Tag: Logan Square

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This weekend is all about Latin America and good intentions

The weekend is approaching and is dominated by great options for excellent live Latin American music and for good intentions. Here is my itinerary for your weekend:

FRIDAY

Los Guitarristas – Free Lunchtime Concert
If you work downtown, plan on coming tomorrow by the Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington) at your lunch hour for a free concert with Los Guitarristas! This is a quartet of guitarists formed by maestro Alfonso Chacon who wish to bring the traditionaof Latin American guitar esembles to a new generation in Chicago. A teacher as well as performer, Mr. Chacón enjoyed a long career in music in South America, performing with some of the greatest artists of the 20th Century, including Lucho Gatica, Chabuca Granda, Cholo Aguirre, Raúl Shaw and el Dúo Rey-Silva. Los Guitarristas is more than a concert group, it is an organization dedicated to teaching these styles and all guitarists are welcome to study with Alfonso.  The show runs from 12 to 1pm and is part of the Friday Music Without Borders series.

Earth Wine & Fire Festival
In honor of tomorrow’s Earth Day, the Collective Consciousness Movement and Earth, Wine & Fire are hosting  an Earth Day Benefit Festival to benefit The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (one of my favorite places in Chicago because of its beautiful Butterfly Haven). This is  a family-friendly festival that intends to enlighten consciousness through music, food, wine and green conversation. Headlining the night is The Collective Consciousness Movement (CCM), a group that uses music and performance to bring awareness of reality, individuality, and spirituality. The group breaks the mold of musical genres by letting their concept drive their musical direction and distinct style.  Entertainment will also include fire breathers, fire spinners and dancers, belly dancers, live musicians, capoeira dancing, massage therapists, live painters, photography galleries, wellness and meditation therapists, readers, Reiki practitioners and vendors. For $25 an attendee will receive appetizers, dinner, drinks, full access to museum, music and lots of entertainment. Children 12 and under are free.

Location: The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (2430 N. Cannon Dr.Chicago) 6:30pm-11:00pm

Pre-Sale – $25  www.earthwineandfire.com  Door – $35

Globe Sonico at D’Noche 

If after going to the Earth Wine and Fire Festival you feel like you still want to groove the night out, then head to D’Noche in the Logan Square neighborhood (2710 N. Milwaukee). Agúzate and Sound Culture present a new DJ night with the best in global beats and international grooves.

D’Noche is an intimate lounge that serves up fantastic cocktails and pan american cuisine with a late night menu. No Cover.

Gozamos 1 Year Anniv. Party w/ ZZK + Sonorama

ZZK (Chancha via Circuito & El G) with SONORAMA will perform  tomorrow as part April 22 as part of the Gozamos 1-Year Anniversary celebration.ZZK is a record company from Buenos Aires, Argentina dedicated to the experimentation withdifferent latin rhythms like cumbia, reggaeton and folklore sounds from the Andes. ZZK is born out of a Buenos Aires club called Zizek, where genres clash and cross over, making you dance, while still providing fresh and innovative sounds rarely heard before.

Location: 8fifty8, 858 W. Lake. 9pm- 2am

$5 in advance with code “gozamos” and $15 at the door.
Ticket link: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/157764

SATURDAY

Unieros Fundraiser event for Japan

The people from Unieros is asking for your help to make 1,000 origami cranes to symbolize their wish for Japan’s recovery after the devastating earthquake and tsunami.They are asking for Ladies to wear shades of pink or red; and for men to wear green to symbolize colors of hope that comes from sakura – the blooming of Japanese cherry blossoms in Spring.You will also get a mini Japanese language lesson with Kazumi.
Location: Multilingual Chicago, 2934 N. Milwaukee Ave., Suite C, Chicago. 7pm-11pm
Admission: $5 or more donation at door. They will have computers so you can make your donation online to the American Red Cross.
100% of proceeds will go to the American Red Cross.Light refreshments served. BYOB.RSVP: Emailevents@unieros.com

SUNDAY

Traditional Peruvian Music with JORGE PARDO

Finish the weekend by joining me in this wonderful cultural event of Traditional Peruvian Music that I am organizing. The star of this event is Jorge Pardo, a young Peruvian singer who won the 2005 Viña del Mar International Song Festival and was nominated to the Latin Grammy Awards. Jorge is on a U.S. Tour promoting his latest CD titled MUSICA TRADICIONAL PERUANA, a tribute to Arturo Zambo Cavero & Oscar Aviles. Cavero and Aviles are two of the most emblematic and beloved figures of the Peruvian criolla music genre, and Jorge has collected their most popular songs in this CD, giving a fresh sound to these songs without diverting from the classic style to sing criolla music. The show will also have the participation of Peruvian Folk Dance Center (performing Afro-Peruvian rhythms), Dayan Aldan(next generation musica criolla singer) and best guitarists from Peru Ales Vela (from Elenco Nacional del Folclore) and Yuri Juarez (from Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet and elected 2009 Latin Jazz Guitarist of the Year by Latin Jazz Corner).

