Otto Botté dropped his “Humbara” music video on December 14, 2020. The song is a nod to the New York City based artist’s Colombian roots.
Botté is known for being 1/3 of the sample-based electronic group Pool Cosby, who just released their second album, Day Breaks. He has also worked with an array of superstar musicians. He did the mastering on the Robin Schulz remix of “Waves” by Mr. Probz ended up landing him a Grammy nomination back in 2015 for Best Remixed Recording – Non-Classical. He has worked with names Enrique Iglesias, Trey Songz, Fedez, Club Dogo in his and has mastered work that adds up to over 8 million in sales.
The single “Humbara” dropped originally back on November 20, 2020. The song has a unique and genre-bending sound that sees a fusion of worlds and cultures and creates one irresistible dance track out of them. It really deep dives into the culture-rich sounds of Botté’s Colombian roots while creating a laidback electro-synth melody. It uses traditional Colombian instrumentation, from the thumping conga drums to the dance-inducing wooden flutes and maracas.
The track recently surpassed 18,000 streams and has received support from big names like NPR Music’s World Cafe, Kick Kick Snare, and radio play on LA’s LatinAlt HD3. The music video brings even more energy and support to the up and coming track with names like Pablo Morelo directing it.
“Humbara was the first song I created as a solo producer about 4 years ago. I was single then, and the only thing I felt I could confidently write about was my relationship with God, so I wrote a song to him.”Otto Botté shares about his inspiration behind the track, “Last year, I fell in love with someone, and the more I heard this song, the more I felt God’s love in my relationship and how it constantly felt like He was singing this song back to me. It’s been a beautiful experience connecting with God these past few years, and at the time with her through this song. The experience itself always felt as if our relationship (mine with hers and God) was manifested through the melodies and grooves in this song. It symbolizes how there can be a spiritual connection between two people and God.”
The video features only Botté singing and dancing in different scenic natural areas. There are a few shots of animals and beautiful views but manley is simplistic in the best way possible focusing on the music and Botté. Check out the full video here.
For more information on Otto Botté visit his website here.
Flushing Town Hall announces their showcasing of Kunqu Opera on December 12, 2020 at 8PM EST. The event will take place via live-stream on Zoom or YouTube.
The Kunqu Opera showcase is titled Kunqu in America: Memories of Chung-ho Chang Frankel. The showcase at Flushing Town Hall will illustrate how Kunqu opera, the oldest extant version of Chinese theater, took root in the United States by featuring memories of Ms. Chung-ho Chang, one of the most influential Kunqu practitioners throughout the country. The program will be presented bilingually, both in English and Mandarin, and will be told through videos, pictures, and interviews.
Ms. Chung-ho Chang is known for being one of the “last female literary talents from China’s Republic Era” particularly after the passing of Madame Chiang Kai-Shek. She was born in Shanghai to a big and prestigious family in 1913 and became a well-known poet, calligrapher, and Kunqu opera singer. She was active in the arts and cultural scene along with her three sisters during the first part of the 20th century. She then moved to the United States in 1949 with her husband, Hans Frankel, a sinologist who later taught at Yale University and who she met while studying at Peking University.
She is known for having planted the seed of the Kunqu opera while also nurturing the art community while she lived in California and Connecticut. She did this by holding Kunqu gatherings in her home, bringing students, actors, musicians, and scholars together to practice Kunqu singing and movements. For decades, she traveled from university to university to promote and demonstrate the art form. In 2001, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) proclaimed Kunqu a masterpiece of “the oral and intangible heritage of humanity”. Today, there is a thriving Kunqu opera community throughout the United States in which Ms. Chung-ho Chang is greatly involved in.
The Flushing Town Hall virtual event will feature anecdotes of Ms. Chang collected exclusively by the Kunqu Society from interviews with Ms. Chang’s family members, students, and friends, will showcase several elaborate costumes and musical instruments that were handmade by her and will collectively showcase Kunqu Opera.
Following the program, there will also be a live Q&A featuring guests who appeared in the stories. People interested in attending must RSVP in advance to receive a link to watch the event on Zoom or YouTube. To RSVP or to learn more about the program, visit The Flushing Town Hall’s website.
