EVENTS
Encuentro Del Canto Popular
Saturday, December 3, 2011 - 8:00pm
Latino Folk Music Festival Turns 30
30th anniversary of the Encuentro del Canto Popular Festival
John Santos Sextet, Grupo Raiz, Los Peludos
The internationally acclaimed John Santos Sextet headlines an evening of Latin folk and jazz music celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Encuentro del Canto Popular Festival on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., at Brava Theater, 2781-24th St., San Francisco.
The program also includes the soothing Andean sounds of Grupo Raíz and the moving political corridos of Los Peludos.
Encuentro has been a fixture in the Mission District since 1981 years as an annual festival that showcases the best in local and international Latino folk music artistry. The festival is a project of Acción Latina, a non-profit educational and cultural organization based in the Mission.
“It’s really a tremendous accomplishment considering we usually operate on a shoestring budget,” said Juan Gonzales, Acción Latina interim director. “But, it has been a passion for the music and the need to showcase local talent that’s made it all worth the effort.”
The show opens with Grupo Raíz that interprets music of the Andes with their own creative style, which preserves structures and traditional rhythms, but also contributes new arrangements and instrumentations. It interprets the Nueva Trova Cubana, The New Song of Central America, South America, Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean.
Grupo Raíz also interprets songs of Violeta Parra, Victor Jara and important figures of the New Chilean Song Movement today. The six-member group plays over 20 instruments including traditional Latin American and modern European instruments.
The musical adventure continues when Los Peludos takes the stage. The four-member band led by Enrique Ramirez is comprised of seasoned musicians playing tropical folk music of Central America and the Caribbean, as well as the Mexican corrido.
The band features an array of musical instruments. They include a rhythm guitar, a six and twelve string guitar, requinto jarocho, mandolin, the cuatro puertorriqueño, the guitarron, bongos, timbales and congas.
Closing the show is the John Santos Sextet that features some of the Bay Area's finest musicians. The band blends the musical traditions of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Afro-Caribbean diaspora with cutting-edge jazz improvisation creating a sound that is as rewarding to the ear as it is irresistible to the body.
Multi-percussionist John Santos is a major exponent of Afro-Latin music through his innovative use of traditional forms and instruments in contemporary music. He’s been a prolific performer, composer, teacher, writer, radio programmer, and record/event producer for over 35 years, having worked with acknowledged masters such as Cachao, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Bebo Valdés, Max Roach, Eddie Palmieri, Patato Valdés, Francisco Aguabella, Steve Turre, McCoy Tyner, Batacumbele, Omar Sosa, Giovanni Hidalgo, Negro Hernandez, Eddie Marshall, and Carlos Santana.
The night’s festivities will also include a crafts market, as well as a silent auction. All the proceeds benefit El Tecolote newspaper, the Mission District biweekly, bilingual newspaper founded in 1970.
The doors open at 7 p.m. General admission is $18 and $15 for students and seniors. Tickets are available at www.Brava.org or by calling (415) 641-7657, ext.1. For more information call (415) 648-1045.
The festival is made possible with the financial support of the SF Grants for the Arts.
For Calendar Editors Please Note:
WHO: John Santos Sextet, Grupo Raiz, Los Peludos
WHAT: 30th anniversary of the Encuentro del Canto Popular Festival
WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011 8 p.m. to 11 p.m
WHERE: Brava Theater, 2781-24th St., San Francisco
TICKETS: $18 / $15 for students and seniors.
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