Good morning! I am starting my day today by listening to some great music by Chicagoan Mark Hetzel and decided to share the love with you by blogging about it. Mark defines his music as a mix of folk, rock, and world music. Formed in January 2006 after 2+ years meticulously recording the debut Lovesongs: An Early Meditation on Love and Alienation in the Modern Era…MARK HETZEL and his ensemble SUMMER OF LOVE have been referred to as a remedy for Chicago’s harsh winters by means of its “sunshine music.” Its focus is on positivity and (agreeing that 40 years is much too long to wait for another love revolution) a belief in the power of love and compassion to deal with the challenging state that Mama Earth/we find ourselves in. The band lends itself to many possible ensembles – up to 7 members in total – and has reinvented itself with each performance from Chicago to Cape Town, South Africa. This is the perfect music to start your morning. Hope you like it as much as I do. Listen to Lovesongs here: http://ow.ly/5HWP9
Tonight: Bachaco is in Chicago!
Tonight: Bachaco is in Chicago! World-class fusion of Reggae, Dancehall and Cumbia with Ska and Hip-Hop. http://ow.ly/5BlKt
Don’t Miss Chicago Folk and Roots Festival This Weekend
Summer is now in full swing in Chicago and there are many world music and dance activities going on in the city. My pick for this weekend is the Chicago Folk and Roots Festival. This festival is a two-day celebration organized by the Old Town School of Folk Music, an institution committed to teach and celebrate music and cultural expressions rooted in the tradition of diverse American and global communities. The festival attracts 30,000 people for a spectacular array of music and dance performances from around the world. The festival also offers dance workshops, children’s activities, food, drink, and retail vendors. This year, I will have the pleasure to participate in this great celebration as a dancer with Peruvian Folk Dance Center. If you are interested in seeing this performance, come by 3:30 pm today. There is a $10 donation to get in the festival ($5 for seniors, 65 and over, and $5 for kids). For more information about other performances and dance workshops, go to http://www.chicagofolkandroots.org/. Hope to see you there!
July 12: Afro-Peruvian Electronica band Novalima performs in Chicago!
If you have never heard of Afro-Peruvian music, you should consider an introduction to this great musical genre by Novalima, a Peruvian band that has successfully blended traditional Afro-Peruvian music with Electronica, Latin American beats and other contemporary genres. I got the chance to see them perform a couple of years ago at the Music Without Borders series at Millenium Park. They brought the house down on that occasion and put everyone to dance with their highly danceable rhythms and great energy . In 2006, Novalima was awarded with the IMA (The Independent Music Awards) for Best Album in World Fusion category and in 2009 they were nominated to the Latin Grammy Awards. In 2010, their song “Machete” from the album “Afro” appears in the film Machete. Here is a video of that song:
Our friends from Sound Culture and Aguzate had the brilliant idea to bring Novalima back to Chicago. The concert will take place on July 12 at Mayne Stage. Check the flyer below for information about this concert. Also, I have two tickets for this show to give away. The person that gets the most subscribers to my blog or Facebook page until Sunday gets these tickets. Just send me a list with the names of the people who subscribed. I will announce the winner on Monday. Thanks and good luck!
The Chicago Music Without Borders Experience with Diogo Nogueira
I have to share with you an amazing world music experience that I had last night. Coincidentally, it happened during the severe thunderstorm that affected Chicago (for some reason, the best Summer memories that I have of this beautiful city have always happened under the rain). I went to see Brazilian musician Diogo Nogueira at the Music Without Borders series at Millenium Park. The Music Without Borders is a series of free outdoor concerts that explore music from cultures spanning the entire globe. The music was great and Diogo was able to connect with the audience really well, but what I most enjoyed about last night was the spirit of the people who attended the event. Many of them were familiar faces, locals from different parts of the world that love Brazilian music as well as musicians and dancers that tend to frequent Barra N on Tuesday nights. Despite the bad weather, we managed to have a fabulous time. We were dancing and cheering for Chicago even at the worst moment of the storm, when wind gusts were reaching 81 mph. Chicago definitely has the coolest people in the world! Here is a visual report of what happened last night. And if you have not experienced going to a Music Without Borders concert, I highly recommend you doing it. Gather some friends, bring a picnic blanket and some food, sit on the grass, and enjoy the performances of some incredible world musicians at one of the most beautiful places that we have here.
Today: Positive Chicago Hip Hop Culture Block Party at Millenium Park
Good morning Urbanites!
Today I have an excellent free show for you to check out. If you are looking for options on how to spend your afternoon, go to the Pritzker Pavillion at Millenium park at 6:30pm for the Hip Hop Chicago show that my good friend and excellent B-boy dancer Kid Jungle from T.A.F. dance is directing. This is a free and family friendly event that is built on the hit show that blew audiences away at the Shanghai World Expo 2010.
