RAZA feat. DJ Afro, Luisito Quintero & Wepa Woman :: Afterwork! February 28, 2007

While the weather gets colder, RAZA's sizzling after-work party is the place to be. Here’s where you can still find the vibe of the summer heat, get your fill of plantain chips while hanging with the hottest Latinos (and all their friends) this side of NYC. RAZA has gathered an ensemble of talent for February's ‘fiesta’ that will be sure to make it feel like summertime in the heart of the meat packing district in the middle of winter.

To get this job done, DJ Afro will man-it on the turntables…Luisito Quintero will provide us some of his “percussive madness”….and Wanda “Wepa Woman” Raimundi-Ortiz provide us with some of her witty, comical antics.

DJ Afro is best known as the man responsible for writing more than 80% of the music for Los Amigos Invisibles. He_s played guitars, keyboards and provided background vocals for “Los Amigos Invisibles” four full albums and also for Louie Vega's "Elements of Life" and Dimitri from Paris' "Cruising Attitude". Also respected as a Remix-producer aside from his work with Los Amigos, he just released his first solo track "Mala Idea" and has published remixes for Beastie Boys, Fantastic Plastic Machine, David Byrne, Radio Zumbido, Fundación Tony Manero, Sonorama, Soul Coughing, John Scofield and many others.

Afro's Venezuelan “compatriota”, Luisito Quintero, comes to us at RAZA with his “Percussive Madness” (also the name if his CD) and a long and impressive list of accolades. Having studied at the respected Orquesta Simfonica de Venezuela, he joined Grupo Guaco and Ocar D'Leon where he enjoyed worldwide exposure. Besides being known for his skillful timbale work, Luisito also plays congas, bongos, drum set, djembe, dundun and a wide variety of assorted percussion instruments. Luisito has worked with Jack De Johnette, David Sanborn, George Benson, Joe Sampler, Bill Cosby, the late Celia Cruz and Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan, Richard Bona, Ravi Coltrane, Claudia Acuna, Giovanni Hidalgo, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Willie Colon and countless other high-profile music acts. Quintero is comfortable working in any genre of music from Symphonic to Jazz and from Latin to House (he is musical director for Louie Vega and the Elements of Life Band). He is also co-musical director and percussionist for Kevin Jones and Tenth World. Luisito is also a skilled clinician who shares his limitless knowledge of music to younger percussionists around the world. Today, he is an established and respected musician, teacher, band director and master percussionist who continues to push the boundaries of his craft.

If you come from a Latin household, we are sure you have heard the term “¡Wepaaaaa!” - an expression that denotes a good time. At our next installment we have 'wepa', for real. Bronx's own Wanda “Wepa Woman” Raimundi-Ortiz turns storytelling on its ear with "Soy Latina". She is an award-winning, Inter-disciplinary artist that has been exhibited internationally, including the PS1/MoMA, Jersey City Museum of Art, El Museo del Barrio and the Bronx Museum of Art among others. She has been reviewed in numerous publications, including the New York Times, Art Nexus and The Village Voice. She is also recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including the Ralph Bunch fellowship at Rutgers University, the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Longwood Cyber Resident Artist and Artist in the Marketplace Fellow.

RAZA remains conveniently located at Cielo, downtown, on the west side…where at this afterwork “hangeo” one can hear the sounds of “¡Wepaaa!”, and that's a sign that the folks are certainly “gozando”… you know, having a whole lotta fun!!!

http://www.myspace.com/razanyc
http://www.myspace.com/wepawoman
http://www.myspace.com/luisitoquintero
http://www.myspace.com/elafro


Wednesday, February 28, 2007

6 - 11pm
$5 before 7pm
$10 with flyer or RSVP to muzikbutrfly@earthlink.net
$15 at the door
Cielo
18 Little West 12th Street
Between Washington & 9th Avenue, NYC
A,C,E,1,2,3;L to 14th Street
http://www.cieloclub.com

[i]Raza is a Spanish phrase which, while literally translated as the race, is used as a synonym of "el pueblo" or "la gente", both of which mean "the people". It is used to denote the people of Latin America who share the cultural & political legacies of Spanish colonialism. Often, the term "La Raza" also encompasses a racial significance associated with "mestizaje", or race-mixing. In the 1960s, ethnically-based political movements for civil rights used "La Raza" to break down the national & generational barriers between the various segments of the Latino population.[/i][/b]

Official Website: http://www.mySPACE.COM/RAZANYC