Better than Free – British Music in Venezuela

According to Billboard Music, the band Mongrel is “genre smashing”. The supergroup promotes peace and political consciousness in their lyrics.

Comprised of  members from several bands, including Reverend & the Makers, Poisonous Poets, Arctic Monkeys, and Babyshambles, Mongrel is set to put some Venezuelan flavor in their tunes.

This month they’ll travel to Venezuela to launch a musical program and give a free show.

Mongrel is dedicated to sharing music and will give away thousands of CDs when they arrive in Caracas later this month. 400,000 copies of their last album “Better than Heavy” were distributed for free throughout Britain.

They’ll also make an appearance on the President Chavez’s weekly television show Aló Presidente. Plans are in the works to do a new album based on Jamaican reggae and Venezuela folk music, hopefully featuring Damian Marley.

Watch this video of their song “The Menace”.

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Salsa Caraqueña at “El Maní” – Worth the Price of the Flight

No visit to Venezuela is complete without a visit to Caracas, and no visit to Caracas is complete without Saturday night at El Maní es Así, a veritable institution of Latin American salsa.

Called El Maní (the peanut) for short, it is simply one of the greatest salsa clubs on planet earth. Located in the heart of Caracas in Sabana Grande, nearly every taxi driver can take you there. It’s Metro accessible, but you’ll need to take a cab back, since the Metro shuts down before the party does.

Admission to El Maní is usually free, and the crowd is diverse and friendly. Get there early to nab a table. The caraqueño nightlife custom is to purchase a bottle of liquor (with mixers) or mini keg of beer to reserve your table for the night.  The waitstaff is attentive and quick, so tip well! The place is full by 9 pm, but the dance floor always has room for another couple.

Top Latin American salsa bands perform there every weekend, and even party goers without skills will be tempted (and invited!) to dance.  Don’t worry — someone will offer to teach you the steps. The rhythm is hard to fight, the rum is superb, and the house lights will come on before you know it.

El Maní is a great place to see the real Caracas, and a wonderful place to fall in love — with Venezuela, of course!

Check out this great photo montage of the club with music by salsa legend “la voz” Héctor Lavoe.

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Venezuelan Music Tip: Flutist Marco Granados

Marco Granados has just released a new disc entitled The Music of Venezuela. The master flutist’s latest work is composed of 16 traditional pieces accompanied by the cuatro, bass, and percussion.

Granados, called a virtuoso by music critics, has had a long and active international career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher.  He has  also shared his gift by conducting musical workshops for children in Guatemala and South Africa.

Granados’ works range from classical to folk, but always maintains that Venezuelan flavor.

Here’s a great review from EJazz.

Check out Marco and and his band Un Mundo performing a traditional Venezuelan Gaita:

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Venezuela’s Favorite “Dude” Heads to L.A.

Wondering what you’ll have to look forward after Obama’s inauguration comes and goes and all the parties are over?

Here’s something: the arrival of “the Dude.” That’s right, Venezuela’s master conductor Gustavo Dudamel comes to the U.S. to lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic next season.

He’s in New York this month conducting Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, and after that, he’s off to California.

Check out the latest from The Economist.

UPDATE: Somehow we missed this article from the Guardian about “El Sistema,” the world-famous youth music education program on which Dudamel was weaned.

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Venezuelan Music Tip: ‘Las 4 Monedas’

Las 4 Monedas (The Four Coins) are pioneers of Venezuelan ska and reggae. The band, originally known as Los Hermanos O’Brien, was composed of the O’ Brien siblings Marlene, Kenny, Brenda, and Gary. The famous Venezuelan composer and producer Hugo Blanco discovered them in 1968 and changed their name.

Las 4 Monedas represents Venezuela’s “first wave” of reggae-rocksteady and was the first Venezuelan group to record a reggae song. That song,  “Buena Suerte” (Good Luck), is set to the tune of Desmond Dekker’s “007 (Shanty Town)” and is still popular in Venezuela today. The band toured the world, performing in Europe, Israel, and throughout Latin America.

Las 4 Monedas translated numerous English-language classics into Spanish, including Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven,” Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billy Joe,” and Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools.”

For more information and a discography check out these links.

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Venezuelan Pianist to Play at Obama Inauguration

Si se puede! A Venezuelan pianist groomed by the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra will be performing at the inauguration of President elect Obama next week.

Her name is Gabriel Montero. She will perform with the master cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, and clarenetist Anthony McGill — get this — right before Barack Obama takes the oath of office.

Montero says: “I’m very excited to be part of this great day. It’s going to be a great moment for the entire world.”

