Junot Diaz interview in Spanish

This interview was published by the arts & culture website REVISTA Ñ which is run by the Buenos Aires newspaper Clarín.

I haven’t seen too many interviews with Junot Diaz conducted entirely in Spanish.

An interesting range of topics from his latest novel, the immigrant experience in America, his use of Spanglish in his novel and more.

Junot refers to his sister’s kids as not being “spanglishparlantes”

Hillarious!!!!!!

“Ser inmigrante es como ser alcohólico: eso nunca se quita”

Entrevista al dominicano ganador del Premio Pulitzer 2008, que estará en Buenos Aires para la Feria del Libro.

Logró reconocimiento y atrajo lectores con su primera novela, escrita en un inglés mezclado con castellano que refleja el habla de los inmigrantes.
Por: Patricia Kolesnicov

¿No era que un escritor era, justamente, alguien con gran, gran dominio del lenguaje? ¿Tanto que podían florearse por diferentes registros? Bueno, miren lo que le dice a Clarín Junot Díaz, el dominicano que ganó el año pasado el Premio Pulitzer (el premio literario más importante de los Estados Unidos) por su novela La maravillosa vida breve de Óscar Wao:

—Los amigos míos dicen que hablo un español muertísimo y que también hablo un inglés muertísimo. Entonces, me parece que yo no tengo una lengua donde me siento muy cómodo.

Justamente. Cuando el jurado eligió la novela de Díaz, elegía un texto escrito en el inglés de un inmigrante “latino”, un inglés mezclado, revuelto con alguna de tantas versiones del español. Y elegía también el imaginario, los mitos, los miedos que esos inmigrantes cargaron consigo a través del Caribe. Y los nuevos, los que aprendieron en el Norte.

Díaz, el novelista incómodo en todas sus lenguas, estará en mayo en Buenos Aires para participar en la Feria del Libro, auspiciado por la embajada de Estados Unidos y Revista Ñ. Además de hablar en público y presentarse con escritores, viene a visitar amigos (“Toditos abogados”) y no está en sus planes nada como ver fútbol (“Soy muy aburrido”) ni recorrer ningún lugar en particular (“Yo prefiero la gente a los edificios”).

Desde que le dieron el premio, su libro -es su primera novela, antes había escrito cuentos- entró en las listas de best sellers en los Estados Unidos y su nombre recorrió el continente. ¿Por qué? El dijo por ahí que su historia “sólo podía ocurrir en (norte)América”. La historia del ascenso social. La historia de cómo el chico que creció en un barrio con vista a un basural se volvió un escritor consagrado. “Me da risa -supo decir-, cada vez que estoy en las reuniones de docentes del MIT, la gente anda como ‘Tengo un Premio Nobel’, O ‘Tengo un Premio Pritzker’. Y yo: ‘Mis padres fueron ilegales’”.

En breve (aunque la brevedad impide hacer justicia al libro): la novela premiada cuenta la historia de Óscar De León, un dominicano negro, gordo, y, palabra clave, nerd. Es decir, algo bastante parecido a un “traga”, que además tiene poco éxito en las relaciones sociales. En definitiva: alguien que rompe con el deber ser del estereotipo caribeño: seductor, canchero, deportista. Óscar (le dirán Wao por la pronunicación “latina” de “Wilde”) no es nada de eso. Y no, no le va bien.

Desde Estados Unidos, en el teléfono, Díaz empieza cauteloso, serio. Pero se irá soltando.

—¿Qué tiene que ver su vida con la de Óscar Wao?

—Uf, no mucho.

—Yo pensaba que un poco sí; usted fue a buenas universidades, se escapaba del barrio a la biblioteca…

—Imagínate, no conozco un escritor que no sea nerd. Yo soy nerd-nerd-nerd. Pero no tan nerd como Óscar. Hay niveles: si Óscar es un 8, yo soy un 3.

—Casi normal…

—La mayoría de mis amigos es un 1. No les encanta leer, no les gusta la literatura, no quieren saber de cómics. Dije que soy un 3, vamos a decir un 5, eso es más justo.

—¿Cuáles son sus características como nerd?

—Me encanta leer. Esa es la enfermedad que se me pegó. Mira, si alguien tiene un librero en su casa y, digamos, una botella de ron abierta, yo primero me acerco al librero.

—¿Cómo le dio esa enfermedad?

—Cuando emigré a Estados Unidos, yo tenía seis años. Creo que fue una reacción, una manera de sobrevivir, tú sabes, esa vaina tan difícil de la emigración, a veces un muchacho busca la forma de sentirse capaz, busca una forma de sobrevivir. La lectura me ayudó. Mira, yo vengo de una familia muy militar. A mis hermanos, a mi papá, la única vaina que les interesaba era el boxeo. Para mí, un muchacho sensible, festivo, eso era demasiado salvaje.

—¿Fue difícil en esa familia convertirse en escritor?

—Imagínate, coño. Me tenía que esconder de mi propia familia. Tenía que esconder los libros para que no se burlaran.

—Usted ganó este premio con una novela medio en español. ¿Mejoró la situación de los latinos en Estados Unidos? ¿Las segundas generaciones ya no tienen que abandonar el español?

—El público norteamericano se está acostumbrando a ver un inglés bien mezclado con español. Para un latino, eso significa que se está mejorando el ambiente, porque en los Estados Unidos hay un prejuicio contra el español bastante grande.

—¿Un prejuicio de clase?

—Claro que hay un prejuicio de clase, pero también hay un prejuicio contra el idioma. Yo veo amigos míos, que son riquísimos, blanquitos, que vienen de buenísima familia, y cuando llegan a los Estados Unidos, no hablan ni papa de español.

