Cultural Connections: From Flamenco to Salsa August 20, 2010

Sound Culture & HotHouse Present...
Cultural Connections: From Flamenco to Salsa

Friday, August 20 2010
Logan Square Auditorium
2539 N. Kedzie Blvd. Chicago, IL
8pm doors | 9pm show
$15 adv / $20 at door
$40 premium table reservations available (additional cost)
Tickets and Info: www.HotHouse.net & www.SoundCultureChicago.com

HotHouse and Sound Culture invite you to witness the magic of merging cultural influences through an exploration of sound. Cultural Connections: From Flamenco to Salsa will join Las Guitarras de España and Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble (CALJE) on one stage as they explore the sounds of Flamenco Rumba.

Cultural Connections: From Flamenco to Salsa is a debut collaboration for these two accomplished groups who have mastered their genres and feature some of Chicago’s finest musicians. Las Guitarras de España will begin the evening with their gorgeous and moving flamenco while CALJE will close the night with an energetic dose of salsa and Latin jazz. But the magic will happen in the middle when these two powerhouse groups merge to discover the connections between flamenco and salsa. The result will offer a glimpse into a little known genre – Flamenco Rumba.(read more and watch videos of Flamenco Rumba in our special article by Tony Dumas)

Flamenco Rumba (or Rumba Flamenco) derived from the 19th century Afro-Cuban Rumba movement in Spain, which pushed the boundaries of traditional flamenco and almost created another genre of music entirely. Flamenco Rumba gained mass appeal from the 1920s to 1950s and continues to be popular in both France and Spain. The genre first gained international acclaim in 1975 when famed guitarist Paco de Lucia released Entre dos Aguas (Between Two Waters), a hugely popular instrumental piece that signified the artistic potential of flamenco fusions.

Las Guitarras de España (The Guitars of Spain) is a “world music” ensemble, with a “Spanish guitar twist,” that performs a fusion of Cuban son, rumba, R&B, Latin-jazz, blues, and African percussion with an underlying flamenco focus. From the start, the ensemble has presented traditional Spanish guitar music along with traditional flamenco forms in collaboration with music and musicians from other genres and cultures. The ensemble has sought to unite music, dance, travel, poetry, and culture in recordings and performances.

CALJE (Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble) was formed to fuse the musical treasures of Afro-Latin American music and Jazz while combining musicians from Chicago’s diverse Latin and Jazz community. With a global sound and ensemble, CALJE has played in some of the finest performance halls and highlights many of Chicago’s luminaries. Musicians in this band have had the opportunity to share the stage with artist such as, Ella Fitzgerald, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Chick Corea, The Temptations, Paquito D’Rivera, and Danilo Perez, among others.

Official Website: http://www.hothousechicago.org/?p=173