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The Culture of
Latin Jazz
"You are either in or out",
said Bobby Ramirez, musician and publisher of LatinJazzClub™
Magazine. According to Mr. Ramirez, who founded LatinJazzClub™
Magazine, the first serious magazine of its kind totally dedicated
to Latin Jazz, "that sounds a little pretentious, but that
is a specific trademark of music fans that are attracted or likewise
do not enjoy Latin Jazz music. I mean, Latin Jazz is serious
music. Musicians spend years going through rigorous musical training
to learn its language. Music fans also work hard at acquiring
a taste for Latin Jazz. If that makes some of these people a
bit arrogant at times, it's just the nature of this artform."
A giant literary cyber-emporium
of related music news, articles, interviews, CD reviews and learning
resource, LatinJazzClub™ is a virtual on-line magazine dedicated
to the advancement, education and historical preservation of
Latin Jazz. More at: LatinJazzClub.com
"In this modern time,
people are constantly being bombarded by thousands of visual
images and sounds. After a while, the mind is so busy processing
this multitude of information that it essentially becomes synthesis
to simplistic sounds. For example, what was once considered traditional
"Jazz" has now been transformed or rather intentionally
engineered into the ever-popular "smooth Jazz" idiom
(neatly packaged melodies and harmonies, i.e. canned music).
As a result, it does not require much effort to understand and
digest these sounds. Conversely, to truly understand Latin Jazz,
a music fan must learn to levitate to the music. It is music
that is created to challenge the imagination of the listener."
Recently, Ramirez pioneered
a virtual grass-root initiative inviting Latin Jazz fans and
musicians to join the LatinJazzClub™ In Your City. It is
a virtual meeting place where music fans and musicians of a specific
city/area share information about everything concerning Latin
Jazz--specifically upcoming concerts at clubs and festivals that
are open to the public at-large. The LatinJazzClub™ also
serves as a useful networking society for Latin Jazz music fans
visiting that city and interested in attending Latin Jazz events,
etc. LatinJazzClub™ In Your City is a public service that
supports musicians and music fans of this unique classic American
artform: Latin Jazz. Additinal information at: http://www.latinjazzclub.com/in_your_city.html
"Latin Jazz is not for
everyone, and that's OK. Latin Jazz evolved from CuBop and Afro-Cuban
Jazz, respectively. It is not to be confused with other related
words or phrases like "salsa", "mambo", "Caribbean
music", "tropical music" and other more incoherent
phrases like "Jazz-Latin." Because the style of Latin
Jazz establishes a perfect equilibrium that blends the language
of Jazz and Afro-Latin rhythms, by its very nature and like other
abstract artforms, Latin Jazz appeals to a particular music audience.
Latin Jazz is a musical culture that embodies a symmetrical balance
of harmony, thereby maintaining a constant symbiotic link from
people/events that marked its ancestral beginnings in Africa,
to it's evolution in the New World. True diehard fans of this
music understand that they too are a part of this evolutionary
process."
"Latin Jazz is not a
music that attracts mainstream radio/TV or to be part of a Grammy
telecast because Latin Jazz is not commercial pop-oriented music
that would appeal to the masses. And those that exploit the phrase
"Latin Jazz" to sell other music (salsa) or to advance
an unrelated agenda are essentially highjacking Latin Jazz in
false pretense. Why? It is a matter of preservation."
"Sure, Latin Jazz would
probably enjoy mass appeal--and today it does, on a grass-root
level worldwide. But it is important to recognize and preserve
the essence of this music and not attempt to delude Latin Jazz
into some kind of soft tropical Jazz experience in hopes that
it will appeal to a greater audience, as well as others who intentionally
promote "Latin music" as "Latin Jazz." A
form of mostly instrumental music whose main characteristic is
based on (Jazz) improvisation, Latin Jazz remains raw and organic,
unpredictable and inclusive.
Why create these virtual
Latin Jazz Clubs?
"For as long as LatinJazzClub™ Magazine has been in
existence, we've gotten many letters from Latin Jazz fans and
musicians worldwide thanking us for bringing awareness to this
music. In recent years, music fans would call and email asking
us to tell them some places they can go listen to Latin Jazz
either in their own city or other places they where planning
to travel. On a local level, Latin Jazz is so grass-root that
it is nearly impossible to know what local bands are performing
where in any city."
"At the same time, one
of the key functions of LatinJazzClub™ Magazine is to help
support musicians who are actively performing this music worldwide.
Because Latin Jazz is not a commercial music like "Salsa"
or "Rap", local Latin Jazz bands continue to struggle
to find their audience (gigs). The fact that Latin Jazz has a
smaller audience appeal, continues to work against these local
musicians. As a result, a Latin Jazz artist/band continues to
be a hard sell at festivals and local clubs."
"LatinJazzClub™
In Your City" attempts to create a networking system of
support between the music fan and its local artists/bands within
a specific area/city. As more people join the LatinJazzClub™
in any specific area/city, musicians feel more empowered to perform
Latin Jazz, and music fans feel more closely connected to Latin
Jazz. Like the function of many established Jazz and classical
music societies throughout the United States and the world, LatinJazzClub™
invites music fans to become proactive in supporting their local
"Latin Jazz" bands in their respected community. This
interactive system nurtures the mission of LatinJazzClub Magazine:
the advancement, education and historical preservation of Latin
Jazz."
LatinJazzClub™ is a trademake
created and owned by Bobby Ramirez, Latin Sheet Music Corp. Any
unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.
Afro-Cuban RitmoClave Workshop
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RitmoClave
Lecture Workshop Audio CD