Category: world music

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Come to our Free concert at Mayne Stage with Jugo de Mango, Nu Bambu, And DJs Mwelwa and Perla

Thanks to all who came to last Saturday’s event and made it so much fun! If you want to repeat the experience, then come to a free concert this Friday at Mayne Stage. Some of Chicago’s cultural music instigators and I are getting together to give thanks for a wonderful year in world music by hosting this free party with some of our city’s emerging talent. Please join us as we give thanks and look forward to another great year in music to come!

We will have my band Nu Bambu performing along with Jugo de Mango and DJs Mwelwa and Perla. It will be a night of pure awesomeness!

RSVP here

Jugo De Mango is a Latin world fusion band blending traditional and modern cumbia, reggae, and rock rhythms into a tangible palate of alluring dance Performing dynamic, energetic shows, Jugo De Mango’s music speaks to worldly listeners ready to get their groove on!

Nu Bambu brings strong Latin and Reggae flavors, pitch-bending trumpet and potent bass and drum lines, which give songs a unique progressive flavor along with conscious-raising, bilingual thought- provoking lyrics that morphs into hip cutting-edge music for a new generation.

Mwelwa Musambacine is influenced by cultures and people across the globe. He is recognized across music circles as one of Chicago’s best international and world music DJs. Mwelwa’s assorted global mix includes reggae, morna, forro, kizomba (semba), salsa, bachata, samba, merengue, afrobeat, ndombolo, rai, jazz, funk, son, soukous, blues, calypso, classical, rock, bhangra, zouk, house, soca, and various types of Arabic, Indian & African varieties. Mwelwa also plans and promotes events as a part of Akasuba.

Friday November 23 at 9pm
Mayne Stage | 1328 W. Morse Ave. Chicago
FREE

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Come to our Rumba Reggae Party tomorrow and help the Afro-Peruvian children of El Guayabo

Underground Wonderbar
710 N. Clark St., Chicago, Illinois 60654

Saturday November 17
8pm-10:30pm

Chicago Urbanite, Chicago’s top blog promoting world music and dance, invites you to come celebrate and be grateful with us! Live music by NuBambu, the hottest rumba-reggae band in Chicago. Cover includes access to all of Underground Wonderbar stages.

Also, we will be filming footage for Nu Bambu’s Music Video and we want YOU to be in it. Come out with your dance moves and support the band’s video. It will be FUN!

DJ Rebolu will throwing down world music

Free giveaways.

50% OFF beautiful Jewelry by Monsieur Pamplemousse. We will also raffle a gorgeous necklace valued at $162!

YOUR ATTENDANCE WILL MAKE CHILDREN FROM PERU HAPPY THESE HOLIDAYS!

We will be collecting donations for Christmas events that will benefit children from Lima and the Afro-Peruvian community of El Guayabo, Chincha (see pics here). Here is a video of these beautiful children dancing and playing their own music:

Cover: $10

50% off to Chicago Urbanite followers who RSVP here (click on “Join”) before 3pm on Nov 17

(Must follow this blog/ like our Facebook page and RSVP to get discount)

Cover includes access to all of Underground Wonderbar stages. After our show, stay for Lonie Walker & her Big Bad Ass Company Band show. Also DJ MWELWA , FLX, and Kino will have their Global Late Nite from 11pm to 5am

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Win tickets to Las Guitarras de España and El Payo Concert

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 10
8:30 PM
07:00 PM LOBBY DOORS

MAYNE STAGE

BUY TICKETS HERE

Las Guitarras de España and El Payo return to Mayne Stage performing Flamenco rumbas, tangos and even a Sevillana or two for you to dance too! Flamenco dancer, Chiara Mangiameli, owner of Studio Mangiameli, will offer some free basic flamenco dance instruction at 8:30PM. Cellist, Ian Maksin will also be a featured soloist for the evening.

Win Two tickets to this Show!
Just need to be a subscriber of Chicago Urbanite and leave a comment on this post to participate. We will announce the winner tomorrow morning. Good luck!

 
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Afro-Peruvian Dance Flashmob Video

I always liked the idea of being part of a dance flashmob. So last week, when I saw a video of TACA Airlines doing a dance flashmob with live music on a plane, I said to myself: If they can do it, we can do it here too!

