This year, we only got a glimpse of the music bonanza offered by the Womad UK weekend. Our stay in Malmesbury consisted of a hit-and-run or a ‘toccata-and-fugue’, in-keeping with the musical topic, and saw us pay a visit to Charlton Park on the last day of the event. Still,...
Tag Archives: Puerto Rico
![Album Review: ÌFÉ – IIII + IIII [Discos Ifà – 31st March 2017]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/a3627371939_16-335x335.jpg)
There is an ancient city in south-west Nigeria named Ifè, the origins of which were sown by the seed of a palm tree planted by the god Oduduwa – an ancient Yoruba myth tells. ÌFÉ is also the name of the latest project of Mark Underwood, aka Otura Mun (whom we interviewed one year...
When we interview an artist or a band, it’s because we are fond of the music they play. With Otura Mun and his latest project, ÌFÉ, it was no exception. We fell in love with their first single, ‘3 Mujeres (Iború Iboya Ibosheshé)’, and still can’t get enough of their...
In 1970s New York salsa emerged, conquering the world in just a few decades. Caribbean migrants (mainly Puerto Rican, Dominican and Cuban) were at the heart of the Latin community, bringing musical styles such as cha cha chá, son, guaracha, mambo, bolero, plena, bomba and even Latin jazz. This breeding...
![Album Review: La Máquina Insular – Somos La Plena [Vampisoul, 8th April 2016]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/artworks-000158856838-v6sl04-t500x500-335x335.jpg)
It is undeniable that the 2016 single by La Máquina Insular pays tribute to Rafael Cortijo, the Puerto Rican orchestra leader and composer, who was renowned (and remains renowned) as an advocate of the plena. In 7-minutes, this Vampisoul’s Saoco series single lifts the spirit and tradition of Puerto Rican...
![Album Review: Cortijo – 1969-1971, The Ansonia Years [Vampi Soul, October 2015]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/productimage-picture-the-ansonia-years-1969-1971-784_jpg_382x5000_q100-335x335.jpg)
The 1950s saw the emergence of what it is now known as salsa. The combination of bomba and plena, two Puerto Rican traditional musical styles, was encouraged by Rafael Cortijo Verdejo (1928-1982). For 30 years, Cortijo took inspiration from these rhythms, and explored the musical diversity of the Afro-West Indian,...
With just two songs and their videos, an unprecedented level of hype was created among Caribbean, African and also Latin music enthusiasts. That’s because ÌFÉ are one of the most surprising and promising new acts coming from the Puerto Rican music scene. As their Yoruba name reflects, they are all...
Boogaloo (or, more aptly bugalú) is the sound of Puerto Rican and Cuban migration in the U.S. It characterised and described the impact and feelings of Caribbean migrants in New York from the late 1950s till early ‘70s. For this reason, more than a musical mix between the traditional caribeño...