Montero is now a naturalized U.S. citizen. She first came north on an educational scholarship from the Venezuelan government.

In the clip below, watch her take a silly ditty that is the theme song for the BBC children’s program The Wombles and turn it into an amazingly beautiful improvised piece. Improvisation is Montero’s trademark, according to the New York Times.

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A Little Venezuelan Donkey on the Way to Bethlehem

Christmas cuteness at its finest: El Burrito Sabanero is not about food, but a favorite Christmas song in Latin America. Burro in Spanish means donkey, and burrito is little donkey. El Burrito Sabanero is about a boy who rides his little donkey to Bethlehem to see the niño Jesús.

This famous Venezuelan Christmas song, written by Hugo Blanco, gets played with about the same frequency as “Silent Night” does in the U.S. El Burrito is a joyful staple at elementary school Christmas recitals. The song is so precious that it’s not even necessary to know Spanish to enjoy it — but it has been translated.

El Burrito Sabanero has been covered by many artists, a few of which are below:

The latest version is by Incaptepec, a Latin-style jazz band. Click here for an article and the song.

Here is an adorable hip hop version by the Puerto Rican boy band Tick Tock:

The cuteness continues with a bilingual version by Bachata group, Aventura, from the Dominican Republic:

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Joropo, The Soul of Venezuela

Joropo is a big part of life in the rural plains region of the Venezuelan llanos. The name “joropo” encompasses a broad spectrum of Venezuelan cultural forms; from dress and poetry to dance and music.

Joropo is authentically Venezuelan, and its influence reaches far beyond the llanos. The music can now be heard everywhere, from the tunnels of the Caracas Metro, to the petroleum fields of Barinas, to the beaches of Choroni.  Venezuelan school children learn how to dance joropo and showcase their accomplishments at ferias (festivals) wearing traditional clothing such as the liquiliqui.

This particular style of folk music features the four-stringed Venezuelan cuatro,  the harp, the mandolin, and maracas. The instruments can vary by region, but joropo has an unmistakable sound and irresistible rhythm that invites listeners to dance and stomp their feet.

“Alma Llanera” is likely the most beloved joropo of all — many consider it an unofficial national anthem. Listen to a version by Simon Diaz here. Also, check out this video from a dance competition in Guárico State:

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Caracas Comes Alive in Cyrano Fernandez Movie

Another Venezuelan film participating in the Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana escaped our notice yesterday: Cyrano Fernandez by director Alberto Arvelo.

The movie is a modern-day version of the French drama Cyrano de Bergerac that takes place in the Caracas barrios. This love story features music by the popular Venezuelan rap group Tres Dueños. Check out their song “La Mala Vida,” and watch the trailer for Cyrano Fernandez with English subtitles below.

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Venezuela’s Dudamel Helps Celebrate Israel

Last Sunday and Monday, the Venezuelan conductor joined the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra to perform shows at Carnegie Hall commemorating the 60th anniversary of Israel.

According to this New York Times review, Dudamel achieved a “killer reading” of Tchaikovsky.

UPDATE: the Washington Post weighs in on the Carnegie Hall show, calling Dudamel “the wild child of music” and “better than the hype.”

For more about the state-run music eductaion program in Venezuela that inspired Dudamel and brought him to star status, see a new L.A. Times article.

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Venezuelan Conductors Invade U.S. Classical Music Scene

Venezuela’s Gustavo Dudamel is on his way to becoming a household name. He is credited with reviving classical music, and will surely gain more attention when he assumes his post as conductor of the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra in 2009.

It so happens that another Venezuelan conductor, Eduardo Marturet (pictured above), heads up the Miami Symphony Orchestra. Though Marturet honed his music skills abroad in Europe, he later returned to Venezuela and preceded Dudamel as director of Venezuela’s Youth Symphony Orchestra through 1995. More recently, in 2006, his “Encantamento” won a Latin Grammy for Best Classical Album.

The Miami Symphony Orchestra began its 20th season last Saturday. The first performance featured a star performer, the violinist Alexis Cardenas, who is a also Venezuelan. Watch him wow the crowd in the video below.

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Venezuelan Music Tip: Raising Voices for Peace

Dame Pa’ Matarla is a band based out of Yaracuy that is just starting to gain attention outside of their hometown. They have been frequently seen on the beaches near Chichiriviche, hawking CDs and performing for passersby. Now, they’re giving concerts in Caracas and all around Venezuela. And they have a blog!

We recommend the song, “Alzemos la voz en favor de la paz,” which means, “Let’s raise our voices for peace.” It is a social commentary with a positive message sung in perfect harmony. Watch the video below.

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