SUMMER NIGHTS AT EL MUSEO DEL BARRIO

Del Son al Reggaeton
Free Eight-Week Concert Series Features a Diverse Mix of Latin Music
June 22 – August 10, 2006
Thursdays from 6:30 – 8:30 pm

New York, NY – May 2006 –  El Museo del Barrio is excited to announce its annual  Summer Nights at El Museo del Barrio, the FREE outdoor concert series that will take place on eight consecutive Thursday evenings from June 22 through August 10. 

Celebrating the diversity within contemporary Latin music, the 2006 Summer Nights at El Museo lineup features a range of sounds, from traditional Cuban son to the cutting-edge rap of  reggaeton.  The concerts will be held in El Museo’s courtyard at 1230 Fifth Avenue between 104th and 105th Streets overlooking Central Park’s Conservatory Gardens. In the event of rain, concerts will take place in El Museo del Barrio’s theater, Teatro Heckscher. 

Appealing to audiences of all ages and interests, the concert series showcases exciting performances of national and international new music styles emerging from traditional Latin forms.  For the August 3rd concert, El Museo teams up with the ever-popular Latin Alternative Music Conference held that week in venues across New York City to present a fun, funky performance by Pacha and by Hip Hop Hoodios.

On Thursday evenings during Summer Nights at El Museo, the museum’s galleries will be open free of charge until 8:00 pm.  Two exhibitions will be on display:  Between the Lines: Text as Image. An Homage to Lorenzo Homar and the Reverend Pedro Pietri and Héctor Méndez Caratini:  The Eye of Memory – 1974-2003.

TALENT LINE UP FOR SUMMER NIGHTS AT EL MUSEO

June 22, 2006   Larry Harlow and Latin Jazz Encounter**       Afro-Cuban Jazz and Salsa Mix

A true living legend of Afro-Cuban music, Larry Harlow completely revolutionized what is known today as salsa.  He was the first artist signed to the Fania label for which he has produced over 300 CDs.  Harlow is also the producer/pianist for the legendary Fania All-Stars.  He has been nominated three times for a Grammy and was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2000.

**This performance will be held in the Teatro Hecksher of El Museo del Barrio and will be dedicated to the late Hilton Ruiz.

June 29, 2006           Alex Cuba Band                                                                   Son and More

Recorded in Havana's celebrated Egrem Studios, The Alex Cuba Band’s debut disc, Humo de Tabaco, recently won the 2006 Juno Award (Canadian Grammy) for Best World Music album.  El Museo is proud to present this multitalented Cuban instrumentalist, singer and composer who combines the indigenous genres of the Caribbean island - from Afro-Cuban rumba to música campesina - with contemporary jazz and Latin pop.

July 6, 2006              Freestyle DJ Dance Party                                          Latin Mix/Freestyle
        Featuring Coro, The Cover Girls, Reina, and TKA

Future Entertainment and Kalvin Stevens host this night of dance music featuring some of the biggest names of the freestyle sound.  Coro, The Cover Girls, Reina and TKA will perform their hits, along with surpise guests that will keep the party going strong.

July 13, 2006            Chino Nunez. George Delgado & Friends                                         Salsa

Two of salsa’s hottest percussionists, Pablo "Chino" Nuñez and George Delgado, who have recorded with some of the greatest Latin Jazz musicians of our time, team up with their friends to play this special concert. After years of arranging, producing and performing with the Grammy-award winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Chino has released his own debut album, It’s Showtime.

July 20, 2006            Reggaeton and Hip Hop                                          Reggaeton/Hip Hop

With Urban Box Office and Sano-In

Super promoter Sano-In rounds up New York reggaeton and hip hop artists such as….to come together for this performance at El Museo.  Urban Box Office, the online home to Latin Hip Hop and reggaeton, will be bringing some of their top artists on the stage as well.

July 27, 2006            Los Ciegos del Barrio                                      Merengue/Bachata/Bolero

Los Ciegos Del Barrio are five visually impaired Latino musicians from New York City who handle all the traditional rhythms and modern dance styles with an energetic ease, from fiery salsa and merengue to the more romantic bachata.  Los Ciegos have toured Russia and the Dominican Republic under the auspices of Project Troubador, an organization that sends American musicians abroad to perform in developing nations.  Their new release Dominando has enjoyed a tremendous amount of underground success with three #1 hits, Y Sigues Hablando, Si Tu Me Quisieras and their bachata version of I Will Survive.

August 3, 2006          Pacha and Hip Hop Hoodios              Latin Funk/Urban Latin Jewish Mix

Pacha, the New York City funk group who won the Battle of the Bands at the 2005 Latin Alterntative Music Conference, headlines this concert, co-hosted by the LAMC.  They will be joined by Hip Hop Hoodios, the all-star Latino-Jewish urban music collective led by Josué Noriega and Abraham Veléz.  From Latin funk to klezmer to cumbia to straight-up hip-hop, Los Hoodios are cross-cultural mayhem at its best.

August 10, 2006      Los Amigos Invisibles                                                                          Rock

Back by popular demand, this hot Venezuelan fusion band returns to El Museo for a second summer performance to close out this year’s Summer Nights series.  Internationally adored for their infectious dance beats, Los Amigos mix salsa with rock, pop and house to produce their very own brand of lively retro-techno sound. 

Please note that program is subject to change.

Acknowledgements

El Museo is grateful for the ongoing support of Anheuser-Busch and Budweiser Select for the 2006 Summer Nights at El Museo del Barrio concert series.  Support has also been generously provided by Target. In addition, funding has been provided by a grant from Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer and the NYC & Company Foundation.  Media partners for this series are Amor 93.1 and Mega 97.9, El Especial/El Especialito, and TIEMPO NEW YORK. Partial support for the August 3 concert is provided by The Latin Alternative Music Conference.

About El Museo del Barrio

El Museo del Barrio is New York’s leading Latino cultural institution, representing the diversity of art and culture in the Caribbean and Latin America.  As the only museum in New York City that specializes in representing these cultures, El Museo continues to have a significant impact on the cultural life of New York City and is a major stop on Manhattan’s Museum Mile on Fifth Avenue.  El Museo was founded in 1969 by a group of Puerto Rican educators, artists, parents and community activists in East Harlem’s Spanish-speaking El Barrio, the neighborhood that extends from 96th Street to the Harlem River and from Fifth Avenue to the East River on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

El Museo’s varied permanent collection of 6,500 objects from the Caribbean and Latin America includes pre-Columbian Taíno artifacts, traditional arts, twentieth-century prints, drawings, paintings, sculptures and installations, as well as photography, documentary films and video. Through the sustained excellence of its collections, exhibitions, publications and bilingual public programming, El Museo reaches out to diverse audiences and serves as a bridge and catalyst between Latinos, their extraordinary cultural heritage, and the rich artistic offerings of New York City.

Directions/Hours/Admission

El Museo del Barrio is located at 1230 Fifth Avenue between 104th and 105th Streets and may be reached by subway: #6 to 103rd Street station at Lexington Avenue; #2, #3 to Central Park North/110th Street station or by bus: M1, M3, M4 on Madison and Fifth Avenues to 104th Street; local cross-town service between Yorkville or East Harlem and the Upper West Side in Manhattan M96 and M106 or M2.  Museum hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursdays will be open with free admission from 4 – 8 p.m. through August 10. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Suggested museum admission: $6 adults; $4 students and seniors; members and children under 12 accompanied by an adult enter free. To learn more about El Museo del Barrio, please visit our website at www.elmuseo.org or call 212-831-7272.


# # #