Gotham Gets Her Groove Back, Part III:

Article and Photos by Bill Tilford -- All Rights Reserved

     Some of Manhattan's clubs may like to tuck the bands into bed as soon as possible after midnight, but over in Queens, some of them don't start jumping until the clock strikes twelve.  After the Friday night Red Hot + Cuba extravaganza at BAM in Brooklyn, I went to La Boom up in Queens.  This is a pan-Latin nightclub (if you are wondering about the name, they bring a huge sparkler "fuse" out with some of their more expensive drink orders), and when I arrived some time before midnight, I was worried at first because the DJ was cranking out a heavy mix of Bachata and Salsa Romantica. What's more, people were dancing to it and really, really digging it. Periodically, the man at the microphone mentioned that Havana d'Primera, Mayito Rivera and Tirso Duarte were coming later, and by this point I wasn't quite sure whether this was being announced as tidings of comfort and joy or more in the spirit of an air-raid warning. Would this turn into a scene like the Blues Brothers at Bob's Country Bunker from that first movie once the bands hit the stage? Fortunately, this turned out to be a bit of residual paranoia on my part left over from my last trip to the Big Apple.  As showtime drew near, there was a gradual transition to Salsa Dura and yes, finally Timba (whew!) at the DJ booth. Earlier in the night,  they were just accommodating the regulars, who are loaded up with bachateros, prior to the main event.  Once the bands came on, this was a Timba crowd with a Timba vibe. (Sidebar: In the unlikely event that the industry ever comes up with a "Best Use of Spandex" award, I might place La Boom's waitresses in nomination. Watching some of these ladies walk almost made me want to order a drink - which I never do when working - and more than compensated for listening to an hour of the "other crowd's" music.)

     Mayito has had some ups and downs since leaving Los Van Van (including a messy train of events earlier in the year with the New York Mega Timba Concert that ended with his not appearing there), but the crowd received him warmly at La Boom as he performed the opening set with a band composed largely of some of New York's finest including Jhair Sala from the Pedrito Martinez Group.  Fortunately for listeners, Miami and New York both have a solid corps of resident musicians who can play this music properly, and Mayito appears to be establishing a serious presence in both places by making the preparations required to have capable backing bands available there.  One additional thing that he did during this visit was drop into Martin Cohen's Congahead studios in Montvale NJ for a photo and video shoot.  (The photos are already up on the Congahead website, and we understand that video is coming later.)

     Tirso has also been a few places - physically and musically - himself in recent years but released an excellent CD in the spring of 2012 titled Tirso Duarte y la mecanica loca, which you can read more about here.  Fortunately for all of us, he is unmistakably back in the Timba saddle now and in top voice.  

     The La Boom concert featured segments by Mayito, Havana d'Primera and Tirso Duarte and went from approximately 1 am-4:30 am (just like old times!).  While returning to the hotel (on the train this time - I stepped out of the club in the middle of a shift change with the taxis, and NOBODY would go into Manhattan), I witnessed a scene that captures the life of a musician so well that I must share share it:  a pretty young puertoriqueña was completely tearing to shreds a fellow who was (or at least had been) her boyfriend for "ditching" her - leaving her with one of his friends - earlier in the evening.  His story?  He was a musician and was trying to close the deal on a gig with a man that wanted to hire him and his group.  But she was not buying this despite his increasingly-desparate pleas,  and I think the young man would have given just about anything to escape her wrath at that point.  Ah, the sacrifices we make in this business for the sake of the music...

     The New Jersey concert, which featured Havana d'Primera and Tirso,  was moved to the Mauna Loa in North Bergen from the original Park Theater in Union City as part of the post-Sandy adjustments.  There was no actual sign outside that said Mauna Loa (the locals told me that this was a result of recent storm damage), and it remains uncertain as to whether this had any impact on attendance (this website did its best on the day of the concert to help advise concertgoers how to find the place).  The crowd that was there was very enthusiastic, and DJ Morales set the tone with some excellent Timba and Afrocuban that you frequently don't hear at these things (by showtime, although this didn't have the largest crowd, it probably had the strongest Afrocuban vibe of any of the shows we saw this trip).  This was a shorter live set (close to 90 minutes)  that went from a little after midnight until about 1:30 am.  The New Jersey side of the river could use more Timba going into the future, but the ideal dates/times/locations may take a little time to sort out yet. 

To read a review and view a photo gallery of the shows  in Queens and in North Bergen, NJ, click here.  

Coming Next:  Part IV:  What Does This All Mean For The Future?

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