This year rather than the traditional visit to “The Tree” at Rockefeller center, we thought to go somewhat off beat and decided that Bryant park would be it; less congested, good little shops and of course down on the ground views of folks ice skating.  The best is that you one can sit at the Celsius Bar and people watch.

This years message is a simple one. We have all been through hard times or times of less fortune, let’s remember during these holidays and throughout the upcoming year that there is always someone less fortunate than we are (there before the good grace of God go I) and that kindness and humility are keys to lessons yet to be learned.

So in your everyday dealings, treat people no matter what their stanza in life is the same as you would like to be treated.

Merry Christmas

When I reflect back on the event, all the coverage, and the national support as covered in the news, I am saddened to think that I might not be alone in my reactions to news coveage et al.  Have we been desensitized by a flood of too much information and the effects of the electronic age on society?  Are we all so immersed in our everyday that we fail at random acts of kindness and launch kindness in response to trajic events?

I recall watching a commercial on the boob tube promoting a certain insurance company; the jist of the series of commercials ran soemthing like this: one random act of kindness that saved a person from harm was paid forward and this continued through several people until coming full circle (paying it forward)….. my brother’s keeper concept.

Well last Friday, while at my day job, and not thinking about the trajedy of recent, I was aproached by a woman and asked how many people were on staff at the time. I replied “11″, upon hearing this she fished around in her purse and produced 11 envelopes and instructed me to hand one to each member of staff.  I thought this odd, as on the envelope was writtten the words “For You”.

I agreed to do this, and proceeded to open up mine. It contained this note;

With all the sadness in this woeld lately, I thought it would be nice to pay it forward with a random act of kindness….. I have purchased 20 $5.00 gift cards for Dunkin Donuts, one for each of the little angels that were taken away from us too soon….. So enjoy a cup of coffe on me and say a little prayer for those babies.

PAY IT FORWARD!!!!

Moved by the contents, I handed out the 11 folders and observed the reactions.  Most were moved, but one in particular reminded me of how calus we as a society have become.  This person question me as to where the other 19 envelopes went, my retort… ”you have got to be kidding, I was given 11, what if I had only been given one and passed it on to you”? Thier reply… ” I am only going by what is written here”. My reply you missed the message!!!!!

I write this bable in the hopes that one person is touched as I was and does homage to this random act.  We have !!

Merry Christmass

John

We consider ourselves fortunate to have weathered this storm with only minor loss of power, although the lack of heat over the past week gave us a new appreciation for the need to buy a generator. But more so the need to be prepared in the event of a future storm.

I am thankful for the dedication of our first responders whom willingly give their all to help us maintain some sense of normalcy in essential emergency services for our communities. I also give thanks and praise to the linemen and women for their efforts in restoring electric service without them I’d be freezing right now.

A special thank you goes out to our policemen and women whom are enduring the cold to help us get the necessary fuel so that we may return to work. Yesterday I witness am upset woman driving a new Mercedes accosting a police Sargent over his decision to allow people whom were lined up since 4 am to gas up over her; she arrived at 6 am and on a different line. Her justification .., they were on the wrong line!

I spoke to the officer and he was being fair by allowing only those people whom had arrived before he got there to gas up first before allowing the line he started to fuel up. In his defense he had taken down the license plate of the last car in that line and only after that car had fueled up did he allow his planned fuel line to commence feeling. Come on people, patience be thankful as everyone did get gas and inside of an hour and a half.

My 2 cents

We recently received this new cut (Malibu Sunrise) and scheduled time to take it for a spin, as usual, the long drive up New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway which for me is the perfect setting; just roll up the windows, turn up the A/C, slip in the CD and crank up the volume.

Now in all honesty we’ve heard from L.A. Carpool before so it did not come as a total surprise when Jack emailed me their latest creation.  At first listen (iPhone, yep bought into it; beats the android hands down!), I said ok, a descarga cha cha cha style (a jam session, and this style of music is cha cha cha). But upon hearing the flute solo, I immediately thought the style sounded very much like our friend Fay Roberts of “Charangoa” fame.  After reading the accompanying email, it was confirmed! Shout out to Fay!!The new cut is entitled “Malibu Sunrise” written by Jack Gold (ASCAP) Cindy Garcia (ASCAP); Publishing Management: Parc and Laurier Music. The music features Fay Roberts (Charangoa) on Flute, Enzo Villaparedes (Trumpet); Piano: Albeniz Quintana; Guitar: Frank Garcia (Guitar Solo), and Ray Pizzi; Timbales, Percussion: Richie Gajate-Garcia; Conga: Jack Gold; Bass Trombone: Guillermo Guzman; Sax: Tristan Garcia.