This coming week marks the start of Hanukkah, and once again Matisyahu will bring his famed ‘Festival of Light’ shows to fans, through FANS, on December 10, 11 and 17. The performances will take place at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester and will be streamed on FANS.
Matisyahu’s Festival of Light shows are an annual celebration and some of the most notable performances of his career. Each end-of-year celebration spreads the traditions and light of Hanukkah, sharing the holiday in a relevant way to both Jews and non-Jews alike, and an universal experience that transcends themes of peace and prosperity.
The streamed event is billed with each night featuring classic, show-stopping hits, and the powerhouse ballads and powerful energy that Matisyahu is known for. Meet Matisyahu beneath the glittering dreidel-disco ball and send out good vibes to the world during this Festival of Light.
The stream is available for purchase for one or all three nights. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
Joining Matisyahu will be Aaron Dugan on guitar, Jason Fraticelli on bass, Rob Marscher on keys, and Tim Keiper on drums.
What makes this music so engaging and unmatched, is that Matisyahu; a vocalist with no other instrument at his disposal, is an integral creative part in the improvisation. Dugan and Yuki work well beyond the constraints of the “solo” constantly working to modulate the improvisation, while Brook’s pocket is so deep and harmonically smart, that regardless of how far the melodic elements of a jam may get pushed, it’s impossible not to feel rooted to the core of any tune performed.
Matisyahu allows his band to breathe within each tune, finding his place with a wordless melody that serves to enhance the harmonic elements of an improvisation, developing the rhythmic ideas with his beat boxing, or crowning a jam with a full-on lyrical call-to-the-heavens and the great unknown. It’s that cathartic moment as a jam summits and the audience lets out its release that tells the performers we are all in it together.
The EPAC Virtual Christmas Show will be available on EPAC Digital, a new online platform granting digital access to EPAC Productions, from December 17th through January 3rd, 2021.
Endicott Performing Arts Center has put together a spectacular variety show of great holiday classics, as well as some newer contemporary songs to brighten your holiday season. You can watch local talent perform your signature holiday songs, that you can’t have Christmas without, including performances of “Happy Christmas… War is Over,” “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and “White Christmas,” among many others. There will be performances from different locations, including people singing and dancing from home, from the EPAC Recording Stage, and out and about in thelocal landscape of the Southern Tier.
A short holiday themed puppet show presented by the EPAC Puppet Tree Theater Group is also a part of the series, as well as archival footage of shows from Christmas’ past. Don’t miss this experience, with amazing local talent performing virtually for the safety and entertainment of the entire community.
The Endicott Performing Arts Center is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide an affordable and high quality venue to local, regional and touring performing artists, enabling them to present, develop, & improve their artistic efforts.
Over the past 23 years, EPAC has: Renovated and Operated out of the 104 year old “Lyric Theater” in Endicott, NY. To provide a means for thousands of community members to gain education about all aspects of the performing arts, while presenting a diverse array of affordable high quality performing arts events to our community. EPAC typically attracts over 20,000 people to the Arts Center every year, as well as hundreds of people to the outdoor “Stage at Little Italy” with its annual Shakespeare in the Park event at the George W. Johnson Park.
Grammy Award-winning Doug Beavers is of the stature of NYC’s top jazz aficionados who fearlessly push the boundaries of the genre itself. Beavers was an ace trombonist for Eddie Palmieri’s “La Perfecta” band and the current lead trombonist for the Spanish Harlem Orchestra. On his forthcoming new full-length studio album, Sol, Beavers steps into the spotlight like never before.
Sol showcases a dozen original compositions featuring special guests Joe Locke (Kenny Barron, Eddie Henderson) on vibraphone, vocalist Ada Dyer (Chaka Khan, Roberta Flack), Latin jazz vocal sensation Jeremy Bosch (Spanish Harlem Orchestra), and Robby Ameen (Ruben Blades, Dizzy Gillespie) on drums.
Recorded in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic, Doug Beavers sought to produce an empowering album to help rekindle connections and return to values centered around kindness and compassion. At the heart of Sol, he revisits the sounds of the 1970s when addictive bass riffs, sophisticated horn arrangements, and African rhythms dominated the charts. It wouldn’t be a Beavers recording though if it didn’t have a powerful punch of Latin jazz and the best salsa players/singers NYC has to offer performing on the tracks. Hence, Sol dives deep into an organic alchemy of salsa, jazz, and R&B.