—Eso los vuelve negros…

—Se vuelven negros, o peor, se vuelven malditos ilegales. Entonces, hay ese prejuicio en la cultura en general. Aunque yo he visto muchos cambios, los Estados Unidos siguen siendo un país, una cultura muy, muy antilatina.

—Ni inglés ni español. ¿Quién entiende su libro completamente?

—Cuando una novela tiene personajes que le llegan a la gente, yo creo que los lectores aguantan mucha mierda. Aunque encuentren palabras que no entienden. Yo creo que gané este maldito público por mis personajes. Y creo que a mucha gente que ha leído esta novela no le importa ni culo la cultura latina, ni quieren saber nada con el español, pero aguantaron por los personajes.

—Y lo que no entendieron, lo imaginaron.

—Tú sabes cómo es eso de leer, el lector está acostumbrado a no conocer muchas palabras. Y hay gente a la que le encanta ver el español mezclado con el inglés.

—Obama también es un hombre “mezcla”. ¿Es un clima de época? ¿Se acabaron los “puros”?

—Yo no creo ser tan optimista. Una cultura como la de Estados Unidos tiene varias ramas. Una es ese punto de vista, que somos todos mezcladitos, que no hay nada que valga la pena que no venga de otras cosas, de diferentes raíces. Pero también hay zonas de la cultura norteamericana que sueñan con una cultura pura.

—Anglosajona.

—Pureza, blanquedad. Dos impulsos existen en Estados Unidos. Nosotros somos la generación que metió a Obama en la Casa Blanca. Pero también la que quiere botar a los inmigrantes. Y ahora… cuando la economía se pone malísima la gente inmediatamente le cae encima a los inmigrantes.

—¿Hay un deseo de quedarse afuera de esa sociedad anglosajona cuando se habla spanglish?

—¡Yo no hablo spanglish, mi amor! Yo soy el único de la familia que habla un español tan muerto, y eso porque me crié con morenos, con african-americans. Mis hermanas, sus hijos, toditos hablan un español perfecto. Y sus hijos no son nada de spanglishparlantes.

—Pero usted escribe en spanglish.

—Bueno, no, porque mira, no es spanglish. Pero hay muchísimos escritores que mezclan inglés y español y nadie les pega spanglish. Yo creo que lo que sucede en esta novela es code-switching (NdeR: la mezcla de varios idiomas en una frase) entre español e inglés. La nueva generación es completamente bilingüe, habla bien los dos idiomas.

—Es decir que usted no le tiene ninguna fe al spanglish como idioma.

—¡Pero por favor! ¡Nunca! No veo al spanglish como un idioma, lo veo como una etapa.

—¿Cómo se siente cuando va a Santo Domingo?

—Es muy complejo. Me siento un inmigrante. Pero de otro tipo que en Estados Unidos.

—¿En Estados Unidos todavía se siente un inmigrante?

—¡Claro! ¿Tú crees que cuando uno domina el idioma y conoce más o menos la cultura eso cambia? Ser inmigrante es como ser alcohólico. Eso nunca se quita. Mis hijos, si nacen acá, no van a ser inmigrantes. Pero yo, siempre. Siempre, siempre, siempre.

Willie Colón to release new album

A new Willie Colón album is certainly a noteworthy event these days.

The new record will have great traditional Puerto Rican music along with some extended jams and a tribute to Hector Lavoe.

I will be getting this music right away!

nydailynews.com

Willie Colón: ‘El Malo’ strikes back
By Angela González and Maite Junco

More than a decade after his last CD release, and an immersion lesson in digital technology, salsa legend Willie Colón is back with a new album.

In between his latest recording, “El Malo, Vol. 2: Prisioneros del Mambo,” and 1998’s “Demasiado Corazón,” Colón devoted himself to touring and city politics — far from the mixing studio where he last worked with tapes.

“It took me a while to be ready, but once I got used to the new technology, which is like a word processor, I added a lot of details, sound levels,” says the Bronx Boricua. “It looks simple from afar, but it’s complicated.”

The result is 13 songs — some with Colón’s trademark social message — that mix salsa with plena (“El Brujo”), bomba (“Mucha Leña Pa’l Fuego”), son, 1970s descarga and even some urban music, a combo of genres he calls his “Afro-Boricua rhythm.”

“In this album, I play various trumpet and trombone solos, I sing and even do the chorus of some songs,” he explains. “Also, there are various of my own arrangements and compositions. I was able to do a bit of everything.”

The 58-year-old Colón, who has worked with Rubén Blades, Celia Cruz and Héctor Lavoe and whose name is synonymous with the heyday of salsa, retakes the name of his first album, “El Malo,” from 1967.

He also breaks with today’s music rule that songs should not exceed four minutes “so they are played on the radio,” he says.

Actually, nine of the songs in “Prisioneros del Mambo” break the barrier. “Four minutes is not really enough to develop the musical stories that I want to create,” he says.

Released on his own label, Lone Wolf, the CD is on sale on Amazon, in local music stores and at www.williecolon.com.

He hopes it will mark a new beginning for his live performances.

“It would be a gift to be able to play a new repertoire, because where I go, people have the list of what they want to hear. They ask for ‘El Gran Varón,’ ‘La Murga,’ and if you want to play something new, they want to stone you.”

A critic of the “El Cantante” movie because it focused too much on the “tragedy’ of Lavoe’s life and addictions and not his music, Colón includes his own tribute to his friend in the CD.

Nearly 14 minutes long, the “Héctor Lavoe Medley” runs through the classics “El Cantante,” “Periódico de Ayer,” “Todopoderoso” and “La Banda.”

“I wanted to do something fitting,” he says. “I feel I have the right to do it because I wrote the music to all these songs.”

An adviser to Mayor Bloomberg on media and Latino entertainment issues, Colón has run various times for public office. The last time, he was a candidate for Public Advocate in the 2001 Democratic primary.

