Here's a special Blueline performance from our friends in Chicago Bomba Con Buya...Candela!!
BlueLine 2014- CANDELA from Teo Lopez on Vimeo.
Friday, September 26, 2014
Thursday, September 18, 2014
In loving memory of Bombero Gregorio Allende aka Macho
Dear friends at around 8AM Wednesday September 17, 2014 we lost our brother in Bomba Gregorio Allende (aka Macho), band leader for the Bomba group Nostalgia Amarilla. I never met Macho in person but we regularly exchanged messages and talked about our vision and potential projects with each other. I quickly realized that Macho was the type of person that made his visions a reality. He worked hard to complete his film project the film known as "Currency and Exchange" and worked to have it showed at New York City's BomPlenazo music festival and at the Latin Alternative Music Conference also in New York City. Earlier this year Macho completed production on his film and released "Currency and Exchange" in Tampa, Florida. Unfortunately soon after realizing this portion of his dream our friend developed a brain tumor. Though Macho had health insurance as is too often the case he and his family were left with medical bills totaling into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Gregorio's wife Janet has setup a fundraising campaign to address the medical bills left behind by Macho's treatment. If you would like to make a donation go to http://www.gofundme.com/8c77hc
Below is an interview Gregorio gave to the University of South Florida News back in April regarding the release of his film and what the culture of Bomba music meant to him.
Below is the trailer to the film "Currency & Exchange"
My condolences to Janet and to all of Gregorio's family and friends. Macho you will be missed my friend.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Oakland Bomba: Bomba Dance Classes w/ Julia Caridad Cepeda Martínez + Denise Solis of Las Bomberas de la Bahia - Sunday Sept 28, 2014
BOMBA DANCE CLASSES //
A FOLKLORIC TRADITION OF PUERTO RICO
Taught by Julia Caridad Cepeda Martínez with musical accompaniment by Denise Solis of Las Bomberas de la Bahia
Ongoing Class Starting Sunday, September 28
Sundays 11:30am - 1pm
*Classes start promptly at 11:30am*
$13 Drop In
$44 \ 4 classes (To be used within three months of purchase.)
$100 \ 10 classes (To be used within three months of purchase.)
Location: Studio Grand at 3234 Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610
CLASS DESCRIPTION
Puerto Rican Bomba as we know it today was born on the sugar cane plantations of the Island. It’s the popular response formed in music and dance to the aristocracy. Through the rhythms, happiness, faith, suffering, and daily events were communicated through the Tradition.The Tradition was born on the coasts of Puerto Rico and, on the coasts, is where it’s said to sound best. The barriles (Bomba drums) or las bombas is where the name for Bomba came from. “In Bomba, there are three or more buleadores (rhythm drums/drummers) and only one primo or subidor (lead drummer),” as told by Rafael Cepeda Atiles.
ABOUT JULIA CARIDAD CEPEDA MARTÍNEZ
Julia Caridad Cepeda Martínez was born on November 13, 1976. She is the daughter of Bomba Master Jesús Cepeda Brenes and Sonia Martínez. She is also the granddaughter of Puerto Rico’s patriarch of Bomba and Plena, best known as El Roble Mayor (The Elder Oak), Don Rafael Cepeda y Caridad Brenes. Julia was born into the cradle of the Cepeda Family, a family of artisans, musicians, dancers, and composers. The Cepeda Family has devoted themselves to the preservation of Puerto Rican folklore for many years. Julia is part of the sixth generation of Bomba practitioners in her family. Her father, Jesús Cepeda, best known as el Tambor Mayor (Elder Drum), is the director of the Rafael Cepeda Folkloric Cultural Foundation.
Julia Caridad made her debut performance in 1981 at the Center for Fine Arts in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in collaboration with the Ballet of San Juan in a piece directed by the distinguished Ana Garcia. In 1982, Julia was featured in the documentary El Patriarca (The Patriarch), which told the history and significance of Puerto Rican folkloric culture. In 1983, she traveled with her family to Washington DC where they were presented with the National Heritage Fellowship Award by the National Endowment for the Arts granted by the Smithsonian Institute. At that time, all of members of the Cepeda family were given a certificate of recognition by the, then, President Ronald Reagan. In 1985, Julia was part of a cultural exchange that included Cuba’s Irakere, Rey Barreto, and the Cepeda Family on the island of Guadalupe. Since then, Julia Caridad has continued to nurture her position as a part of the Bomba tradition along with her family having taught dance classes, participating in collaborations and presenting publically with international artists including Paul Simon, Ricky Martin, Robby Dracco, Wilkins, Manny Manuel, among others. In 1996, she was brought to New York to teach Bomba classes, demonstrating the various rhythms of Bomba. She also helped found the Proyecto Dos Alas (Two Wings Project). In 2000, along with her family, she toured 25 U.S states presenting Bomba and Plena throughout. Since then, Julia Caridad has been the principal instructor for the Rafael Cepeda Folkloric Cultural Foundation. In 2012 and 2013, Julia was part of a Puerto Rican television show titled Salsa, Bomba, y Plena. In 2013, she was invited to participate in the Paso Negro Foundation performance, directed by Oxil Febles, and performed alongside a group of female performers who are dedicated to the folkloric traditions of Puerto Rico.