Location: Rios D’Sudamerica, the finest Peruvian restaurant in the Midwest, located in the Bucktown neighborhood (2010 W Armitage Chicago) Doors open at 7pm. Show starts at 7:30pm.

Admission: $15 donation

Tickets will be available at the door but is highly recommended to buy them in advance.
Those who buy tickets online will be automatically entered to a raffle to win two tickets for NOVALIMA concert in Chicago on July 12 (must be present to win prize).

Visit https://chicagourbanite.wordpress.com/featured-concert-traditional-peruvian-music-with-jorge-pardo/ to get your tickets online

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Traveling Around the World in Two Days

Friday is here again, and I am so happy to be able to give you so many LIVE world music options this weekend. Are you ready to embark on a tour around the world in two days?  Here are your possible stops (please click on the links if you want to find out more about the dances and listen to some of the music featured in these events):

Today Friday April 15

PUERTO RICO

The Puerto Rican cultural center  Segundo Ruiz Belvis is hosting its monthly Traveling Baile de Bomba event at Tumbao Bar & Grill in the Logan Square neighborhood (3213 W Armitage). Continuing its tradition of cross-cultural programming, this live-music event will also have Tropicalia Brazilian Dance Group performing Afro-Brazilian dancing.  They will also have a Bomba Dance class for kids early in the evening. The Traveling Baile de Bomba event is free and family friendly. The event runs from 6:00PM to 9:00PM

ARGENTINA

If after doing some Bomba you still fee like dancing, then head to ARTango Center (4011 North Ravenswood Ave) for a tango lesson and a MILONGA with a live performance by Argentinian duo DOBLE TANGO. This duo is formed by Juan Emilio Cucchiarelli (piano) and Federico Diaz (guitar). They are currently touring the United States and will offer their only concert in Chicago tonight. Doble Tango is producing a path of innovation in Tango music by creating a spectrum of sound that gets influences from  jazz, academic and Latin American music.  The price for the tango lesson and the show is $15;  Tango lesson starts at 9 pm . Concert starts at 11:00 PM and the milonga usually runs until 3 AM

SIERRA LEONE
Another good option for the evening is to go to the Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars
concert featuring DJ Maliq at Mayne Stage in the Rogers Park neighborhood (1328 West Morse Avenue, Chicago). This group is formed by musicians who escaped the violence of Sierra Leone’s civil war. The band formed at a West African refugee camp to keep their spirits and hopes alive. They have become an international musical sensation, playing at South by Southwest, NPR’s World Café, Bonnaroo, and Fuji Rock in Japan. Their remarkable story and music has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN International, and PBS. Tickets cost $20 and show starts at 9:30 PM (Doors open at 8:30 PM ).

GREECE

Katerina’s (1920 West Irving Park Road Chicago) presents Rebetiki Istoria, on tour from Athens, Greece. This is their only Chicago appearance.Rebetiko (the Greek Blues) is similar to Portugese Fado or the African-American blues, and it stirs the depth of human emotions in pain or joy. The group is comprised of Pavlos Vassiliou on voice/tzoura, singer Eirini Liokoukoudaki, Nikolaos Menegas and Giorgos Petroudis on bouzouki, Vangelis Nikolaidis on guitar and Yona Stamatis on violin. Rebetika Storia  is said to perform many early Rebetiko works, including a repertoire of difficult and unusual songs rarely performed today. Tickets cost $20. Show starts at 10PM.

BRAZIL

If you are looking for lighter rhythms, then go to Xippo Lounge (3759 N. Damen, Chicago) for their monthly live Samba, Batucada, Bossa Nova, Reggae,  andBaile Funk with Bossa Tres and DJ Blakish. Cover is $5 and the show runs from 9:00PM to 2AM

Tomorrow Saturday April 16


COLOMBIA

Continue your wanderings around the world tomorrow at Las Tablas Restaurant at Irving Park (4920 W. Irving Park Rd,  Chicago). You will get the chance to hear live music from two different bands: Salsa from 8-11pm with ‘Carpacho’ Marin & Yankatino and live Vallenato from 11:30-1am with Juvenato. Latin dance music with live DJ until 2am. No cover all night. Dancing until 2AM. Call 773.202.0999 for reservations

SPAIN

Soulful Spanish Troubadour-Guitarist  Javier Ruibal will be at Katerina’s (1920 W. Irving Park) tomorrow. His songs are beautiful and responsible, intimate and participatory, personal and universal. His vocal qualities allow him to move freely and without inhibition through the sonorous terrain of flamenco, Magreb, Indian and Caribbean styles in a constant, harmonious flow which invites us to believe firmly that the fusion of musical styles and peoples will bring us to a new place of enlightenment, a new planet still being formed. Tickets cost $12 and show starts at 10:00 PM. 

If you decide to go to any of these events, please let them know that you heard about them trough Chicago Urbanite. Also, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to share your pictures, videos or comments about any of the events featured. Thanks for your support and enjoy your weekend!

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