezuelan groups: "Mentiras" by the funky boogaloo pop-rocksters known as Los Amigos Invisibles - one of the best Latin dance party bands working in the USA today - and "Arenita Playita" by the hip hop group Cuarto Poder. 

The blurb from Starbucks highlights how mainstream contemporary Latin music is nowadays and how important Nacional Records has become in the promotion of so many talented artists from Latin America, Spain and the USA: "This is a snapshot of the current Latin alternative scene featuring an international array of artists exploring a range of genres, from rock to electronica and beyond. Working with Nacional Records, the foremost source of exciting new sounds from Latin musicians, we offer an introduction to elite talent from a thriving musical movement."

The participating artists cover a wide range of styles from the loungetastic cha-cha-cha reworking of "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This" by Señor Coconut, to the lyrical poetry of Chilean rapper Ana Tijoux on "1977" and the electro-tuba beats of Mexican DJ/electronica collective Nortec.

It's a shame they didn't include tracks by other Nacional Records' artists like Manu Chao and Plastilina Mosh, but there's still plenty of great artists to explore on this compilation.

So, what are you waiting for ese? With a Starbucks on nearly every corner of every major city in the States you should find no trouble picking up a copy. And with so many dance beats to shake your booty to on this album, it's a healthier option than the double fudge mini-donuts. 

The CD will be on sale at participating Starbucks outlets in the USA until 16 July.

Track List:

Diego Garcia - You Were Never There
Andrea Echeverri - A Eme O
Señor Coconut - Sweet Dreams

Sara Valenzuela - Para Continuar
The Pinker Tones - The Whistling Song
Polock - Fireworks
Pacha Massive - All Good Things
No Te Va Gustar - Chau
Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich + Fussible - I Count the Ways
Los Amigos Invisibles - Mentiras
Ana Tijoux - 1977
Monareta - Llama
DJ Bitman - Shine
Mexican Institute of Sound - Mirando a las Muchachas
Aterciopelados - Rio
Cuarto Poder - Arenita Playita

To listen to sample clips and buy individual tracks click here:

Venezuelan bands on Starbucks CD - Cafe con Musica

By Russell Maddicks
If you like a little Latin flava with your mocha coconut frapuccino then look no further than coffee chain Starbucks who have just released "Cafe con Musica" - their first compilation of contemporary Latino sounds in collaboration with LA-based indie label Nacional Records.

Two of the 16 tracks are by Venezuelan groups: "Mentiras" by the funky boogaloo pop-rocksters known as Los Amigos Invisibles - one of the best Latin dance party bands working in the USA today - and "Arenita Playita" by the hip hop group Cuarto Poder. 

The blurb from Starbucks highlights how mainstream contemporary Latin music is nowadays and how important Nacional Records has become in the promotion of so many talented artists from Latin America, Spain and the USA: "This is a snapshot of the current Latin alternative scene featuring an international array of artists exploring a range of genres, from rock to electronica and beyond. Working with Nacional Records, the foremost source of exciting new sounds from Latin musicians, we offer an introduction to elite talent from a thriving musical movement."

The participating artists cover a wide range of styles from the loungetastic cha-cha-cha reworking of "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This" by Señor Coconut, to the lyrical poetry of Chilean rapper Ana Tijoux on "1977" and the electro-tuba beats of Mexican DJ/electronica collective Nortec.

It's a shame they didn't include tracks by other Nacional Records' artists like Manu Chao and Plastilina Mosh, but there's still plenty of great artists to explore on this compilation.

So, what are you waiting for ese? With a Starbucks on nearly every corner of every major city in the States you should find no trouble picking up a copy. And with so many dance beats to shake your booty to on this album, it's a healthier option than the double fudge mini-donuts. 

The CD will be on sale at participating Starbucks outlets in the USA until 16 July.

Track List:

Diego Garcia - You Were Never There
Andrea Echeverri - A Eme O
Señor Coconut - Sweet Dreams

Sara Valenzuela - Para Continuar
The Pinker Tones - The Whistling Song
Polock - Fireworks
Pacha Massive - All Good Things
No Te Va Gustar - Chau
Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich + Fussible - I Count the Ways
Los Amigos Invisibles - Mentiras
Ana Tijoux - 1977
Monareta - Llama
DJ Bitman - Shine
Mexican Institute of Sound - Mirando a las Muchachas
Aterciopelados - Rio
Cuarto Poder - Arenita Playita

To listen to sample clips and buy individual tracks click here:

Smithsonian launches Venezuelan folk CD - Parranda!

