The Whole Music Experience

World Son De Pueblo   Colombia (Traditional Songs and Dances from) Arc Music I suppose if you’re going to celebrate the music of Colombia you would want to travel to the South American country in December since according to the liner notes for Traditional Songs and Dances from Colombia performed by Son de Pueblo, “for several weeks we celebrate the joy of life...” And that joy of life in Colombia includes rousing Afro-Latin musical traditions from the plains, mountains, and the Caribbean flavored with salsa, rumba, and musical genres from throughout Latin America. Anyone who only knows Colombia through tragic news stories involving drug trafficking or from flavorful coffee beans, needs to delve into traditional Colombian culture whether that is cuisine, traditional music or folkloric dance because this is where you find happy and contented people celebrating their regional offerings and culture heritage.   The beauty of the Caribbean countries is the w...

Picoso (Mad Latin Flavor) Mas Picao Independent release (Seattle) Any band that gets a park full of picnickers and music fans dancing during the opening of their first song deserves a shout out.   Seattle-based Afro-Latin band Picoso, which translates to “mad Latin flavor”, brought their punchy horns, Afro-poly rhythms, and rousing vocals to Boulevard Park in Bellingham, Washington, and the dancers went mad with their own Latin flavor.   Described as “urban” and “very street,” ( Seattle Sound Magazine ) Picoso mixes salsa, son, reggaeton and other Caribbean genres on their CD Mas Picao .   This recording features Samantha Boshnack on trumpet, but live, a woman trombone player joined her, filling out the band’s horn section.   I only mention this because I’ve never seen women horn players in an Afro-Cuban band prior to this event.   Puerto Rican bandleader/percussionist/vocalist Alfonso Gonzalez sings with gusto so I could see why...

Radio Jarocho Cafe Cafe Chido Records When world music fans think of traditional Mexican music, they usually think of rancheras or mariachi, lesser known, son jarocho hails from Veracruz and weds the musical traditions of former African slaves, indigenous people, and European colonialists.   Distinct features of son jarocho include rapid call & response vocals sung slightly flat, equally rapid rhythms strummed on ukulele size lutes (requinto and jarana) or a Mexican harp and percussive rhythms created by dancing feet (zapateado).   The infamous La Bamba hails from Veracruz and this music tradition. I have mostly heard traditional versions of his music on Smithsonian Folkways recordings and on Conjunto Jardin’s Yerba Buena CD that featured both traditional and original son jarocho songs.   Hailing from the opposite coast in the US, Radio Jarocho has educated music fans in Washington, DC, New York, and Boston.   On the band’s recording Café Café , t...

Stevie Wonder Innervisions Motown/Universal (1973) Ah, Stevie, how did I forget you for so many years? I grew up with Stevie Wonder music surrounding me.   Then when I was in college, I took a dance class and our final performance featured Sir Duke .   However, after I discovered alternative rock, I stopped listening to soul music, and poor Mr. Wonder was relegated to the back closets of my mind.   That was until a few months ago when I heard Sir Duke playing the background at the food coop.   Stevie was back and just in time, since now I decided to include a chapter on soul music for my book-in-progress, Whole Music . Oh, I’m enjoying this. When Stevie released Innervisions in 1973 I was in grade school, but I heard the gritty socio-commentary Living for the City , the catchy Don’t You Worry “Bout a Thing , and the funky Higher Ground on a pop radio station.   However, at the time I did not recognize Wonder’s musical genius.  ...

Photo by Patricia Herlevi So often with sound healing or the concept of healing with music, an assumption that healing music must relax us rears its head.  Healing comes in many guises and each of us needs different types of healing.  We might need to boost our immune system, or boost our energy/vitality, we might need music to help us focus better or to relax from a stressful day. This brings up one of my favorite concepts and that is purposeful music.  As we grow more conscious of how music affects our soul-mind-body, we build a music tool kit with multiple purposes.  Often I suffer from headaches and so I choose relaxing music, even drones without melody or audio sound scapes.  Some times I could use a good sound healing session with crystal bowls and tuning forks and other times I need to dance to West African drums, Brazilian samba, or need to get my body moving to something hot and Latin. The purposeful music concept visited me twice within the ...

Septeto Nacional Iganacio Piñeiro ¡Sin Rumba no hay Son! World Village Fans of old-style Cuban son unite. Get ready to dance. In its 9th decade Septeto Nacional Iganacio Piñeiro sizzles and the 14 tracks that appear on ¡Sin Rumba no hay Son! run the gamut from soulful ballads to sole-burning son habaneros and rumba-tinged sons. The crisp, clear production on the recording brings out the sparkling horns, lush clave-lead rhythms, and shimmering très. The musicians run a tight ship performing one punchy song after another to the point where it’s almost impossible not to leap out of this chair and dance. Seductive, oh, yes! This is Cuban son at its finest, and well, this national treasure had 90 years to perfect their craft. Similar to wine vintage, Cuban son also grows better with age. Now featuring its 4th generation of players, Eugenio Rodrìguez in his perfectly modulated voice leads the way. He’s equally at home on a fast number like the opener Embale tiene la llave ...