Queens and Brooklyn Bomba: Raquel Z. Rivera and Ojos de Sofia play in NYC Friday Sept. 26 and Saturday Oct. 4

As many of you know, Raquel Z. Rivera and Ojos de Sofia play only once or twice in NYC each year... And this it!

Friday, September 26 | 9:00 pm
Terraza 7
40-19 Gleane St, Elmhurst, Queens, NY
$7

Saturday, October 4 | 8:00 pm
Barbès,
376 9th St., Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY
Suggested donation $10

We'll be playing original musica jibara, bachata, salves and bomba, as well as classic boleros, from our new song series titled Las Decimas del Amargue and Other Songs of Love. Come through if you missed these songs' NYC debut last December. Or come through if you want to hear them again.

And, yes, my fabulous sister Anabellie will once again be leaving everyone breathless with her renditions of classic boleros. If you haven't heard her, you must: https://soundcloud.com/anabellie-rivera/madrigal

The team: Bryan Vargas (musical director, arranger, guitar, cuatro),Anabellie Rivera (vocals), Camilo Molina (percussion), Jblak Negro Cimarron (percussion) and, yours truly, Raquel Z. Rivera (vocals). We will be sorely missing guitarist Yasser Tejeda, but he has a fabulous tour to attend to.

These NYC gigs are part of our fall tour which will also take us to Southern California, Boston, Western Massachusetts and Maine. I'll soon be posting our full schedule on our website:

www.ojosdesofia.com

Tour de Las Décimas del Amargue

September 22 | Time TBD

Artist talk and décimas writing workshop

Pomona College

333 N College Way, Claremont, CA

Free

September 23 | 7:00 pm

SCRIPPS College

1030 Columbia Ave, Claremont, CA 91711

Free

September 25 | 7:00 pm

Rutgers University

Gathering Lounge, Livingston Student Center, 84 Joyce Kilmer Ave., Piscataway, NJ 08854

Free

Friday, September 26 | 9:00 pm

Terraza 7

40-19 Gleane St, Elmhurst, Queens, NY

$7

Monday, September 29 | 1:30 pm

Artist talk and musical demonstration

Northeastern University

342 Huntington Ave, Blackman Auditorium, Boston, MA 02115

Free

Monday, September 29 | 8:00 pm

Makeshift Boston

549 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA 02118

Suggested donation $10

Tuesday, September 30 | 12 noon

Artist talk and musical demonstration

Tufts University
419 Boston Ave, Medford, MA 02155‎

Free

Wednesday, October 1^st | Times TBD

Bowdoin College
3725 College St, Brunswick, ME 04011

Free

Saturday, October 4 | 8:00 pm

Barbès,

376 9th St., Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY

Suggested donation $10

For the most up-to-date venue, time, and other details of these concerts and presentations, please contact 646.266.7182 or ojosdesofia@gmail.com.

For further general information please contact Tom Frouge @ Avokado Artists (505.771.3166 /tom@avokado.net) or Raquel Z. Rivera (646.266.7182 / raquelzrivera@gmail.com).

Miami Bomba: Music, Art, and Food with Zona de Bomba & Buya + Reynaldo Guaracibo Rodriguez @ Mi Viejo San Juan Restaurant - Friday September 12, 2014

Inviting everyone to the Official After-Party for the "Expresion de Barrio 4" Miami exhibit opening. Zona de Bomba and Buya will be playing live and Reynaldo Guaracibo Rodriguez, creator of the Expresion de Barrio Exhibit will also be in attendance and exhibiting some of his wonderful art! There will also be many friends in Bomba visiting and we hope to share the batey with all! No Cover Charge.

