Alamar, a fresh view on family and nature

Alamar, by Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio

Alamar comes from nowhere. It looks like nothing you could have ever seen before. The Mexican movie director Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio gathered three amator actors, including father and son, Jorge and Natan. He sent them in a place they did not know, Banco Chinchorro, one of the largest barrier reefs in the world, located on the Mexican Caribbean coast.

Afrocubism live in Paris

I recently talked about Afrocubism, the “first Buena Vista Social Club project”. They spent a few days in a French tour and finished it in Bataclan stage, Paris. Here are a few seconds of “La Culebra”, a more Cuban focused (than African) song. Performed by Eliades Ochoa. But the sounds of Africa are never far…

Calle 13 goes its own way

Calle 13, Entren los que quieran

Two Grammys, two MTV Awards, unlikely duos (with Shakira or Nelly Furtado for example)… One could fear that success would have slept Calle 13. And many dangers surround engaged artists. They can fall into caricature, lose their “flayed alive” way of life, serve political interests… But the Puerto Rican band has fairly succeeded not to fall into these tricks in their new album “Entren los que quieran” (everyone is invited to enter).

Searching for the devil inside

La tentation de Potosi / Credit : Philippe Crnogorac, Zorba Productions

Yesterday I went to the premiere of “La tentation de Potosi” (The temptation of Potosi, only in one cinema in Paris for the moment). Interesting idea from the French documentary maker Philippe Crnogorac who had already made a film about Bolivia ten years ago. He heard about popular stories where Bolivian miners pact with the devil to get rich. Especially one called Manuel Morales, who disappeared after breaking the pact.

Latin Grammy: the full winners list

Camila / latingrammy.com

OK, no surprise in the Latin Grammy. I was completely wrong and my choices were not those of the jury! Only two of my fifteen choices were right. Among the winners of the edition, the Mexican band Camila. As I will not write two complete posts about it, I will just let you the video of the “song of the year” and the full list.

Latin Grammy: Barrio Latino’s playlist

Ruben Blades / rubenblades.com

I have long thought if I had to blog about the Latin Grammy,taking place in Las Vegas this Thursday. I am not really interested in prizes and this kind of ceremonies. And generally speaking, the event means a success for Shakira, Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez. Neither my cup of tea nor my gourd of yerba mate.

Rita Indiana or the birth of a rock star

Rita Indiana / Credit : Maximo Del Castillo

I would not say I am a big fan of Rita Indiana, a Dominican artist I just discovered. But I have to say she has something more. Actually I am not a huge fan of her kind of music, between ” easy listening” and house music. But a few things make the songs of Rita Indiana y Los Misterios catchy.

Cuba and Africa reunited in Afrocubism

Afrocubism

Who remembers that the Buena Vista Social Club should have been a Cuban-African project? The British producer Nick Gold and the American guitarist Ry Cooder wanted to organize a meeting betwwen musicians from Mali and Cuba. But the Malians never got their visas and Gold has to change his plans. It became a 100% Cuban project called Buena Vista Social Club. Quite a success… The whole world discovered Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer or Omara Portuondo.

The new cruel and poetic tale of Gary Victor

 

"Le sang et la mer", by Gary Victor

 

Herodiane grew all of a sudden. When her mother died, she left her native village with her brother Estevèl, who supports her passion for studies, and went to live in a slum of Port-au-Prince, called “Paradi”. Her plans and her brother’s are shaken by the arrival of Ivan in the life of the girl. He is the son of a wealthy family, he has light skin and blue eyes… he is necessarily the prince charming’s image Herodiane grew with. But prejudice and social fatalism suggests a tragic end when the girl becomes pregnant.

Mexico City, the “capital of the 21st century”?

"First stop in the new world", by David Lida

When I first saw this book, I was really intrigued by the title. David Lida called it “First stop in the New World, Mexico City: the capital of the 21st century”. It is not exactly what is generally said about Mexico City. But the author not only says this because he calls Mexico City “his hometown”, he also has some arguments…