Latin Jazz This Week will bring you a weekly look into news from the Latin Jazz world. You’ll find new releases, recommended performances, web finds, and more. You can check out some current sounds in the Listening Center tab at the top of the page.

NEWS
Exciting things continue to happen here at LJC, providing you with even more important content about the music that we love. Here’s a couple of things that you should know:

Southern California readers should be aware – we’ve got a few more pairs of tickets left for the concert by Cuban pianist Aruan Ortiz and his trio this Friday 1/13. Just go over to the LJC Facebook page, LIKE us, and post on the wall that you’d like to go. Once you do, I’ll be in touch with you to confirm the details.

The LJC podcast is also now available in iTunes, giving you the opportunity to subscribe to the show and get all future episodes automatically. I would encourage you to jump to the Latin Jazz Corner Podcast in iTunes, subscribe (for free!), and give the show a rating/review. The ratings help our podcast rank higher in the iTunes directory, meaingin that more people will discover the podcast, allowing us to spread the word about Latin Jazz to a wider audience. By the way, we’re days away from episode #3, featuring Grupo Falso Baiano and an interview with Mark Weinstien about his recent album El Cumbanchero!

Stay up to date on all the latest happenings at LJC and the greater Latin Jazz world on the LJC Facebook Page, so go there and LIKE us today to stay in the loop!

One of my most pleasant discoveries this year was listening to pianist Harold Lopez Nussa, first on Ninety Miles, the collaboration between David Sanchez, Chiristian Scott, and Stefon Harris, and later on his own album El País De Las Maravillas. After that inspiration, I was definitely inspired to go back and check out other albums with his playing, and I can now easily count myself as a Lopez-Nussa fan. A a result, I’m always pleased to see his name and he more about his outstanding musicianship. A recent article from CubaHeadlines brings some insights about Lopez-Nussa’s current music and some future plans. It’s some good info about an impressive up and coming artist.

The Grammy Awards are right around the corner and fortunately, a good deal of attention is turning back towards the poorly conceived move by NARAS to eliminate 31 categories. Daily Yonder seems to think that it’s no big deal to eliminate 31 categories because the Grammys don’t really matter anyways. Over at Jazz Insights, Arnold Jay Smith encourages you to Boycott The Grammys. There’s lots of noise around the elimination of the 31 categories right now . . . Let’s make even more. This was an awful decision that only hurts musicians – let NARAS know that!

Drummer and bandleader Bobby Sanabria has been a leading voice in the protest against the elimination of the Grammy categories. This week, Sanabria and his attorney Roger Maldonado were interviewed by The Progressive Radio Network regarding their involvement in the major lawsuit against NARAS concerning the category elimination. You can jump ahead to the interview by moving ahead to the 22-minute, 28-second mark. It’s another great statement about the lawsuit against the elimintion of 31 Grammy categories.

Don’t forget, for all the latest updates on the protest against The NARAS elimintion of 31 Grammy categories, check out Grammy Watch.

It seems like just yesterday that Jazz At Lincoln Center announced the formation of the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra led by pianist Arturo O’Farrill. Here we are with several top-notch albums, a non-profit organization, a robust educational program, and a strong international reputation behind the group as they approach their 10 year anniversary. The group will celebrate their ten year anniversary next week with two concert at their new home at New York’s Symphony Space. The concerts will feature guest appearances by an impressive line-up that includes Ray Santos, Edmar Castaneda, Randy Weston, and many more. It sounds like an amazing event – get all the details about the concerts HERE. Don’t forget, you can get all the details about the evolution of the group in our interview with Arturo O’Farrill – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.

AVAILABLE NOW:

Guisando Caliente: Coolantro

HOT RECENTLY AT LJC

Revisiting Latin Jazz Classics: California Jam, Fania All Stars

Free Tickets For Aruán Ortiz Southern California Performance

Latin Jazz Corner Podcast #2: Sammy Figueroa Interview

Musings On Latin Jazz: Thoughts On Afro-Peruvian Jazz

———-

RECENT ARTIST OF THE DAY MUSICIANS:
1/2/11: Bassist Andy Gonzalez
1/3/11: Pianist Zacci Curtis
1/5/11: Percussionist Janine Santana
1/6/11: Pianist Murray Low

———-

Stumble it!