By Russell Maddicks
Folk group La Sardina de Naiguatá will be bringing all the feelgood fun of a Venezuelan street party when they tour the USA in June and July with a series of free concerts in Washington, Houston, San Francisco and Chicago to promote their new album "Parranda! Venezuelan Carnival Music", which is being released by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings today, 19 June 2012.
As the name suggests, the group comes from the town of Naiguatá - located on the long strip of Caribbean coast north of Caracas known as the Litoral Central.
The town is not the most picturesque spot on the coast - many people only stop here to stock up with alcohol from the many liquor stores before heading off to the popular seaside sands of Los Caracas or the more attractive and isolated beaches of Osma, Caruao and Chuspa - but for those in the know Naiguatá is famous for celebrating the largest number of street festivals in Venezuela.
The party people of Naiguatá have preserved the tradition of Diablos Danzantes (dancing devils) during the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi, hold parades in honour of Saint John the Baptist on June 23-24, and dance madly in masks and costumes during carnival.
But the festival that most clearly marks the town as special is the annual procession on Ash Wednesday known as El Entierro de la Sardina (The Burial of the Sardine).
Amid much mock solemnity a man dressed as a priest leads a motley assortment of men in drag known as viudas (widows) in a funeral cortege for a papier mache sardine that is ceremonially cast into the sea while the celebrants, including a horned devil, lament the end of carnival and the the start of Lent.
Fundamental to the procession is the music, a shuffling merengue beat that can be adapted to cover virtually any popular song of the day and which has evolved dramatically thanks to Ricardo Díaz - a local fisherman, trumpet player and founder of La Sardina de Naiguatá.
Realizing that he could add more oomph to the traditional procession music provided by cuatro (four-string guitar like a ukelele), charrasca (gourd or metal scraper) and Afro-Caribbean drums, Díaz added brass, electric bass, electric keyboard, and a choir of female singers.
The group now lead local revellers around the streets of the town from the back of a truck, giving a real carnival feel to the annual procession, which was brought to Venezuela by the Spanish and mirrors similar festivities still celebrated in the Spanish cities of Madrid and Murcia and on the Canary islands.
Over the years La Sardina de Naiguatá have built up a repertoire of songs that draw on local folk styles such as parranda and fulía that tap into the Spanish and African roots that gave birth to these hybrid musical forms that are as unique to Venezuela as vallenato is to Colombia or bachata to the Dominican Republic.
The Smithsonian was so keen to capture the authentic sound of the group that Folkways director Daniel Sheehy, the musical director Alexander Livinally, and sound engineer Peter Reinier travelled to Caracas to oversee the recording of the album, which was later remixed in the USA.
Folkways Recordings is the most important repository of World Music in the United States and was founded in 1948 by Moses Asch to document "people's music" from around the globe.
To coincide with the release of the CD, the Smithsonian has produced a mini-documentary about La Sardina de Naiguatá.
Parranda! Venezuelan Carnival Music
TRACK LIST
1. Abran la puerta [Open the Door] (calipso)
2. Parranda calle [Street Parranda] (parranda)
3. Volveré [I Will Return] (fulía) - Audio clip
4. Pájaro amarillo [Yellow Bird] (parranda)
5. Guayana es [It’s Guayana] (calipso)
6. Potpourrí “Alí Primera” [“Alí Primera” Medley]
7. Tambores de Naiguatá [Drums of Naiguatá]
8. El pilón [The Corn-Pounder] (parranda)
9. Flor de loto [Lotus Flower] (vals)
10. Potpourrí del gallo pinto [Spotted Rooster Medley] (fulía)
11. Río Manzanares [Manzanares River] (parranda)
12. Bandido [Bandit] (calipso) - Audio clip
13. Carmela (fulía)
14. Potpourrí “Sabor a navidad” [“Taste of Christmas” Medley]


To buy the album, download it from Amazon or listen to audio samples, click here.

For details of other releases on the Smithsonian Folkways music label click here.

US Tour dates and details: 
Free places are limited to some of these events so reserve early to avoid disappointment

29 June - Washington - Smithsonian Folklife Festival - Free - 6:30 pm
1 July Houston, Texas - Miller Outdoor Theatre - Free - 8 pm
5 July Washington -  Embassy of Venezuela - Free
8 July San Francisco - Yerbabuena Gardens Festival - Free -1-3 pm
11 July Chicago - Chicago School of Folk Music - Free - 8:30 pm
13 July Chicago - Chicago School of Folk Music - See link above

Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero plays at Obama inauguration

One of the few classical music stars asked to play at US President Barack Obama's historic inauguration on Tuesday, 20 January, was Venezuelan piano virtuoso Gabriela Montero.

Following a gutsy gospel-style reworking of "My Country Tis of Thee" by Aretha Franklin, Montero joined the Chinese-born cellist Yo-Yo Ma, the violinist Itzhak Perlman and African-American clarinetist Anthony McGill to perform "air and Simple Gifts" a new work composed for Obama's inauguration by John Williams.

Williams is recognized as one of the great Hollywood composers and has won Oscars for his work on movies such as Star Wars, Superman and Jurassic Park, but this was a strange piece of music really.

Starting off quite sombrely, it rose in power towards the middle - referencing the hymn "Lord of the Dance" - but never had the bite or originality of William's work on "Jaws" or "E.T.". Perhaps it would have played better in a concert hall.

"I'm very excited to be part of this great day," Montero told the Associated Press in an interview before the event, adding: "It's going to be a great moment for the entire world."

Montero is known to her fans as "La Divina del Piano" for her celebrated technical skills and her talent for improvisation.

A child prodigy who was performing solo on the piano by the age of five, Montero played with the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra when she was eight and went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Her latest album "Baroque" features improvisations on famous Baroque themes including "Handel's Hallelujah Chorus" and Vivaldi's "Winter" and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards - "Best Classical Crossover" and "Best Production".

For more about Gabriela Montero's album "Baroque" click here:


The video clip below shows Gabriela playing a piece called "Joropo" by Venezuelan composer Moises Moleiro at the Teresa Carreño theatre in Caracas on 14 November 2003.