Event: Music, Art, and Food with Zona de Bomba & Buya + Reynaldo Guaracibo Rodriguez @ Mi Viejo San Juan Restaurant 
Artists: Bomba Con Buya (Chicago) and Zona de Barro (Miami)
Date and Time: - Friday September 12, 2014
Venue and Location: Mi Viejo San Juan Restaurant & El Yunque Lounge at 1200 SW 57th Avenue, West Miami, FL 33144
Admission: No cover charge

For more information go to: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=305849146262086&ref=70

Bronx Bomba: The Annual People's Poetry In The Park / Bomba Fest & BBQ w/ Friends & Family - Saturday August 30, 2014

Event: The Annual People's Poetry In The Park / Bomba Fest & BBQ w/ Friends & Family
Date and Time: Saturday August 30, 2014 from 7AM -7PM 
Location: Orchard Beach Bronx, see information below.
Free event

Hola, mi gente!

It's that time again! Every year around this time I put together a picnic for our friends and family and just like last year, we have LIVE ENTERTAINMENT. If you were one of the OVER 100 people that attended last year's picnic, then you KNOW it's an event you shouldn't miss. OFF THE HOOK!

For those of you who are not familiar with this event, please allow me to explain. During the summer many of us gather for different events, may it be poetry, party cruises, concerts, birthday parties, etc. Unfortunately for some, many of these events take place at clubs or lounges.

I've come to understand there are many people who miss out on these gatherings for the following reasons: Employment, Under 21, Unable to find a babysitter, and for many of us, our financial situation isn't so great.

My main objective: I always do this picnic on the last Saturday before classes officially resume as an End of Summer Break gathering. I do it this way to provide a neutral ground for EVERYONE to attend and enjoy. This is an awesome icebreaker as well. There is no need to "dress to impress", no pressure of "one on one' meetings, but most importantly, it's a FAMILY event. No one needs to be left behind.

This is an awesome way to meet the people you've established relationships with over time over the line but have never had the chance to meet. This is also a great way of meeting new people and creating new relationships.

It's always wonderful to share laughs, stories and great food, play games, dance, and create new stories for new memories. However, you still miss out on some of these awesome events and that's why I thought to do it different this year.

I've reached out to some of my wonderful people and they've agreed to contribute to this picnic and turn it into an extraordinary event.


******* LOCATION *******

In the grass area right alongside the parking lot, near the ball courts. There's NO WAY you'll miss us. If you've attended before, know that it's in the same spot. I'll post a picture of the area soon.

Public Transportation:
Take 6 train to Pelham Bay Park then transfer to the BX-12 Orchard Beach

Driving:
In the Bronx, Take Bruckner Expressway (I-95N) To
Orchard Beach/City Island Exit 8B.
Follow signs for Orchard Beach.

* * * MENU * * *
TBA



For info on this event go to https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1414403988800893&ref=70

New York Bomba: Tato Torres and Yerbabuena at Camaradas El Barrio - Friday August 29, 2014

Event and Artist: Tato Torres and Yerbabuena at Camaradas El Barrio
Date and Time: Friday August 29, 2014 at 9PM
Venue and Location: Camaradas El Barrio at 2241 1st Avenue at corner of 115th Street, Spanish Harlem, NY.
Admission: Not listed

For more information go to: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=271274853059249&ref=70

Tato Torres and the Urban Jibaros of YERBABUENA return to their home-stage at Camaradas El Barrio.

Full Details: http://www.reverbnation.com/show/14121214

YERBABUENA: Boricua Roots Music
http://www.reverbnation.com/yerbabuena

"YERBABUENA not to be confused with the Afro-Latin pop band Yerba Buena, is the Puerto Rican band from New York led by the singer Tato Torres. It’s Boricua roots music with some updating and flexibility: percussive bomba and plena, jíbaro folk songs and deep electric-bass grooves." -BEN RATLIFF, The New York Times

yerbabuena, hierbabuena, n., f. : wild spearmint, mint
yerba, hierba, n., f. : herb : grass : weed
buena, n., f., adj. : good
Note: the Spanish name "yerba-buena" ("good herb") is used to describe several varieties of mint, including Satureja douglasii, Satureja chamissonis, and Mentha spicata (spearmint)

A new Boricua (Puerto Rican) generation is embracing their musical roots. The work of #TatoTorres & #YERBABUENA (one word) is the product of everything that leads to a contemporary Puerto Rican musical experience. While well-recognized Boricuas like Willie Colón, Marc Anthony and Ricky Martin are known worldwide for their "Latin" flavor, #YERBABUENA has been changing the way people listen to Puerto Rican music in New York City and beyond.