He told the Daily News he wanted to do this album “before I hang up my trombone.”

“I don’t know the exact date, but it’s a matter of time,” he said.

And from politics?

“They are not getting rid of me yet,” he says with a laugh. “I want to stay active.”

mjunco@nydailynews.com

Authors pick their 2008 favorite Latino books

I’m not sure how long the Daily News has been doing these Latino book surveys but its become something that I really look forward to at the end of every year.

From this year’s list I’ll be reading Junot Diaz’s pick. A book that takes on an important and timely subject that should be of interest to Latinos. The image of Latinos as its presented or rather misrepresented in US society.

I’ll also check out Arellano’s book. I’m not a big fan of his weekly column but I do read it from time to time. When it’s funny, it’s very funny but when it’s not, it’s quite corny. That said, I am glad for his success. There can never be too many successful Latino writers in the mainstream media.

I will also get into Dark Dude by Hijuelos and Mexican Enough by Stephanie Elizondo Griest. They appear to be powerful books about racial identity and alienation.

Though not mentioned on the list one of the books I asked as a Xmas gift is Next Stop : Growing up Wild-Style in the Bronx by Ivan Sanchez. I hope to have good things to say about it.

As far as the Bolaño book. I will get to it someday but my tendency is to not jump in right away into these 900 page behemoths.

nydailynews.com

Authors pick their 2008 favorite Latino books

As author Dagoberto Gilb puts it, 2008 will be remembered for the “Bolaño ‘2666’ rage.”

Roberto Bolaño’s posthumous 900-page masterpiece, whose English translation arrived last month, has been voted the best Latino book of the year in Viva’s annual survey of writers.

Thirteen leading and upcoming authors from Latin America and the U.S. participated, and in the process gave us a peek at what they have in store for next year.

DANIEL ALARCÓN (Peru, California)

Author of last year’s “Lost City Radio” and associate editor of Etiqueta Negra, a literary magazine published in Peru. Next year, he’ll “finish the novel I’m working on. Learn Portuguese.”

PICK: “2666.” Roberto Bolaño. “An absolute monument of a novel, the sort of book that reminds you why you wanted to be an artist in the first place.”

CARMEN BOULLOSA (Mexico, Brooklyn)

Poet, novelist and playwright, this year she won Spain’s Café Gijón award for her novel “El Complot de los Románticos.” “I’m working on an opera with Mexican composer Marcela Rodríguez and a movie based on my novel ‘La Virgen y el Violín.’”

PICK: “2666.” “A masterpiece; extremely disturbing.”

SANDRA CISNEROS (Chicago, San Antonio, Tex.)

A pivotal figure in Chicana literature, next year she will mark the 25th anniversary of her first novel — “The House on Mango Street” — with a 20-city tour. She’s also working on three books: “Infinito” (short stories), “Writing In My Pajamas” (non-fiction) and “Bravo Bruno” (children’s).

PICK: “The Gifted Gabaldón Sisters,” Lorraine López. “I’ve been very fond of this writer since I first selected her ‘Soy La Avon Lady & Other Stories’ for the Curbstone [Press’ Mármol] Prize.”

JUNOT DÍAZ (New York City, Dominican Republic)

This year’s winner of the literature Pulitzer Prize for his goundbreaking first novel, “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.”

PICK: “Latino Spin: Public Image and the Whitewashing of Race,” Arlene Dávila. “If you want to understand who we really are versus who the U.S. makes us out to be read this fierce amazing book. Dávila is the best of our intellectuals.”

DAGOBERTO GILB (California, Texas)

Leading Chicano author of the anthology “Hecho en Texas” and this year’s novel “The Flowers.” He will publish a new novel next year.

PICKS: “Teeth,” Aracelis Girmay: “So joyful, but complex.”

“Orange County,” Gustavo Arellano: “Intelligent and fearless.”

“Half of the World in Light, New and Selected Poems,” Juan Felipe Herrera: “Not just a loco but an energetic talent.”

“First Stop in the New World,” David Lida: “How it is in Mexico City in actuality, not fantasy.”

LEOPOLDO GOUT (Mexico, New York)

Painter, writer and filmmaker, the author of “Ghost Radio.” He’s working on a graphic novel, two books and a movie. “I’m also producing the first ever Michel Gondry animation film.”

PICK: “Cenizas” (Ashes), by Naief Yehya, to be published next year. “His pages are marked by despair, humor and hope in face of nostalgia, 9/11 and the alienation experienced by living in a foreign land.”

OSCAR HIJUELOS (New York City, Cuba)

Author of the recently published young-adult novel “Dark Dude.” He’s working on “Beautiful Maria of My Soul,” a follow-up to his Pulitzer-winning “The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love.”

PICK: “Voices in First Person: Reflections on Latino Identity,” an anthology of monologues for Latino kids, by Lori Marie Carlson. “I’m guilty of bias — of course — [Carlson is Hijuelos’ wife] but I wouldn’t recommend it if it wasn’t first rate.”

GUILLERMO MARTÍNEZ (Argentina)

Leading Argentinean novelist, author of “The Book of Murder.” Next year he will publish a collection of short stories, “Los Reinos de la Posición Horizontal.”

PICK: “La Sexta Lámpara,” Pablo De Santis. “A story about the birth of New York’s skyscrapers, boasting extraordinary reflections on the poetry of architecture, and an unforgettable character.”

“El trabajo,” Aníbal Jarkowski. “A novel set in the jobless Argentina of the 90s … An atmosphere between absurdity and nightmare, very far from the usual social portrays of these issues.”

ERNESTO QUIÑONEZ (New York City)

El Barrio-based author of “Bodega Dreams” and “Chango’s Fire.”

PICK: “South By South Bronx,” Abraham Rodríguez. “The guy could have made tons of money if he wrote ‘thug lit’ and not this wonderful, nonlinear, complex noir, which shows he is a true artist.”