I decided to do a flashmob that would pay tribute to the Day of Peruvian Criolla Music (Día de la Canción Criolla), which is celebrated in Peru every October 31st. With less than one week to organize it, I reached out to my network of friends in the dance and music community. And they responded! People from Peru and other nationalities like Serbia, Romania, Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the United States, all collaborated. It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm and joy of all who participated. For many, it was their first time learning about Afro-Peruvian rhythms. It showed again the power of music and dance to unite us all.

So, here are the results of our collaboration. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did. In fact, we liked it so much that we are thinking of repeating it very soon.  If you want to join us and be part of future dance flashmobs,  just leave a comment here.

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Be part of an Afro-Peruvian percussion and dance flash mob in Chicago

Wanna learn a little of Afro-Peruvian dance? Then come to a FREE mini dance flash mob rehearsal tomorrow Sunday October 28 at Africaribe Cultural Center (2547 W Division) between 11am and 1pm. Easy steps and tons of fun. We will do the dance flash mob at a place nearby immediately after rehearsal.
If you can, bring the following:
Casual, comfortable, street clothes (bright-colored tops are preferred)
An empty glass bottle and a metal spoon to be used as musical instrument.

Hope to see you there!

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Chicago Halloween Parties

Jack-o-lantern
Jack-o-lantern (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Are you still looking for a party where to show your Halloween costume? Look no more. I created a list with links to parties going on in Chicago from today until November 2nd. You will have plenty of opportunities to get spooky in the next days. Here they are:

FRIDAY OCTOBER 26

TANGO

ARTango Halloween Party Featuring Alejandro Ziegler Quartet from Buenos Aires, Argentina Friday, October 26 at ARTango Center Chicago

BRAZILIAN

BOLLYWOOD/BHANGRA/ARAB

Trick or Treat, Feel My Beat! at bodi

======================

SATURDAY OCTOBER 27

SALSA

HotOn1Salsa Halloween Party @ Cafe Paris!!

TANGO

Halloween Milonga! Free tickets to LiveTangoEvent Sat,Oct 27@MilongaCite

LATINO/FUNK/SOUL

DANCE SYNDROME : The Halloween Edition : feat DJ MAMABEAR with Soulphonetics at Taxim

HOUSE

===================
MONDAY OCTOBER 29
HOUSE
TUESDAY OCTOBER 30
SALSA
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Review and Video of Jovanotti concert in Chicago

Safari (Jovanotti album)
Safari (Jovanotti album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So, I went to Jovanotti’s concert last night and let me tell you: the Italian superstar delivered! He got us dancing and kept us entertained with his  joyous, genuine, and contagious energy.   Jovanotti is definitely a GREAT live performer. He managed to project his energy all the way to the back of the room.  American neophytes who have never heard his music before, and others like me who just know a few of his songs, connected to each one of them.  The guy was as hot as the complete head-to-toe red outfit he was wearing for the occasion.

Jovanotti did not forget to acknowledge his hip-hop roots. He paid tribute to Black American musicians like Sugarhill Gang, and along with his funky music, he played  some Mediterranean and Latino rhythms (he has two Brazilian percussionists in his band and ended the concert with a “Salsa” version of a piano tune). He even rapped and interacted with the audience in English, Spanish, and Italian, showing a musical and language versatility that goes hand-in-hand with his progressive global vision.

For someone who is a superstar and sells out stadiums in Europe, it was a special treat to see him perform in a more intimate concert venue such as the Vic Theater. Next time he is in town, you should go see him, even if you are not familiar with his music. You will enjoy the concert regardless!  Here is some footage of last night’s concert. Enjoy!

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Win tickets to Jovanotti concert

Italian language has been connected to the bel canto and opera. But have you ever heard Italian rap? My first experience with this was in the nineties when Jovanotti became famous in Latin America with this song:

Jovanotti has already achieved rock star status in much of the rest of the world. In his native Italy, over the course of 25 years, he has sold over five million albums. Jovanotti’s most recent studio album, 2011’s Ora (Now), debuted at #1 there, went on to become the best-selling album of the year, and resulted in sell-outs over 50 arena and stadium dates. In the last few years, he has graced the cover of the Italian editions of Rolling Stone, GQ, Vanity Fair and L’Uomo Vogue, among other magazines.