Hip Hop Chicago is an hour and a half long music and dance show that brings together 26 local artists to celebrate the best of Chicago hip hop culture with a showcase of authentic beats, rhymes, and moves that blend signature hip hop elements with American and international influences. The theme of the show is the portrayal of POSITIVE Hip Hop Culture and includes Breakdancing, Popping, Locking, African, and Capoeira dancers. African and Capoeira have been added to show some of the roots of Hip Hop dance. There will be musical pieces performed by Hip Hop Bands Sidewalk Chalk and St. Bagu.
This is a production of the Center for Asian Arts and Media at Columbia College Chicago,in conjunction with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
You can find more information about this show at www.hiphopchicago.org.
Chicago World Music Events for the weekend of June 17-19
Hello there!
Here is your world music itinerary for this weekend in Chicago. Click on the links below or on the calendar link in the right column of this page for more information. I hope you can attend one or more of these events. And if you do, please share your comments/pics/videos with me. I would love to hear about your experiences exploring the city. Thanks!
June 17:
Los Vicios de Papa and Middle Eastern Musicians at a Celebration of Freedom
Rudresh Mahanthappa & The Indo-Pak Coalition
LA NOCHE: live afro-latin music and dance
Greek Night with Sounds of Greece
June 18:
Puerto Rican Parade in downtown Chicago
Peace and healing arts festival
Afro-Peruvian music and dance at Kurrulao-Afro Culture Festival: Peruvian Folk Dance Center will perform Afro-Peruvian music and Dance at this festival at 4pm. There will also be dance performances from other countries. Here is the schedule:
Rudresh Mahanthappa & The Indo-Pak Coalition
June 19:
Rudresh Mahanthappa & The Indo-Pak Coalition
World Music & Dance Agenda for Tonight
Hello Urbanites!
Tonight we have many good world music options to explore in Chicago. These are:
Music Without Borders – Dandana: A Celebration of Muslim Voices featuring Hakim + Alim Qasimov Ensemble
Ensemble Espanol’s Duende Flamenco Music and Dance Concerts,
Colombia Vive Chicago 10th Anniversary and 3rd Annual Fundraiser, and
Las BomPleneras Debut @ Fiestas Patronales Puertorriqueñas Chicago.
Click on the Calendar link on the right column of this page for further information.
Happy world music adventures!
Puerto Rican Festivities in Chicago started today!
While President Obama is visiting Puerto Rico (who, by the way, is the the first sitting U.S. president to visit Puerto Rico in 50 years), the Puerto Ricans living in Chicago already started their Patron Saint festivities in the Humboldt Park neighborhood today. According to the Puerto Rican Parade Committee, this six-day festival is the largest Latin Music Festival in the Midwest. “Humboldt Park is Chicago’s area’s historic Puerto Rican center and home to the city’s third-largest concentration of Puerto Ricans. About 113,000 Chicago residents claim Puerto Rican descent, second only to New York” reports the Chicago Tribune.
Salsa and Bomba lovers will have the chance to dance to the music of many of the local bands and others such as Herman Olivera (ex-singer of Eddie Palmieri’s Orchestra) and two-time Grammy Award winners Spanish Harlem Orchestra. For a detailed schedule and a list of the musicians performing at this festival, click here. If you want to attend the parade on June 18, go to downtown Chicago at 12 noon, by Columbus Dr. & Balbo Dr. And If you decide to go to Humboldt Park after that, I would recommend going to Coco’s restaurant on 2723 West Division Street and try their Coconut martini. It may be too sweet for some, but for me it is just delicious! Do any of you have any other recommendations for things to do in Humboldt Park?
Look who I found….
….at the Andersonville Midsommarfest. This is an annual Summer festival located in the Andersonville neighborhood on Clark Street , between Foster and Catalpa, in which vendors from around the region sell their wares to passers-by while ethnic dance troupes and cutting-edge bands keep the party going. There is a significant number of Middle-Eastern businesses in this neighborhood, as well as a new influx of families with children, and a large lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender population. I came to the Festival to see the local Brazilian band Chicago Samba perform. They gave a very entertaining show thanks to the dancers dressed in colorful and flashy outfits, but they paled in comparison to the outfit of this passer-by:
I took this picture during the performance of the 80s music band 16 Candles (who were a great discovery for me. Except for a few songs, their music selection and rendition was very engaging). Andersonville Midsommarfest is a definitely a good option to see great local bands perform and for seeing interesting outfits and beautiful men (who, unfortunately for me, happen to be gay. My friend said that she had never seen so many beautiful men in one place). By the way, this reminds me that I have to mark my calendar for the Chicago Gay Pride Parade on Sunday June 26 . I attended this parade a few years ago and had a great time. Let the fun begin: Summer in Chicago is just starting!
Chicago Urbanite 