SERGIO RAMÍREZ (Nicaragua)

One-time vice president of Nicaragua and the country’s foremost novelist, he recently published “El Cielo Llora por Mí” and is working on a new novel “with all the time in the world,” thanks to a Guggenheim fellowship.”

PICK: “La Breve y Maravillosa Vida de Oscar Wao,” Junot Díaz (translated by Achy Obejas). “It makes me think whether the new Latin American novel is starting to be written in English … A new language, a new kind of mixed literature, the literary triumph of immigrants. The mojada novel.”

DANIEL SERRANO (Chicago, Brooklyn)

Debuted this year with crime novel “Gunmetal Black.” Next year, he will publish “Boogiedown.”

PICK: “Dark Dude,” Oscar Hijuelos. “Subtle coming-of-age story of a teenage Cubano … The experience of discrimination by a ‘White’ Latino highlights the absurdity of hate. Great stocking stuffer for teens.”

ILAN STAVANS (Mexico, New York)

Author and scholar, he recently published the graphic novel “Mr. Spic Goes to Washington.” He’s working on “a book-long essay on immigration” and two anthologies, including “Becoming Americans: 300 Years of Immigrant Writing.”

PICK: “2666.” “Bolaño is such an incredible author, he makes me want to go in prison in order to have endless time to read him.”

ALISA VALDÉS-RODRÍGUEZ (New Mexico, Arizona)

Best-selling author of the chica-lit phenomenon “The Dirty Girls Social Club” (2003) and its 2008 sequel, “Dirty Girls on Top.”

PICK: “Mexican Enough: My Life Between the Borderlines,” Stephanie Elizondo Griest. “A phenomenal memoir, by a brave and curious soul.”

Two first-time authors bring fresh Boricua lit right from the streets

Iván Sánchez, autor of the memoir “Next Stop.”

nydailynews.com

Two first-time authors bring fresh Boricua lit right from the streets

By Carlos Rodríguez Martorell

Two Boricua authors from New York are debuting this fall with stories of hard-earned lessons from the streets.

Iván Sánchez’s harrowing memoir “Next Stop” involves guns, drug dealing, addiction, fights and everything a gang member can experience during a lifetime — only he went through all of it before reaching drinking age.

“I was brought up in a pretty harsh environment,” says Sánchez, 32, whose book, which comes out Tuesday, chronicles the violence-infested Kingsbridge section of the Bronx of the late ’80s and early ’90s.

“My mother left New York when I was 15, and she tried to take us to Virginia,” says Sánchez, who decided to stay in the city.

“Because I was pretty much living alone, I was able to just kind of run wild and make all kinds of mistakes.”

And so did dozens of friends who didn’t live to tell about it. “I lost about 15 or 20 friends killed,” he says, unable to recall the exact number.

Sánchez left the Bronx in 1993 and settled in Virginia, where he lives with his wife Stormy Sanchez and three daughters.

A computer technician, he has partnered with actress April Lee Hernández as a youth advocate and motivational speaker.

“I’ve been able to turn my life around,” says Sánchez, although, as a writer, he may have got himself into trouble. In “Next Stop” (Touchstone, $14), he used the real names of some of his ex-friends’ crack dealers, “a crazy idea,” he admits.

“I’ve received a lot of death threats,” he says. “And I have reasons to fear for my life.”

Once he even brought a bullet proof vest when visiting the city but ended up not wearing it. “I figured if someone’s gonna kill me for writing an honest book, maybe there’s a lesson in that as well.”

Author Daniel Serrano never feared for his life, but did lose the first manuscript of his debut novel, “Gunmetal Black” (Grand Central Publishing), on 9/11.

“I was a paralegal at a reinsurance company that had its offices in Tower 2,” says Serrano, 41, a Brooklyn resident who never made it into Manhattan that day.

“I left three years’ worth of work on the hard drive and on a disk next to the computer,” he says.

Serrano rewrote the entire novel, which is the story of Chicago Boricua Eddie Santiago, an ex-con who dreams of settling down in Miami to run a salsa shop but can’t get a break from old friends and corrupt cops.

“Tough neighborhoods are diverse, and so are Latinos,” says Serrano, who was born in Brooklyn and raised in Chicago.

“Growing up, I knew ghetto-nerds like Junot Díaz’s Oscar Wao, but I also knew street-smart kids like Eddie. Myself, I walked somewhere in the middle.”

Most of the action and romance packed “Gunmetal Black,” published last month, is set in Chicago’s Paseo Boricua.

“Today, that neighborhood is largely gentrified, but when I grew up, it was notorious for poverty, crime and drugs,” he says. “Nevertheless, it was a ‘home away from home’ for many Puerto Ricans.”

Although they haven’t met yet, both Sánchez and Serrano share a bond with other Boricua crime writers, such as the late Jerry A. Rodríguez, who died of cancer last June.

“When I read about his passing I choked up and felt a loss, because there was something uniting us,” says Serrano, whose next book is “Boogiedown,” a thriller centering on NYPD Detective Cassandra Maldonado.

As for Sánchez, he has just finished co-writing the autobiography of DJ Disco Wiz, “the first Latino hip-hop deejay in the ’70s,” to be published after his unlikely literary debut.

“In my first interviews after the book came out, [in a self-published edition] people kept asking me if I was a fan of [street-wise writers] Piri Thomas and Luis Rodríguez. And to tell you the god-honest truth, I had never heard of any of them,” he says.

“I had never finish reading an entire book in my life.”

Peter Camejo

Peter Camejo passed away early this morning.

I had the great privilege of hearing some of his political talks in person and even had the opportunity to talk to him on occasion. I met him for the first time when I was member of the Green Party in New York and spent a little more time around him later on when I was a member of a Socialist organization.

