Debut CD of Spanish Harlem’s Aurora y Zon del Barrio

New York (NY), USA – Emusica Records and Barrio Zone Productions have released the debut CD of Spanish Harlem’s own Zon Del Barrio, a band structured on a solid foundation of Afro-Caribbean roots and rhythms with a New York twist, introducing an innovative and young improvisational singer/sonero, Hector "Papote" Jimenez.

A CD release party will be held on Wednesday, October 24th at LQ New York located at 511 Lexington Avenue and 48th Street. Doors open at 6:00 pm with a free buffet until 7:00 pm. Free Dance lessons at 8:00 pm and live music at 9:00 pm. For table reservations, call 212/593-7575.Led by Latin music historian, writer, composer and musician Aurora Flores, Zon del Barrio’s Cortijo’s Tribe: La Tribu de Cortijo features two masters of Afro-Puerto Rican music, Yomo Toro, the king of the cuatro (the national 10-stringed guitar of the island) and Cortijo alum, singer/songwriter Sammy Ayala. Teamed alongside New York’s youngest "sonero," Hector "Papote" Jiménez, Aurora & Zon del Barrio is "throwing the gauntlet" as Rene Lopez, music historian and producer, describes in their liner notes "declaring this to be the popular music of Puerto Rican New Yorkers and Latinos everywhere."

Zon del Barrio is a play on words for the musical genre of "son" found in all the "barrio zon"es of Latino communities world wide. Bringing dance style classic Afro-Antillean music from the barrios, Zon del Barrio bring its energizing, foot stomping, funk based classic salsa (Afro-Cuban), plena, bomba & boogalu to their "live" performances.

Produced by musical director David Fernandez, this recording blends the dance rhythms of Cuba and Puerto Rico within a New York setting. Adding elements of jazz, R&B, hip-hop, funk and reggaetón, interspersed with interludes of raw street plenas and bombas, Cortijo’s Tribe follows the production style of salsa pioneer Al Santiago whose audacious approach paved the way for the Fania music explosion of the ’70s.

Old school mixed with a little new school flavor are the ingredients for Zon del Barrio’s particular salsa dance tunes expressing the musical soul of the barrios in the style of Puerto Rico’s most popular exponent, Cortijo y su Combo. Cortijo’s band broke through the color barrier in Puerto Rico in the late 1950s and Zon del Barrio is a tribute to those efforts and a celebration of Afro-Antillian music

Zon Del Barrio has shared the stage with Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Oscar D’Leon, Bobby Valentin, Michael Stuart, Larry Harlow, Jimmy Bosch, Andrea Brachfeld, La India, Chembo Corniel among others and have appeared over Univision during the Latin Grammy Awards, on the popular morning show "Despierta America" over Telemundo, Fox 5, Manhattan Neighborhood Network and festivals such as the Vic-Fezensac Salsa festival in Toulouse, France; the Howl Festival in the Lower East Side, the Orchard Beach Salsa Concert Series, the Half Marathon in Battery Park, The River to River Festival, and the Borgata Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. Zon del Barrio have performed and produced sold out cultural events from the Harlem Stage to the Hostos Performing Arts Center.

Cortijo’s Tribe: La Tribu de Cortijo will be in stores beginning October 23, 2007.