Criticism

Reissues and compilations. Latin music back to the future (downbeat column)

Reissues are a chance to catch up with the past and, occasionally, reassess not only history but also the present. That’s the case with several recent releases – including a couple of reissues and two compilations. Poet, diplomat, bohemian extraordinaire Vinicius de Moraes was perhaps the greatest lyricist in bossa nova. His collaboration with Antonio …

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Betsayda Machado and Parranda El Clavo: Food for Body and Soul (Artburst Miami)

Singer Betsayda Machado, second from the left, and the drums-and-voices ensemble La Parranda El Clavo Photo by Xavier Lujan. Presenting music from a foreign tradition poses particular challenges. Yes, music transcends much, but much is lost in the translation. How to make an audience experience the culture, live the stories, and meet the people who …

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Carmen París Brings the Songs From Home to the World — and Vice-Versa

Carmen Paris  Photo by Jose Aguilar© While introducing a song, halfway through her concert at Miami Dade County Auditorium, Friday, Spanish singer and songwriter Carmen París grumbled about globalization and what she saw as the resulting loss of traditional cultures. It was a curious observation for an artist who has built her career on blurring …

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Nat King Cole: Pop Goes the (Jazz) Pianist (JAZZIZ)

  Wesley Prince, bass; Oscar Moore, guitar and Nat King Cole, Club Zanzibar in New York, N.Y., ca. July 1946. Photo by William Gottlieb Nat King Cole was not the first, nor would he be the last, jazz artist whose success as pop singer nearly eclipsed his brilliance as an instrumentalist. Consider Louis Armstrong and, …

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