I just learned about his death, as I’ve been out of the house all day. Peter was diagnosed with cancer and had been fighting it.

I’m terribly saddened by the news and I’m writing down some immediate thoughts about a person who impacted my life, who influenced my political views and my political development.

Peter was a brilliant, charismatic speaker and possessed a superb political mind. He also had a great sense of humor and the talent to make you laugh even while in the midst of a serious political conversation or talk.

I was always deeply impressed with his sharp analysis of US politics and society, he had an ability to make political arguments that were so solid that it left little room, if any, for any type of critique or even response. Peter was also one of the first people whose writings on Socialist ideas I had read when I began to immerse myself in those kind of political theories and he just always broke things down in such a clear manner, even concepts that I had tried to study on my own but just found to be brain numbing.

And he was a political activist of the highest order, he was part of the class struggle and fought for a different type of society, for a socially and economically just country, for a better world.

I must also say that as a fellow Latino, Peter inspired me a great deal. In the years that I was actively involved in political activism and organizing on the Left, in all the time that I spent in progressive political circles, I had never met or known a Latino quite like Peter Camejo. He was an extraordinary person, he was someone that I really looked up to.

His passing is a huge loss to these yet to be United States. But his writings, his ideas, his actions and his example will endure forever.

It was my privilege to have known him.

Que en paz descanse.

Minimum Wage

This song is from Lila Downs’ new album, Shake Away (Manhattan Records).

To hear the song and to check out more music from this artist go to http://www.myspace.com/liladowns

Travelled seven hundred miles
Cross the border to the states
With a plasic bottle running
Cross the desert in a shake
Come to English-only country
Hidin’ from the minutemen
Come to make this place my home
Run a long, long way from them
Story of a lifetime for the minimum wage

Well they chased me through the desert
Then the agents strapped me down
Then they ask me why in Spanish
Why you keep on comin’ back
Well I left my dad in Jersey
And my sisters in Des Moines
They been workin’ in this country
Pickin’ lettuce, washin’ floors
Story of a lifetime for the minimum wage

Well they raised me to eight dollars
Cause I washed the dishes fast
Well the boss he got me workin’
On the porch and in the back
Then I wash the dish and rinse it
Then I go home, then I sleep
Well, I need to be real careful
‘Cause I walk out in my sleep
When I see that black van comin’
Then I know I’m sure to run
But goddamn them agents caught me
And they cuffed me on the spot
For the minimum wage

No one forced the boss to hire me
But it’s nearly been fifteen
Well I left my baby cryin’ with
A promise in my skin
On the outskirts of L.A. I recite
A native poem million hands
Ten thousand years, it’s the season
For the crop, it’s my people doin’
The pickin’ in the valley of the dolls
It’s a decent job to work it any day
I’ll take this job

Ethiopian, Colombian, Pakistani, Cantonese
Every man that I run into
All the kitchens on the strip
And they’re pluggin’ in them hours
And they’re smilin’ in their dreams
They’re a long, long way from home now
But they lookin’ to be free
California, Alabama, and Missouri, Oregon
They been workin’ like their fathers were
A long, long time ago
For the minimum wage

Salsa fans to Willie Colón: Let the music be heard

To me, the subject of outtakes…the quality of them and whether the release of such music has a positive or negative effect on the original recordings and on the reputation of the artists involved has never been a major issue.

As someone who has bought lots of reissue cd’s of all types of music, I’ve approached the listening experience by not weighing the unreleased material against the original recording. That’s always been my starting point.

There are different reasons why I have always found outtakes, b-sides, unfinished tracks, etc…to be of great interest. For one thing, it has provided me as a music fan a rare look into the artist’s creative process. To me that’s been an endless source of fascination and inspiration.

Though not always, sometimes the quality of unreleased songs can be quite high resulting in great music being exposed for the first time which is something that I can definitely appreciate. Also, the release of outtakes have at times revealed the limitations that artists sometimes have in being the best judge of their own work.

For example, Bob Dylan. When Columbia released the first of what is still today a continuing series of unreleased music, “the bootleg series”. It was enormously fascinating and thrilling to hear songs for the first time that were outstanding and simply flawless like “Let Me Die In My Footsteps”, “Moonshiner”, “Blind Willie McTell, “Foot Of Pride” and “Series Of Dreams”. And it is also a serious mental exercise to try to figure out how such a brilliant artist could make such poor musical decisions because to not have included those songs on official releases is simply mind boggling. But that is part of the fun of listening to unreleased material.

Also, unfinished songs or alternative versions with different lyrics or arrangements are interesting to take in and absorb, aesthetically and as unique musical creations and I’ve found that to be true in reissues of artists like Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Bill Evans, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, and many others.

I bought the Siembra reissue in 2006 and if it ever materializes I will of course buy the new edition of Siembra with the session outtakes.

It’s a good decision by Willie Colón. Fan reaction notwithstanding, it obviously makes alot of sense from a business standpoint and musically, the reputation of Siembra and of Willie as an artist will remain intact. And the inevitable success of a Siembra reissue with outtakes might even start a trend in Latin music where other artists will begin to release material long held in the vaults.

In the future maybe more outtakes by other Fania greats. Perhaps someday there’ll be some great outtakes released by Juan Luis Guerra, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Afro-Cuban All Stars, and so on.

nydailynews.com

Salsa fans to Willie Colón: Let the music be heard

Looking to avert a backlash from salsa fans, Willie Colón is withdrawing his opposition to the release of additional outtakes from “Siembra,” the classic album he created with Rubén Blades 30 years ago.

As reported in the Viva last week, some unreleased music from “Siembra” is included in the cache of tapes discovered three years ago in an upstate warehouse by Emusica, a Florida company that purchased Fania Records.

