Good Times (in la Gran Manzana) I

Puerto Rican band Plena Libre brought its gustoso brew of Afro-Caribbean dance tunes to the Big Apple on a recent date.

Our friend Gary Nuñez and his happy band of musicians just finished a gig in L.A. and told LTTM that Plena Libre was invited to participate on next year’s Playboy Jazz Fest in California. !Epa, hermano: A son de bomba y plena!



Gary shared with us his CD "evolución," a flavorful and upbeat mixture of plenas and bombas, ideal for any dance soirée.

A memorable night of dancing and good ol’time Boricua spiced fun, the musical ensemble had the audience literally dancing in the aisles, much to the dismay of the theater manager, our dear friend Lili Santiago Silva, !una Boricua de las bravas! Those fire codes that don’t allow for the public to “block” the aisles… But then, what’s a bunch of happy-feet Boricuas to do when you play bomba y plena to them? Explain that to New York’s Bravest!

We should give thanks to Lili for her efforts. The theater at El Museo del Barrio is doing its part to promote the Latino Culture and to preserve the valuable contribution by all Latinos, Hispanics and other Americanos here in El Barrio.
The Museo has prepared a very varied musical program this season's Summer Nigths at El Museo with two fabulous musical showcases entitled Musical Icons of El Barrio and The Alternative Music Festival.



(above)
Fofe, lead vocalist of the Grammy nominated Rock en Español group Circo, put the City on its toes at El Museo del Barrio's Summer Nigths at El Museo.

Get up and GO before it's too late! Summer Nigths at El Museo is held every Thursday afternoon kicking off at 6:30 p.m. sharp and it ends August 23. The event has already featured Tito Puente, Jr., Cultura Profética, Johnny Pacheco, Circo, Pistolera and Julissa and will also feature a tribute to the ill-fated salsero Héctor Lavoe, performed by Chino Nuñez and Friends, and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, among many others.

Go to www.elmuseo.org for more information.