“It was the vibe of the sun telling me everything is going to be OK. I just took my score paper and the music immediately started pouring out,” Doug Beavers recalls. “You know, we’ve all been through a lot in 2020, and I wanted to record a New York album that uplifts people and puts smiles on their faces. I know that sunshine has that natural effect on me, thus I named the album, Sol.”
Sol is set for international release on Friday, December 4, on Circle 9, a brand new subscriber-supported independent record label, recently launched by Doug Beavers.
Sci-fi Middle Eastern Prog Rockers Consider the Source have announced their “Hero Squad” New Year’s Run over December 28-31, 2020.
CTS will wrap up 2020 with four limited seating, socially distant shows, which will culminate with two nights at The Stone Church in New Hampshire. The venues for all four shows have been following safety protocols with success and the band currently feels they are adequate spaces to perform.
Fans are asked to adhere to any ground rules laid out by the venue and respect the band, audience, and staff’s space. Some venues may require the purchase of an entire table, as all shows are operating as seated shows with reduced capacities set by the venues. Please refer to venue websites for all show info. Tickets are on sale now for the Consider the Source Hero Squad New Year’s Run.
12/28 Jergel’s – Pittsburgh, PA 12/29 Baltimore Soundstage – Baltimore, MD 12/30 The Stone Church – Newmarket, NH 12/31 The Stone Church – Newmarket, NH SOLD OUT
Over four days in late October, 1979, Bob Marley and The Wailers performed seven shows at the legendary Apollo Theater, marking the first ever reggae performances at the recently reopened Harlem venue. The shows, beginning on October 25 and ending October 28, would add to the rich history of the Apollo and connect Marley with the one-time home of fellow Jamiacan, Marcus Garvey.
The shows at the Apollo were the third stop on his Survival tour, which had kicked off on October 21 in Boston at Harvard Stadium with Stevie Wonder. A day later, Marley and The Wailers would perform at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Performing in Harlem was designed to broaden his reach to a demographic that had not yet tuned into his music, Black Americans. Dennis Thompson, one of four audio engineers and sound technicians working with Marley on these shows told the Jamaica Observer.
Bob wanted to reach the African-American people and he liked the idea of an intimate setting, and the Apollo had it. Survival related to the struggles and oppression of people; Bob once said to me, how great it would be if there could be a United States of Africa, so these concerts were very important to him.”
Dennis Thompson
The album Survival still stands as one of Marley’s most politically charged albums, featuring anthems “Africa Unite” and “Zimbabwe,” the latter celebrating the fall of the white supremacist regime in Rhodesia.
A mixed audience of African Americans, West Indians and whites was reported by Clinton Lindsay, a Jamaican student at the New York Institute of Technology. In covering the shows for college newspaper, Scope, he noted
“The show on the Saturday night was the best, it was sold out and had the best vibes. The opening show was also sold-out and had lots of major stars attending. Each show, although the set list might have been the same, were never alike. Each had its own identity.
Clinton Lindsay
Part of the reason Marley sought to perform in Harlem was due to the connection of Marcus Garvey to the neighborhood. Garvey was a Jamaican-born writer and speaker in the early 20th century who encouraged the Pan-African movementa, emphasizing unity between African-Americans and their ancestral lands. Garvey would inspire Rastafarians advocating for Pan-Africanism. Marley would perform at the Apollo with three backdrops: one of the Ethiopian flag, one of Ethiopian emporer Haile Selassie I, revered by Rastafarians, and one of Garvey, Selassie and guerilla fighters.
The Apollo is an important part of black heritage, I can’t think of any major black international star who hasn’t played there at one point – Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, right from them people there to all the soul stars, everyone. That’s one reason Bob has to play there, to put him in that tradition for people to understand.
The lineup for the Apollo residency included Bob Marley on vocals and rhythm guitar, Aston Barrett (bass), Carlton Barrett (drums), Junior Marvin (lead guitar), Al Anderson (lead guitar), Tyrone Downie (keyboards), Earl “Wya” Lindo (organ), Alvin “Seeco” Patterson (percussion), Devon Evans (percussion), Glen DaCosta (saxophone), Dave Madden (trumpet) and The I-Threes (backing vocals).