Colón threatened to go to court if Emusica published any new “Siembra” material, but the reaction to the story made him change his mind.

“Because of an outpouring of e-mails and blog posts of outraged fans, I am changing my position on the unpublished ‘Siembra’ tapes,” Colón says. “I will withdraw my objection to the publishing of these outtakes and leave the final decision to Rubén Blades and Emusica.”

One poster, Boriquabxstyle on the Daily News site, commented: “Willie’s an idiot! He should allow them to remaster the tracks. As long as he receives his royalties, he should not be complaining.”

Colón made it clear, however, that salsa lovers should not expect a musical treat: “In my humble opinion, outtakes are not very flattering to all concerned. Obviously, there are people out there that believe I have some agenda for wanting to deprive the world of some hidden masterpiece.”

Emusica CEO Giora Breil says that his company won’t release any music over the opposition of Colón — or for that matter Blades, who could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, the company has not decided what to do about the bulk of unreleased tapes it’s sitting on, which according to Emusica includes recordings from such legends as Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Celia Cruz, Mongo Santamaría and Ismael Rivera.

“I can’t deal with that just yet,” Breil says.

Critics say Emusica has put too much emphasis on releasing remastered music that any true-blue salsa fan has while it holds back on putting out never-heard-before material.

“It remains to be seen whether or not there’s something wonderful” in the unreleased Fania trove, says Bruce Polin, owner of online Latin music seller descarga.com.

Polin adds, though, “From a historical point of view and the collector’s point of view, it’s probably very interesting material. I would market it as gourmet material.”

Never-released Fania’s golden era music hits stores

This is very exciting. A treasure of unreleased music by Eddie Palmieri, Ray Barretto, Celia, Machito, Mongo Santamaria will be seeing the light of day. Though not mentioned in this article, also appearing for the first time on CD will be a two-disc collection, of 40 Tito Puente songs from the 1950’s. This is all not just brilliant music, it is also of the highest historical importance.

And if all of this wasn’t enough……there’s unreleased music from the Siembra sessions!!!!

To even think that there are songs in existence that were made but not included on that legendary recording is extraordinary news and I’m sure many people will be very eager with anticipation, to hear that unreleased music for the first time……but…….. it appears that Willie Colón’s ego will get in the way of stopping what should be a real cause for celebration, stopping an important event in the history of Latin music.

Willie’s ongoing feud with Rubén Blades is not allowing him to exercise sounder judgment. Who is he really hurting by threatening to stop the release of this music?

I think his arguments are really weak. If the songs that were left out of Siembra were to be released today it would not diminish or take anything away from the original recording. Hardly. The music of the official album is so superb and deeply embedded in the hearts and consciousness of all the people who have listened to it and it is so embedded in the history of Latin music that there is absolutely nothing that could ever put a dent on it. The integrity of Siembra is unshakeable.

On the contrary, the release of these songs would complement the musical and historical context of the album. Willie is quick to talk about respect but not so quick to think about the millions of people who love his music and who have unconditionally supported his career. The majority of whom, I’m quite sure, would love to hear the unreleased songs.

And what about Rubén Blades? As someone who is as equally responsible for the creation and success of Siembra as Willie Colón, Rubén should surely have a say in what happens to the music. Even if he doesn’t have that right, legally, Is he not entitled to that right just out of artistic principle?

And how can Willie speak and carry on in public like he is rightfully the only one that should have complete control over a musical creation that he knows is not even remotely of his own making. He is wrong even if the law says he is right.

Respect and Integrity?

It’s sad to think that there is music from the Siembra sessions that will remain in the vaults for no other reason than that it is being used as ammunition by Willie Colón to continue waging his own personal battles.

nydailynews.com

Never-released Fania’s golden era music hits stores

Two never-released songs by the revered Celia Cruz?

A full recording of a live concert by the original Fania All-Stars in Cali, Colombia?

Unpublished music from Eddie Palmieri, Ray Barretto and other legends of Latin music?

These are samples of what has been found so far in the Fania Records archives since 2005, when Emusica bought the fabled label and rescued thousands of original tapes from an upstate warehouse where they had been languishing for years.

The names on these tapes, according to Emusica CEO Giora Breil and other people familiar with the Fania treasure trove, are astonishing.

Breil even talks of “songs unreleased” by Willie Colón and Rubén Blades from “Siembra,” the classic 1978 collaboration album that contained the hits “Pedro Navaja” and “Plástico.”

But Colón, who’s embroiled in a highly-publicized breach of contract lawsuit with Blades in Puerto Rico, says he would move to block any additional releases from the album.

“‘Siembra’ is a complete work. It should not be remixed nor should any material be added that we decided we did not want to release,” the bandleader said in an e-mail.

“I will take legal action to defend the integrity of my project,” he vowed. “Would they change the Mona Lisa’s backdrop or her clothing? That would be a lack of respect towards the artist who created the project.”

Whatever unreleased material may or may not exist from “Siembra,” it seems to be the tip of the Fania iceberg.

“Every day we find new, unreleased recordings,” says Breil.

Locating the Croton-on-Hudson warehouse where the tapes had been stored took some detective work in 2005, says Breil.

Since then, Emusica has been involved in what he called a “labor of love” to identify and preserve the material.

Some of the tapes had to be literally baked in order to save them from disintegrating, and many were not labeled at all, says composer, producer and Emusica consultant Bobby Marín.

To work on them “you had to literally blow the dust off the boxes,” says Marín. And some tapes weigh more than 20 pounds.

It was during this process that Marín noticed that “some titles looked unfamiliar, making me believe that perhaps they were never released.”

His research found that those titles had been “kept in the can for future release, but never were.”

