Mt. Rainier, Maryland, November 6 - The Latin American Folk Institute invites you to participate in a Bombazo (AfroPuerto Rican Bomba jam session,) Saturday, November 6, 2004 at LAFI, 3800 A 34th Street, Mount Rainier, MD.
11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Bomba dance workshop
4:30 – 5:30 p.m. Bomba drumming workshop
6:30 p.m. Doors open and traditional Puerto Rican dinner
7 – 8 p.m. Movie showing of the 2001 Banco Popular Raices (included in price of admission to Bombazo)
8 – 10:30 p.m. Bombazo $10 ($2 discount for LAFI members, students with valid ID and seniors)
Bomba is the most African inspired music of Puerto Rico. This genre is centuries old but continues to be celebrated throughout the Caribbean island and the United States. Special guests for the November 6 Bombazo include Roberto Cepeda (La Familia Cepeda, Los Pleneros de la 21 – NY,) Juan Cartagena (Segunda Quimbamba – NJ,) Tito Rodriguez (AfriCaribe – IL) and Miriam Felix (Yaya – NY.) Nuyorican poet Shaggy Flores will also be there to sell and sign his book, Sancocho, and other items.
Roberto Cepeda: lifelong artist providing instruction and performance in the rich Bomba and Plena traditions of Puerto Rico. Mr. Cepeda has performed all over the world with various groups in Puerto Rico and the U.S. since 1959 and has joined other master artists in major collaborative recording projects. Mr. Cepeda is a former Sergeant of the U.S. Army for which he gave fourteen years of service.
Juan Cartagena: director of Segunda Quimbamba in Jersey City, N.J. Mr. Cartagena’s group has performed both Bomba and Plena throughout the Northeast since 1995. In 1997 Mr. Cartagena created Guiro y Maraca which continues to be the only publication in the U.S. dedicated to Puerto Rico’s Bomba and Plena traditions. Mr. Cartagena is General Counsel for the Community Service Society of New York.
Evaristo "Tito" Rodriguez: director of AfriCaribe in Chicago, IL. Mr. Rodriguez has been in active in the celebration and promotion of Puerto Rican traditional music in Chicago for over 25 years. Mr. Rodriguez’s group works to highlight these traditions throughout the Midwest and hosts a biennial folklore conference. Mr. Rodriguez is the Director of ASPIRA, Inc. of IL’s Center of Culture, History and the Arts.
Miriam Felix: member of Yaya in New York, NY. Ms. Felix is a lead singer and dancer for Segunda Quimbamba and Los Pleneros de la 21. She also provides direction as a singer, dancer and lyricist for Yaya, the only all-female Bomba group. Ms. Felix is a Project Manager for Brokerage Services Group.
Jaime "Shaggy" Flores: Nuyorican poet and founder of the Dark Souls Arts Collective. Mr. Flores has committed his life to the research and celebration of the African Diaspora. His most notable medium is poetry through which he creates and performs. Mr. Flores is a poet, lecturer, producer and researcher.