A first hand experience from the show, shared with Marley Arkives, gives insight into the audience reaction to the peformances.
“Concerning the Bob Marley concert at the Apollo….there were three shows, in three days….and I made sure I was present for all three…Each show was different…but each unique. The Apollo Theater has 2 balconies…I was in the first balcony …front row center…best seat in the house…I sooo wish at least one of the concerts were on film….Bob rocked the house…so much so, at one point I actually got frightened…at the end of the third and final show…Bob had everyone on their feet singing “Get up Stand up”…of course everyone got up…but it wasn’t until a few minutes into the song that I realized the whole balcony was shaking….literally moving…I kept still to see if it was movement that I was really feeling…sure enough…it was…that’s when I started to hope that the balcony would hold….the balcony was full…even the isles…the Apollo is an old theater…..After the concert , I left feeling fulfilled and exhausted…Bob had taken all my energy…..any time he played NYC I was there….have never been to a concert that could surpass any Bob Marley concert since…….BLESS.”
Opening the shows was Betty Wright, known for “Clean up Woman” and “Tonight is the Night,” singing with a range from disco to soul. The New York Times said of the run of shows:
The theme of Bob Marley’s four-evening stint (Thursday through tomorrow) at Harlem’s newly reopened Apollo Theater is “black survival,” and Mr. Marley’s own survival has been a subject of concern lately. Although he seems to have recovered fully from a shooting incident a couple of years ago in politically turbulent Ja- maica, his reggae nas sounnea ratner pallid on recent albums and his opening‐night performance on Thursday was his first New York City appearance in nearly a year and a half.
While the Times felt that Marley was less energetic, he had begun to use his presence on stage to preach and inspire, with impassioned vocals and an audience that quickly warmed up and threw their energy back at the stage. These historic performances would be among Marley’s last shows in New York, returning the next September to open for The Commodores at Madison Square Garden in September, 1980; it would be one of Marley’s last performances.
On September 21, 1980, Marley would collapse while jogging in Central Park, likely due to malignant melanoma cancer he was diagnosed with three years prior. He would perform one more time, at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, before losing his battle with cancer at age 36.
Setlist – Bob Marley and The Wailer at The Apollo Theater, October 25, 1979
Natural Mystic, Them Belly Full (But We Hungry), I Shot the Sheriff, Concrete Jungle, Ambush in the Night, Ride Natty Ride, Running Away, Crazy Baldhead, Wake Up and Live, One Drop, No Woman, No Cry, Jamming, So Much Trouble in the World, Zimbabwe, Africa Unite, War, No More Trouble
Setlist – Bob Marley and The Wailer at The Apollo Theater, October 28, 1979
Positive Vibration, Wake Up & Live, The Heathen, One Drop, I Shot The Sheriff, Runnin Away, Crazy Baldhead, Zimbabwe, War, No More Trouble, Exodus
The Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will host a virtual live concert from Edmond J. Safra Hall in New York City on October 25 at 7 p.m. The livestream is the Museum’s first event since the COVID-19 pandemic and will broadcast from their website.
The livestream will include a performance from Klezmer Brass Allstars, Eleanor Reissa, and Deep Singh with songs about love, protest, political commentary, the Holocaust, and liberation, inspired by their previous collaborations “Vilde mekhaye-Wild Ecstacy” and “Mir geyen nisht tsurik/No Looking Back. Grammy award-winning trumpeter-composer, Sir Frank London will lead The Klezmer Brass Allstars along with trombonist Brian Drye, clarinetist Michael Winograd, tubist Ron Caswell, drummer Aaron Alexander, accordionist Ilya Shneyveys, and guitarist Brandon Seabrook. London’s work celebrates multi-cultural Jewish music and honors those killed in the Holocaust and Hungary. His work is a celebration of Jewish life and Yiddish culture through a multicultural lens. London’s latest poetry/music release is Salomé: Woman of Valor with Adeena Karasick.
Frank London’s music and artistry, rooted in Jewish Heritage, provides an opportunity for us to come together in real-time to remember, celebrate, and heal during these difficult times. Although we must remain apart, we hope this event will bring people together, and are excited to launch our Live from Edmond J. Safra Hall concert series with such inspiring, talented presenters.