The list of artists in these unpublished recordings, according to Marín, includes the legendary sonero Ismael (Maelo) Rivera; Cuba’s Orquesta Aragón; the dynamic duo of Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz; merengue singer Wilfrido Vargas and many sacred names in Caribbean music including Benny Moré, Daniel Santos, Machito, Mongo Santamaría and Cortijo y su Combo.

Siembra – 30th Anniversary

It’s been 30 years already. Time really does go fast.

My earliest memories of the album was as a youngster living in Puerto Rico around the time of the album’s release. I can still vividly remember playing outside my house with other kids from the neighborhood and hearing older people walking around singing out loud the lyrics to “Plastico” and “Pedro Navaja”, especially the line “la vida te da sorpresas, sorpresas te da la vida, ay dios”

Siembra was, is, and always will be an extraordinary recording. Its reputation well earned over the years due in large part to the brilliant musicianship and songwriting that created the album. But to me its greatest significance and what made it so ground breaking was Rubén Blades achievement in bringing deep social and political commentary into a musical genre not traditionally known for having songs of such a serious nature.

Rubén changed and revolutionized Latin music, with Siembra, breaking many barriers and establishing a new level of artistry. Ruben took the music to a higher level by introducing not only a new approach to songwriting but by also expanding the boundaries in which all other Latin artists could create and achieve.

The subject matter that the songs took on were simply unprecedented to the wide Latin audience of Afro-Cuban music that listened in for the first time and afterwards. The album opener, “Plastico” starts off warning about the hazards and inherent absurdities of materialism and racism, ending with a call for Latino consciousness and Pan-Latin American unity as the way forward.

This was not your parents El Gran Combo or Celia Cruz album.

The centerpiece and most famous song on Siembra is “Pedro Navaja” which tells the tale of a barrio hustler whose lifestyle finally catches up with him one day as he inevitably experiences a very tragic and lonely end. Like Ruben writes in the song, 8 million stories the city of New York has. Many of those just like Pedro Navaja.

In songs like “Maria Lionza” which is set in Venezuela but the expressions of racial unity and the longing for Liberty are meant for all the oppressed masses in Latin America not just in Caracas.

“Ojos” is a song about hope, about the poor, about young people, who despite the hopelessness of their social conditions are still able to rise above it. The words of the songs, once again, speak to all of Latin America.

“Siembra” closes the album out and is an earth shaker of a song. The rhythms so blazing hot that it is impossible to listen to this song sitting down and without boppin’ your head and moving your arms and shoulders all around.

The song goes back to the themes of not surrendering your soul to materialism, Latin American unity, elevating one’s consciousness to make a better world, fighting together against racism, never losing faith and in between all of this there’s even a shout out to Puerto Rican revolutionary Ramón E. Betances.

A truly monster of a song and a perfect ending to a tour de force of an album.

Finally, I would be very remiss to not mention the enormous contributions that Willie Colon made with his fiery trombone playing and the masterful arrangements of all the songs.

Willie and the rest of the musicians push the songs along, making them swing, like crazy.

Siembra would not be what it is without the musical genius of Willie Colon.

30 years later, the music is as alive as ever. And the political context of the songs as relevant as ever just by looking at the political situation across Latin America today.

In my opinion, Siembra is still to this day the greatest artistic achievement ever made in Latin music history.

Guia Mensual de la Fania – Junio 2008

DISCO DEL MES

The Alegre Record Story
1957-1977

En el año 1975 la disquera Fania tuvo la oportunidad de adquirir la compañía de discos Alegre Records. Fundada por el carismático Al Santiago en la ciudad de Nueva York, la disquera Alegre fue una de las más admiradas e importantes en la historia de la música Latina. El catalogo de la incomparable Alegre Records cuenta con numerosos discos clásicos de ritmos afro-cubanos y hoy en día es considerada como una de las disqueras más trascendentales de la era dorada de la música latina.

Alegre se dio a conocer a través del estilo musical llamado la pachanga, además, la compañía produjo discos por muchas de futuras súper-estrellas, incluyendo al (cofundador de La Fania) Johnny Pacheco y el célebre rey del mambo, Tito Puente.

Al pasar de los años, Alegre obtuvo una merecida reputación como una de las disqueras más innovadoras en el mercado, con álbumes clásicos de grandes artistas como Chivirico Dávila, Orlando Marín y Roberto Roena.

Ahora, por primera vez, La Fania lanza al mercado la definitiva antología de Alegre Records. El álbum doble contiene 23-canciones de las estrellas de más renombre de Alegre. Producido por Bobby Marin, The Alegre Records Story cuenta -en forma musical -la historia de la querida disquera. Todas las canciones han sido remasterizadas, brindando un sonido optimo y nítido. La colección incluye fotos y notas sobre Alegre, prometiendo ser la definitiva antología de la ilustre disquera.

¡A la venta Ya!

¡ANIVERSARIOS DE LA FANIA!
CONMEMORANDO LOS CLÁSICOS DE LA FANIA!

Por más de cuarenta años La Fania les ha brindado álbumes, que hoy en día, son considerados clásicos de la música latina. A continuación les brindamos discos claves de La Fania celebrando aniversarios.

Ray Barreto – Acid

En 1968 el famoso conguero Ray Barretto lanzo al mercado un disco único y extraordinario llamado Acid (Acido). Inspirado por el movimiento “hippie” de los años sesenta Barretto creo un álbum que combino los ritmos afro-cubanos con las melodías de la música popular norte americana. El resultado es una grabación reconocida como uno de los principales discos de la década de los sesenta. La mezcla de las melodías latinas con el sonido contundente de las manos duras de Barretto se encuentran disponibles en una nueva mezcla digital, y además cuenta fotos y notas sobre la obra maestra de Ray Barretto.

