Viento de Agua

Description

“Combine the propulsive rhythms of tambourine-like drums called panderetas with tight vocal harmonies and the charismatic baritone of Tito Matos and you have Puerto Rico’s Viento de Agua. Frequent collaborator saxophonist Miguel Zenón has called them “the best plena band in the world today.”

The folk music known as plena originated in the Southern city of Ponce around 1900. As Matos says, “It has always been the music of the common people; the music of protest.” It was often called the periodico cantado or “sung newspaper” because it was used to spread messages among the people of the poverty-stricken barrios.

Created by Matos, Ricardo Pons and Alberto Toro in 1997, Viento de Agua is at the forefront of a contemporary resurgence of plena. This 13-member band has performed at Lincoln Center Out of Doors and The Kennedy Center, and their debut album De Puerto Rico al Mundo was selected by The New York Times as one of the “Top 10 Latin Albums of the Year.” Their 2009 project with Miguel Zenón, Esta Plena, celebrates the African influences on both plena and jazz. The group’s percussionists, led by Matos, also recorded Ricky Martin’s hit and only plena recording “Pégate”, proving that this priceless Afro-Puerto Rican tradition is very much alive.”

More Info

Link

http://www.theblackbirdtavern.com/