Jack Kliger, President & CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage–A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
The Museum is the third-largest Holocaust museum in the world and the second-largest in North America, with a commitment to educating diverse visitors about Jewish life, before, during, and after the Holocaust.
Our Live from Edmond J. Safra Hall concert will be as close as we can safely come to performing for an audience in real time. Thanks to the visionary presenters at the Museum of Jewish Heritage for creating this groundbreaking event. It’s the first real concert we’ve played in months.
Sir Frank London
Click here to register for a ticket and make a donation
Sonia De Los Santos, a Mexican born artist who now lives in New York, has released her new single “¡Fiesta, Fiesta!” Sonia De Los Santos wrote the song as a celebration of life and a thank-you letter dedicated to all the people who have inspired her musical journey. The release date of “¡Fiesta, Fiesta!” coordinates closely with Hispanic Heritage Month in the U.S. that runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
photo by Mikel Melcon
During Hispanic Heritage Month, Hispanic Americans celebrate the contributions and histories of the Central American countries including Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Hispanic Heritage Month starts on Sept. 15. in the U.S. is to honor the anniversary of the five Hispanic countries who declared independence from Spain in 1821, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico celebrates its independence day on Sept. 16 and Chile celebrates its independence on Sept.18.
“¡Fiesta, Fiesta!” tells Sonia’s story of her travels as an artist as she voyages to America. As Sonia looks back on her journey, she hopes to encourage listeners to be grateful for the years of life behind them.
The song is in the rhythm of cumbia which is dance music originating in Colombian and is similar to salsa. “¡Fiesta, Fiesta!” includes Sonia’s voice mixed with children’s voices and instruments including guitar, accordion, horns, congas, Afro-Colombian alegre drum, percussion, and double bass.
Here is the English translation of “¡Fiesta, Fiesta!”:
From a far away land, I came full of dreams
Crossed through the savanna, sharing my song
There are roads I have walked, and to all of those I’ve known
I dedicate the verses, that for them I’ve written
I came with my guitar all the way from Monterrey
Crossed rivers and mountains and up north I arrived
A winter welcomed me in New York
and from here I sing this Cumbia with love
To my friends; I am singing, we are playing everywhere
I go around the world on this journey
Collecting stories that I want to share with you
Drums are calling, with their beat they accompany us
Dance porro, move your skirt with your hat, dance this cumbia, hey
Sonia’s music has reached young audiences across the world with the release of her two-family music albums Mi Viaje: De Nuevo León to the New York Island and ¡Alegría!. Sonia won a Parents’ Choice Foundation Gold Award for Mi Viaje: De Nuevo León to the New York Island in 2015. ¡Alegría! was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2019 and received recognition from Billboard as the “Best Latin Children’s Music.”
Live at the Drive-In announced performances by Dirty Heads, Almost Queen, and the Disco Biscuits at the Lafayette Apple Festival Grounds. The shows will take place throughout October with Dirty Heads on the 24 and Disco Biscuits on the 29, 30, and 31. The shows will follow social distancing guidelines made by the State of NY while providing some much needed live music.
The Lafayette Apple Festival Grounds usually hosts the LaFayette Apple Festival but due to COVID-19 the festival unforchinitly had to be cancelled this year. They are making room for five nights of musical fun. Doors open at 5PM for all the shows and they actually start at 7PM. Tickets are on sale already for the Dirty heads and Disco Biscuit shows and can be purchased here.
The Dirty Heads are a mix of hip-hop, reggae, and rock. They are a California bred and raised group with a similar sound to Sublime. They formed back in 2003 and their members throughout the years include Jared Watson, Dustin Bushnell, Matt Ochoa, David Foral, Jon Olazabal, Shawn Hagood, and Josh Freese. They have seven studio albums and have hit the Billboard Top 200 multiple times.
The Disco Biscuits are a well known and loved jam band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is made up of band members Allen Aucoin, Marc “Brownie” Brownstein, Jon “The Barber” Gutwillig, and Aron Magner and formed in 1995. The band is known for incorporating elements from a bunch of different musical genres. Their sound has a base of electronic and rock and has been described as trance fusion in the past.
For more information of the Live at the Drive-In performances visit Lafayette Apple Festival Grounds website and Creative Concerts.