Malibu Sunrise is what I consider “ear candy”, with great solo performances.  By this I mean that in my opinion the song departs from traditional Latin Jazz into a modernistic west coast Latin influenced mix that progresses from the traditional cha-cha-cha into a somewhat reminiscent Santanaish vibe (we’ll term it as: Cali Latin Vibe).   Overall the tune is very catchy, a modern cha-cha-cha that will surely keep listeners engaged with the ability to cross genre’s reaching wider listener audiences. The combination results in an addictive sound; kudos guys, good production, complex arrangements.

Oh Mom… that’s Zany!

They are dear and near to us, couldn’t be without them,  yet their pearls of wisdom can have us busting at the seams.  Mom’s have their way about them (and around us) and know exactly what make us tick.  That is precisely why their humor is so special and zany.

My Mom for example is the inspiration for this section and she, after raising (7) kids, never fails to make me laugh.  Forget the fact that she is a Puerto Rican Mom (that only means you have a 50-50 chance of being called by the right name and a 75% chance that she’ll get your name right when done) or her belief that she has the ability to summon you with her mental powers.  Yes, mental powers.  The funny thing is that no matter where you are, when you do  decide to arbitrarily call home, once she gets on the phone her answer seems to always be  “oh hi honey…. te llame con mi mente (I called you with my mental powers)”.

Is it a Latino thing for moms to have a great sense of humor?  Or are all moms that way or they get that way after the journey of raising kids.   I know now in retrospect that over the span thus far, I owe a lot of my successes to my sense of humor; wonder where I got that from?

Being able to laugh at things is a gift; of course, my not being a standup comic, or famous for my sense of humor,  might just mean that my Mom just may not be as funny as let’s say John LeGuizamo’s.

Let’s hear some of your anecdotal Mom stories or Mom sayings or strange Habits  (I got much better one’s but saving them for later posts).

R/John

I find myself thinking “hmm playing with pandora’s box again”, every time the topic of Puerto Rico and Statehood is raised; yes it’s not a new topic, but it is the all important topic.

El Nuevo Dia has a good article on the topic (search their archives) if you are looking to get up to speed on the issue (written in Spanish); there are other articles on line; do a quick search.

In general at issue is the current status, should it change or remain the same; Puerto Rico Statehood or reatin its Commonwealth status.

The question out there (to gauge opinion) is, who should decide (Congress or The People)?  Rather than joining the multitudes and poll for some meaningless statistic, we though we’d try something different; knowledge.

Yes, how about pointers  to pertinent information, a suggested approach, and we let you draw your own conclusions?

Recommended reading from the Library Of Congress website:

THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD: PUERTO RICO IN 1898, Marisabel Brás, Ph.D.

Common sense, as basic as it gets… If I were going to form an opinion as to whether it was a good thing to become a state or not, wouldn’t it be a good idea to read some of the case history on the last two states accepted into the union?

Alaska Statehood Bill:   July 7, 1958

HAWAII Statehood Bill: August 21, 1959

At the very least read up on how the Hawaiians or Alaskans felt after going through the process; what they expected vs. what they got.

Both these journeys are well documented; read the debates of the day, and the realities of the day after.

Before you form an opinion as to the issue of Puerto Rican Statehood – BORICUA EDUCATE!!!

John N. Irizarry/Enbreve.com

The work is dedicated to his Grandfather “Cruz Jimenez” and Uncles’ “Luis  and Polo Jimenez” all Korean War Veterans.  Its only fitting, as I received the CD shortly before Veterans Day and being myself a Veteran,  was touched by the sentiment.

To honor those that served in our defense so that we could enjoy our current liberties; BTW… Dad if you are reading this…. Thanks for the two tours in Nam and glad you came home safe.  As for me, while I was in during Vietnam, I was safe and dry  as our involvement was winding down; enough of my ramblings, now back to the CD.