#YERBABUENA is a group of individuals who come together to play the music that they love under the musical direction of singer-composer-musician #TatoTorres. It is composed of musicians, singers and dancers from the New York City area, who share an intense passion for the musical traditions of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

YERBABUENA reclaims the Puerto Rican music often branded as "folkloric," refusing to accept its packaging as frozen-in-time museum pieces, only vaguely connected to contemporary culture. Instead, they make gorgeous music that incorporates past, but lives in the present. YERBABUENA taps right into the core of the Boricua experience.

*Boricua Roots Music

Boricua Roots Music is a musical movement in which Boricua musicians have combined and re-combined elements of traditional and/or "folkloric" music as contemporary musical expressions. This style of modern music, which reaches back to the roots of Boricua (Puerto Rican) tradition has come to be called "roots music" or "música de raíz" in Spanish. The movement is also often referred to simply as "roots" or "raíces" in Spanish.

Tampa Bomba (Classes) BOMBA.BODY.ONE & BOMBA.BODY.TWO - August 13- December 13, 2014

Fitness, Bomba, Basics lead by instructor Jessica at Tampa's TapRoot Dance Studio 

MORE INFO TO COME FOR ALL CLASSES:
AUGUST 20TH
BOMBA BODY AND BABY BUMPS with Drummers- Wednesdays at 7:00pm

SEPTEMBER 2014
BOMBA BODY KIDS - Saturdays at 2:00pm
BOMBA BODY TWO - INTERMEDIATE 3:00pm

OCTOBER 2014
BOMBA BODY DRUMMING - BEGINNERS 4:30pm

GROUP PRIVATE Lessons/Events - contact us for scheduling

Drummers are welcomed! Contact us for scheduling
Water and Gatorade provided!
Have questions? Email: bombabodydance@gmail.com
Invite your friends! Join our group page... www.facebook.com/groups/BombaBodyDance

Venue and Location: TapRoot Dance Studio, 1917 North Howard Avenue, Tampa, FL 33607

Orlando Bomba (Class): Taller de ritmos de bomba y bailes con Angel "Balancé" Reyes - Saturday - August 23, 2014

Corre la voz! Angel Balancé Reyes nuevamente reparte su conocimiento y destrezas a todo aquel que desea aprender más de la Bomba Puertorriqueña.
Porque moverse sin sentido frente al barril no es bailar Bomba. La Bomba es respeto por la cultura. "Es tradición con Elegancia y Altura" ...agosto 23 no te lo pierdas. Traído a ti por Arte Borikua Galería C.

Spread the word! Angel Balance Reyes again shared their knowledge and skills to anyone who wants to learn more about Puerto Rican Bomba....August 23rd don't miss it. Brought to you by Arte Borikua Gallery C.

Drum/percusion 3:00-4:30PM

Dance 4:45-6:15PM

Saturday August 23, 2014 at 2:30PM

Arte Borikua Gallery C at 207 North Goldenrod Road Suite 500, Orlando, FL 32807

Cost: Not listed

For information go to https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1548523578708979&ref=br_tf or write to  Arte Borikua Galeria C

Bronx Bomba and Plena (Classes): Bomba Works is Back in Session - Start Date Sunday September 14, 2014

BombaWorks Is Back In Session - Sunday, Sept. 14th at 1pm

Percussion ($10/ea.):
- Bomba
- Plena

Dance ($5)
- Bomba

FREE WORKSHOPS when you take Bomba or Plena percussion classes:

- Song & Lyric: Bomba & Plena.
- Minor Percussion: Bomba & Plena

Workshops held at El Fogon Center for the Arts 989 Home Street (corner of Vyse Ave.) Bronx, NY 10459

Need more info.? Contact us at:
Bombaworks@gmail.com
646-509-1219

There are loaner drums on a first come first served basis available for students. NO sit-ins or recording devices of any kind.