Los Pleneros de la 21 plus Son Como Son and more

The City of Albuquerque & Mayor Richard J. Berry present:

Albuquerque Summerfest at lNob Hill:
Central Ave. Girard to Washington • Albuquerque

MAIN STAGE: Girard & Central

7pm: Kanoa Kaluhiwa Perceptions Septet
New Mexico’s finest jazz/latin/Caribbean musicians join forces under the direction of saxophonist, Mbira player, percussionist Kanoa Kaluhiwa to perform original jazz compositions utilizing Bata rhythms and drumming. With César Bauvallet, trombone & Bata percussion; Frank Leto, Bata & vocals; Kanoa Kaluhiwa, tenor saxophone Mbira, & Bata; Dimi Disanti, guitar; John Rangel, keyboards; Luis Guerra, bass; & Diego Arencon, drums.

8pm: Son Como Son bills itself as Salsa Cuban Style. Founded in 1993 it is one of Albuquerque’s longest-standing and most popular salsa ensembles. They play regularly to packed audiences comprising highly animated and dedicated salseros at venues from the NM Jazz Workshop’s Salsa Under the Stars Series, The Cooperage, and the Telluride Jazz Festival. They are directed by renowned trombonist, vocalist, percussionist, composer, and arranger César Bauvallet who moved from Havana, Cuba to Albuquerque in 1992. In addition to Bauvallet, Son Como Son comprises some of Albuquerque’s most accomplished and busiest musicians: Paul Gonzales, trumpet, background vocals; Martin Carlucci, trumpet, background vocals; Jim Firkins, trombone, background vocals; Mary Wommack, piano, background vocals; Janet Harman, bass, background vocals; Victor Rodriguez, congas, lead vocals; and Tomás White, drums, timbales.

9-10:30pm. Headlining tonight’s Nob Hill Summerfest event after a week of concerts and residency activities, from NYC and Puerto Rico, is Los Pleneros de la 21—  one of the world’s premier ensembles performing and teaching Afro Puerto Rican Bomba y Plena. See extended writeup on pages 31-32, for complete description.

SECOND STAGE: Solano & Central

7pm: Baracutanga has been packing Albuquerque clubs and dance halls for the last year with its rhythm-rich, soulful dance music from around Latin America. The 7-member group has been playing for a year, and in that short time it has already been chosen by Weekly Alibi readers as Best New Band. Members hail from the US and Latin America, including Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina and Puerto Rico, creating a diverse mix of Brazilian samba, Caribbean rhythms, reggae, batucada, cumbia colombina, and Afro-Peruvian rhythms. Baracutanga is Jackie Zamora, vocals & hand percussion; Blake Minnerly, vocals, guitar, cavaquinho & percussion; Carlos Noboa: bass & vocals; Kilko Paz, surdos & cajon; Nick Baker, drums, vibes & hand percussion; Sebastian Pais Iriart, vocals, congas & hand percussion; and Ari LeVaux, cavaquinho & hand percussion.

8pm. The African Roots of Jazz is a multi faceted project centered around a core group of musicians comprising composer, lyricist, stage director, and choreographer Sina Aurelia Soul; guitarist Christopher Rodriguez; musical director, composer, bandleader and bassist  Rodney Bowe; and percussionist/drummer Douglas Cardwell. Guest artists joining the group include poet and vocalist, Jamaal Martin; dancers, Nadine Desormeau and Shirley Sainte; the dancers of Odigbo Adama; plus percussionists, Duc Saint Germaine (Haiti), Adolphe Pierre-Louis (Haiti), Laryea Addy (Ghana), Ngala Mfalme (Cameroon), and Bekaye Kouyate (Mali). They describe their sound as “encompassing the evolutionary journey of Jazz from tribal chants and the wail of the Griot in the Motherland, to the field songs, “Negro Spirituals,” blues, gospel, hybridized polyrhthmic interpretations of jazz standards, as well as modern jazz fusion originals.”

SIDE STREET STAGES

Performing on smaller stages on Central between Girard and Solano will be Catfish & Plum; The Frank Leto Steel Drum Duo; Selsun Blue Sidewalk Duo; and more.

Free