Outside Europe, Jovanotti has long been a favorite of Latin American listeners and artists, including Oscar winner Jorge Drexler and Juanes, with whom Jovanotti has collaborated live and on recent recordings. Although Jovanotti is still in his early 40s, a whole generation of younger Latin alternative artists grew up admiring him; he has in turn invited Los Amigos Invisibles, Ana Tijoux, Bomba Estereo and others to open for him on recent tours.

Jovanotti has begun to spend a considerable amount of his time and career energies in the U.S. In the summer of 2009, he and a mostly US-based band performed 16 sold-out shows at downtown New York clubs. He has returned for brief stints in other parts of this country, including a performance at Central Park SummerStage in 2010, and earlier this year, with TV on the Radio, in The Music of The Rolling Stones Hot Rocks 1964-1971 at Carnegie Hall.

This fall, Jovanotti will move to New York for a year. The relocation is a sort of return to origins for the artist, who counts The Beastie Boys as his primary influence (and, later in his life, collaborators and friends). When Jovanotti performed at the Bowery Ballroom in March 2012, he sang some lines from “No Sleep till Brooklyn.” He was not only acknowledging his whereabouts, but his beginnings, when he sported a sideways baseball cap and a “Get Off My Dick” t-shirt on the cover of his 1988 debut, the rap album Jovanotti for President.

Enter for a chance to win a FREE TICKET to this concert! If you are a blog subscriber, leave a comment on this post to participate. If you are not,  enter your email address where it says “follow blog via email” on this page and then leave a comment.  We will announce two winners here on Tuesday October 16 at noon.

Good luck! 

Jovanotti

Diego Garcia

October 17

Vic Theatre

3145 N. Sheffield / Chicago

7:30pm / all ages/ $25.00

 Buy tickets at http://www.jamusa.com/ConcertDetails.aspx?ConcertId=5050

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Free Tickets to Lila Downs concert tomorrow October 12

Enter for a chance to win a FREE TICKET to this concert! If you are a blog subscriber, leave a comment on this post to participate. If you are not,  enter your email address where it says “follow blog via email” on this page and then leave a comment.  We will announce two winners here tomorrow Friday October 12 at noon.

Good luck! 

Singer Lila Downs grew up with the culture of her father, a professor from the United States, but eventually turned her back on it to explore the tradition of her mother, a Mixteca Indian from Mexico. In doing so, she has created a very individual strain of song that has indigenous Mexican roots and North American sonorities. Her musical vision is anthropological in nature and as varied as the ancient and earthy cultures that continue to nurture and inspire her. Embracing and highlighting indigenous origins, whether in the U.S. or Mexico, has always been an important aspect of her music, as well as the topics of political and social justice, immigration, and transformation, all rooted in the human condition. She strives to make a meaningful connection with her diverse audiences through her music and performances. “I’m so lucky,” remarks Downs. “People who follow our music are from all walks of life, and they want to scratch the surface to know the whys and hows. Every day we get to connect in so many ways.” For over a decade, Lila Downs has traversed the planet, bringing her dramatic and highly unique reinvention of traditional Mexican music and original compositions fused with blues, jazz, soul, African root, and even klezmer music, all supporting her soaring voice. Some would classify Lila as a Mexican artist, but there is no real way to categorize her music except to say that it is a unique and exciting fusion of international sounds. A musical journey with Lila Downs is always a fascinating one, simultaneously edgy and powerful, yet sumptuous and graceful. Here is the video of her latest single “Zapata Se Queda”:

Lila will perform tomorrow with HURAKAN, a Chicago band that creates experimental-ambient music based on traditional rhythmic danzas (ceremonial dances), combining contemporary beats, poetry and songs with reference to ancient Mexican culture, and social consciousness. Incorporating and preserving native musical instruments such as “panhuehuetl” (Mexican drum), “teponaztli” (wood percussion),electronic synthetizers , along with instruments made of natural elements like stones, shells, clay and wooden flutes.  As the guys from HURAKAN stated, they will be sharing the stage with Lila Downs  on  October 12 (observed as Columbus Day in the United States) “celebrating cultural diversity in the day of the race and resistance!”

Concert information:

LILA DOWNS 

Olympic Theatre
6134 W. Cermak Cicero, IL 60804

Friday October 12, 2012

Doors at 7PM/ Show at 8PM

Ticket price: $40-$65

More info at:

www.rebentonpromotions.com/web/lila-downs/

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