As with fine wine, once the bottle is opened it should be allowed to breath for a spell before one begins the process leading to enjoyment. Similarly with a new CD, once the seal is broken, a random sampling and then a scheduled long drive, phone turned off and CD playing; total immersion.

This CD is a departure from previous works and signifies artistic growth not only as a tremendous flutists but as a vocalist.  Featured on this CD are Edy Martinez (Piano); Alfredo “Alfredito” Valdes Jr. (Piano); Orlando Marin (Timbales); and Sonny Bravo (Piano).

The fist thought that came to mind was “Now this is serious dance music”.   Listening to the words of first cut entitled “Tanto Rogarte” I was reminded of loves lost or thrown away; was it fate? The next cut is “Goza Nena” meaning “Enjoy it Baby” and the trend continues as by the third cut, the title is ” Tu Boquita Duce Y Maravillosa” the literal English translation is “Your Mouth Sweet and Marvelous”.   I am certain you will agree that from theses titles the inspiration behind these as well as other cuts on the CD just might  be a Love or a Lover’s lament; you decide.

I did speak with Carlos briefly about the CD and the inspiration behind it; commenting that the symbolism on the cover art was heavy and that the music seem to be in step.  On the surface, several of the cuts are instantly appealing as the rhythms hit deep, perhaps the essence of this performance; resonating so deep within the listener that it’s just a matter of time before all heck breaks loose and they find themselves gyrating to the Afro-Latin beats.  The longer one listens, the deeper into this mystic journey and that is where you will  find a well laid out series of influences showcased by the exceptionally talented musicians that collaborated on Red Tailed Hawk.

This is a CD that is surely to be well received and coveted.

John Irizarry
Enbreve.com

Dave & His Grammy

We caught up with Grammy Award winner Dave Valentin, at Willie’s Steak House in the Bronx section of New York CIty - we were there to hear Willie Rodriguez and his group regale us with those consistently great Latin Jazz tunes that keep us coming back every first Wednesday of the month. Now the music was hot enough, but when Dave added his touch it just kicked it into over drive. This was a very special night as you can see by the photo, it was the emmy arrived, the emmy arrived night. The set was in full swing with other musicians sitting in and enhancing the performance, in the audience were Jimmy Sabater, and Ada Chabrier, whom also sat in to deliver some classics and ensure that the final ingredients in the guiso were just right.  It was indeed an all star night.

It is very apparent to us after witnessing several performances that the combination of Willie Rodriguez and Dave Valentin is a great one, and one which featured several impromptu guest performances.  Now if you’ve never been to Willie’s there’s one thing you ought to know, Proprietor Kenneth Giordano knows his music and is very selective about whom plays there.  The audience, well they are a tough, and for the most part very savvy.

But on this night somewhere during the second set the place was filled with a unique magic as the rhythms were expertly mixed with vocals to create an electric atmosphere,  it all was captured on video tape by the producer of “Tributos a Borinquen” a Queens, NY  Public Television show Mr. Angel Ricardo.

In the audience seated at the back of the room was none other than Jimmy Bosch, just chilling with the crowd. That is the beauty of Willie’s is that you never know whom will stop by.

I got to say that Willie Rodriguez has the best musicians in his ensemble. The group not only has it all together but put on one heck of a show.

Editor´s note: There are many musicians whom frequent Willie’s Steak House, it’s a pretty open atmosphere where you can sit in with some of the Latin Jazz greats, but you should be forewarned if you can’t cut it don’t even attempt to jump in.  Most musicians are open to other musicians sitting in on their sets, other’s are not.. We’ve seen many great musicians both established and up and coming, grace the stage at Willie’s to add another dimension of sofrito to the guizos.  To all the musicians we say thank you.

Till next time,

John Irizarry/Enbreve.com

Grupo Latin Vibe's CD "Amanecer"

We’ve had the CD for a while now and we can say that there is something in it for everyone,  from Swinging guajiras, mambos, rhumbas, bombas, to a really good bolerito.  These guys are consistent performers and its never been so evident as in this,  their 3^rd CD titled AMANECER.

So turn down the lights, break out a nice bottle of wine, and groove to the sounds of Grupo  Latin Vibes. This CD is a must get!!

To purchase this CD: Visit this artists website!