The güiro, a percussion instrument hailing from Puerto Rico and Cuba, features a hollow gourd with open ends and notches cut along one side. Typically…
Güiro, the Essential Salsa Scraper
Tag: Puerto Rican music
The Cuatro, a Prominent Element of the Rich Folk Music Heritage of Puerto Rico
The Puerto Rican Cuatro is a small, five-stringed musical instrument that is a staple of traditional Puerto Rican folk music. It is an integral part…
Artist Profiles: Cuatro Virtuosa Fabiola Méndez
Fabiola Méndez, a Puerto Rican cuatro player, educator, and composer, draws inspiration from her heritage and ethnicity in her music. Hailing from Caguas, Puerto Rico,…
Artist Profiles: Fernando Garcia
Born in San Juan and raised in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Fernando García studied guitar at the extension program of the Conservatory of Music of Puerto…
Slavo Rican Assembly Release Debut Album Intercosmic
Intercosmic (Riverboat Records) is the title of the debut album by Slavo Rican Assembly. The band is the project of New York City-based Slovenian saxophonist…
Miguel Zenón‘s Vision of the history of the American Continents
Miguel Zenón – Música de Las Américas (Miel Music, 2022) “Música de Las Américas” (Music of the Americas), the latest album from acclaimed Puerto Rican…
Formidable Hard Salsa from Spanish Harlem Orchestra
Spanish Harlem Orchestra – Imágenes Latinas (Ovation Records, 2022) Spanish Harlem Orchestra, the masters of salsa dura (hard salsa) and Latin Jazz, are back with…
Influential Puerto Rican Percussionist Héctor “Tito” Matos Dies at 53
Acclaimed percussionist, educator, and Puerto Rican culture disseminator Héctor “Tito” Matos passed away on January 18, 2022. Tito Matos specialized in performing and promoting two…
Ismael Rivera Salsa Classic Reissued on Audiophile Vinyl
Ismael Rivera con Kako y su orquesta – Lo Último en la Avenida (Craft Records, 2021 reissue) Lo Último En La Avenida is a perfect…
Artist Profiles: Ismael Rivera
Ismael Rivera was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, in 1931. Ismael, also known as Maelo, was only a teenager when he became the star singer…