Rubén Blades & Willie Colón – Siembra 1978 – Deluxe edition

El álbum de más ventas en la historia de la salsa y la culminación de la labor artística de Rubén Blades y Willie Colón, Siembra es simplemente una obra maestra de la salsa. Composiciones como la gloriosa “Plástico” son consideradas, hoy en día, como clásicos esenciales. Siembra fue el primer álbum latino en alcanzar un millón de ventas en los Estados Unidos y su combinación de lírica socio-política con los mejores ritmos de la salsa “dura” lo hacen un álbum ejemplar en los anales de la Fania. La futura edición especial de Siembra celebra los 30 años de la producción de este clásico y contiene grabaciones extendidas de canciones y mezclas nuevas… favor de mantenerse al tanto para más información sobre la edición especial de Siembra.

Roberto Roena – Apollo Sound

El legendario salsero Roberto Roena celebra el 40 aniversario de su magnifico Apollo Sound. Como uno de los miembros originales del Gran Combo -la seminal orquesta de Puerto Rico -como uno de los miembros originales los Fania All Stars el gran Roena es considerado uno de los maestros de la salsa. La Fania conmemora la carrera espectacular de Roena con sus famosos discos de su orquesta Apollo Sound. El álbum Apollo Sound 3 estará disponible el primero Julio en tiendas discos y en la red cibernética.

FANIA DE GIRA

Celia: The Life and Music of Celia Cruz (La Vida y La Música de Celia Cruz)

El en ArshtCenter of The Performing Arts en Miami, Florida
Desde Junio 18 a Julio 6

Ella fue la Reina de La Salsa y la emperatriz de los corazones latinos alrededor del mundo. La querida Celia Cruz vivió y creció en frente del escenario. Desde su infancia, Celia demostró su amor por la música y se dedico a entretener al el publico. Es por eso que su vida es ahora una maravillosa obra musical. El aclamado espectáculo acaba de cerrar con broche de oro en la ciudad de Nueva York, donde recibió alta critica de la prensa y el publico. Ahora el Musical Celia estrena en la capital del sol -Miami, Florida. No se pierdan esta gran oportunidad de revivir la Azúcar divina de la gran Celia Cruz en un espectáculo digno para toda la familia. ¡Que viva nuestra Reina! Recuerda disfrutar de la Reina con la antología: A Lady and Her Music.

Coral Springs Center for the Arts, Coral Springs, FL
Domingo, Junio 29, 2008 06:30 PM

Eddie Palmieri

La Fania es reconocida mundialmente por sus ritmos candentes de salsa clásica. A la misma ves, La Fania también cuenta con súper estrellas del Jazz como el genio del teclado, Eddie Palmieri. El incomparable pianista brinda su sonido majestuoso a la Florida con un concierto de gala en el Coral Spring Center for The Arts. No se pierdan esta gran oportunidad de disfrutar en vivo de esta gran estrella de La Fania.

FANIA EN LA RED CIBERNETICA

La Fania en La Red Cibernética
La Fania se honra en presentar www.Fania.com …la nueva pagina de Internet de la disquera más candente del mundo. La nueva pagina de La Fania tendrá su estreno mundial el lunes 23 de Junio. Los invitamos a visitarnos al lugar ideal para todos los amantes de La Fania. La nueva casa cibernética de La Fania cuenta con las ultimas noticias, álbumes e información de todas las estrellas de La Fania. En Fania.com encontraras excelentes archivos de todos tus artistas favoritos.

Para mantenerse al tanto de los últimos acontecimientos, recuerden inscribirse a la carta mensual de La Fania, ¡Y visiten www.fania.com para ser parte de la comunidad de Fania más grande del mundo!

Conéctate. Mantente el al tanto de todo, y se parte de la comunidad…en www.fania.com

NUEVO DE LA FANIA

A Man and His Music: Eddie Palmieri (2cd’s) The Sun of Latin Music:

Como parte de la extraordinaria serie Man and His Music (Hombre y Su Música) La Fania brinda al mercado la antología del sensacional Eddie Palmieri -un pianista para la historia y un gigante de los ritmos latinos.

Los álbumes “Man and His Music” son una serie exclusiva de La Fania enfocada en consagrar los momentos clave en la vida musical de nuestros mejores artistas. Cada álbum en la series consiste de dos discos con una mezcla digital nueva, 32 paginas de notas sobre el artista y raras fotos.

Otros álbumes de la colección “Man and His Music” incluyen: Héctor Lavoe, Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colón, Rubén Blades y Celia Cruz (A Lady and Her Music.) Próximamente se lanzaran series de los Fania All Stars y Richie Ray-Bobby Cruz.

The Last Fight – Willie Colón/Rubén Blades

El ultimo álbum del gran binomio Blades/Colón, – The Last Fight – finaliza la trayectoria de dos gigantes de la salsa. Este disco es indispensable para los amantes de la salsa clásica y ahora esta disponible con sonido digital claro y nítido.

Singin Some Soul – Joe Bataan

Bataan llevo el bugalu y latin soul alrededor del mundo. Sus mezclas de ritmos y habilidad innata de mezclar el español con el ingles lo hacen el cantante perfecto de latin soul. Este disco Singin Some Soul sirve como el perfecto punto para descubrir la voz dulce y emotiva del prodigioso Joe Bataan. ¡A la venta ya!

Boogaloo Blues – Johnny Colón Orchestra

El bugalu acaparo con la ciudad de Nueva York en la fantástica década de los sesenta -la música se escuchaba en todas las esquinas y clubes de la Gran Manzana. Uno de los grandes de la era fue Johnny Colón y ahora esta hoya musical Boogaloo Blues esta disponible… revive la era dorada del bugalu con el maestro Johnny Colón.

¡Contáctanos!

¿Preguntas? ¿Sugerencias? Queremos escuchar de ti… escribenos a: info@fania.com

Esto es todo para el mes de Junio… disfruta de tu verano y recuerda: ¡La Fania siempre esta contigo!