Julia is a dedicated advocate of Puerto Rican culture and of the legacy of her Family. For that reason, she continues to share the traditions with new generations. She is also a poet and composer of Bomba music. She shares with you this quote by her grandfather, Rafael Cepeda, ʺMientras exista la Familia Cepeda, habrá Bomba y Plena para buen rato (While the Cepeda Family exists, there will be Bomba and Plena for much time to come.)” - Rafael Cepeda Atiles
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
San Franciso Bomba: SF Latino Film Festival 2014 Kick Off Party with Buyepongo + Las Bomberas De La Bahia + Dj Kool Kyle - Friday Sept. 19, 2014
The 6th Cine+Mas San Francisco Latino Film Festival opens on September 19 and runs through September 27 at venues in San Francisco and around the bay. The festival opens with CRY NOW, a love story set in Los Angeles centered on the rocky relationship between a street artist and a tattoo artist.
After the film join us at Brick & Mortar for our Opening Night after-party. Mingle with visiting filmmakers and other film enthusiast for a night of music and dancing. Los Angeles based Buyenpongo headlines an eclectic mix of sounds and rhytms with local favorites Las Bomberas de la Bahia and DJ Kyle keeping the music going all night.
Links:
www.sflatinofilmfestival.c
Buyepongo is a vibrant polyrhythmic, genre-fusing group with deep musical roots in South and Central America. They began their musical journey in Norwalk, CA in 2005. Eventually, the group would make a name for themselves in South Central for hosting and performing at their famed “South Central Beach” loft parties in the early 2000’s. These shows were a direct result of the limited opportunities for a band like theirs to consistently play around Los Angeles and they decided to create a scene for their brand of genre bending. Buyepongo not only draws heavily from the Latino musical culture, but from hip-hop as well.
Their name translates to “to cause a ruckus,” a nod to the Wu Tang Clan track, “Bring da Ruckus” from the seminal album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), one of their sonic inspirations. Taking their cues from traditional “roots” music of Colombia, Haiti, Belize, Honduras and the Dominican Republic, Buyepongo seamlessly blends merengue, punta and cumbia. The group’s pulse is built around the drum and guacharaca (pronounced: wah cha rah ca) giving them an upbeat tropical flare.
Links:
www.youtube.com/
www.youtube.com/
www.buyepongo.com
www.facebook.com/buyepongo
instagram @buyepongo
Las Bomberas de La Bahia: One of only a handful of all-women’s Bomba groups to ever exist internationally, Las Bomberas take Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba music to the next level. Born in SF’s Mission district with a passion and commitment to social justice, Las Bomberas strive to use the cultural arts to lift the voices of marginalized communities while holding a deep love of Afro-Puerto Rican traditions. The group was founded in November 2007 and is composed of San Francisco Bay Area artists, educators, and activists, under the direction of Sarazeta Ragazzi and Denise Solis. Come celebrate love, life, and liberation with the intoxicating rhythms of Puerto Rico and Las Bomberas de la Bahia!
Links:
www.youtube.com/
www.facebook.com/
Dj El Kool Kyle has been an integral part of the east bay music scene since 1993. He is comfortable in the studio as a producer, on stage as an emcee or rockin a crowd with one of his dj sets. His ability to combine Hiphop, Dancehall & Afro Latin music as a producer & deejay is just one of the things that makes him a local favorite.
In 2013, Celebrating 20 years of making music in the Bay Area, he co-founded Baylando Records, a new independant record label with a focus on modern urban indigenous dance music.
Links:
www.facebook.com/
Event: SF Latino Film Festival 2014 Kick Off Party with Buyepongo + Las Bomberas De La Bahia + Dj Kool Kyle
Bomba artists: Las Bomberas De La Bahia
Date and Time: Friday September 19, 2014 at 8PM
Venue and Location: Brick and Mortar Music Hall at 1710 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Admission: $12 in advance, $15 at door
Bronx Bomba and Plena: 8th Biennial BomPlenazo 2014 October 10-12 2014
For more information on the various venues, events and tickets go to http://www.hostos.cuny.edu/culturearts/events/FY13-14/October/bomplenazo/bomplenazo.shtml
New Jersey Bomba: Primer Anual Festival Cultural Latino - Saturday September 20, 2014
Artists: Cimarrones (New Jersey)
Date and Time: Saturday September 20, 2014, performance time unknown
Venue and Location: Lake Terrace, 1690 Oak Street, Lakewood, NJ 08701
Admission: Not listed
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