Entertainment

As I’m celebrating the first year as a columnist with the Buffalo Latino Village, I’ve begun seeing some positive news from the documentary project that introduced me to the publisher of this monthly publication, Mr. Alberto Cappas. A year ago, I went back home to Buffalo to film some interviews and footage for my project, “Boricua Soy Yo.” My main goal for this series is to capture what does it mean to be “Boricua”, and how is it defined. Although I conducted a few interviews in Central Florida during the late summer in 2019 for the piece, I could not have thought of a better place to really get footage rolling than my hometown, the lower West Side of Buffalo, NY. Although this project is trying to capture what it means to be “Boricua,” because of its personal nature to me, I wanted to capture when I grew up and how the West Side may have influenced my life as a Boricua moving forward. This documentary project has introduced me to many people from all walks of life who have that one connection; a Puerto Rican identity as it relates to our history and even our future. In early October, I was made aware of an Arts & Cultural Festival that would be hosted by The University of Central Florida (UCF) in downtown Orlando, at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Arts, in April of 2022. One of my past interview subjects recommended that I submit my (still to be completed) project for a showing, and after some thought, I went ahead and started the process. To my surprise, the documentary project was selected to screen on April 9th, 2022 at 8pm, but also, I was asked, if I would be interested in having a panel discussion!  To say that I’m not proud of this achievement would be an ultimate lie, as I’ve always been a little critical of my own productions, and honestly, always felt embarrassed when others watched my work. However hearing the excitement from the event organizers and how well they thought this project fit into their event, left me with a good feeling of accomplishment, even if I still have some edits to complete. Saturday April 9th, for better or worse will be the culmination of an almost two year journey that started during the early summer of 2019, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when masks where a daily thing and vaccines felt like a lifetime away. As it stands, the film project, which is going to be broken into multi-episode pieces of 25 – 30 minutes in length, is still in production, however much of the theme is already set in stone. In fact, two of the episodes I plan on screening during the event at Dr. Phillips Center for the Arts, are already pretty much completed, save for a few more interviews I’m doing, centered on Puerto Rican arts and culture. Although the screening will take place in downtown Orlando in April of next year, I’ll carry with me a little piece of the lower West Side. West and Maryland to be exact. Where my family was raised, where I rode my bike as a child and where the sights and sounds of my youth shaped me into the man I am today.   Until Next time… Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Community Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics Sports A BITTERSWEET NIGHT, LISTENING TO THE MUSIC OF “GITANAA July 6, 2023/No Comments On Saturday, June 24th, my wife and I joined a few friends and enjoyed a night of live Latin music Read More MAKING A MARK ON OUR YOUTH June 6, 2023/No Comments During my column last month, I wrote about having the opportunity to visit my childhood school, Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy, Read More IT STARTS WITH A BOOK May 12, 2023/No Comments IT STARTS WITH A BOOK On Friday, April 29th, I will have attended the 13th Annual Dia del Ninos y Read More Load More End of Content.

My intentions with this film are to cover different bullet points that address Puerto Rico’s past, from its beginnings as a US territory, to the island’s culture, and to the identity of those of us living here on the mainland. This film would not be complete if I chose to ignore the “status” question so in part, I chose to focus a good amount of time of my project speaking with folks who had interesting ideas regarding the island current state and the possibilities for the island’s future. I recently had a chance to sit down with Congressman Darren Soto (FL-09) and speak on his thoughts regarding Puerto Rico’s status. In March, Congressman Soto cosponsored a Puerto Rican Statehood bill. In November 2020, while most of the US was embroiled in the presidential election, Puerto Ricans living on the island were given the opportunity for a simple Yes/No vote in favor of Puerto Rican statehood.  By introducing this bill, Congressman Soto, who represents the largely Puerto Rican Kissimmee, Florida area, wanted to uphold the Puerto Rican people’s vote. Statehood was favored by 52.5% of the 2020 vote. Mind you, this was a simple Yes/No vote and not a true referendum offering the options of Statehood, Independence, or continued Commonwealth. The last referendum to do so was the “2017 Puerto Rican Status Referendum”(*) which saw Statehood win an overwhelming margin of 97.13% of the vote. Of course, the next steps are up to those on Capitol Hill. While working on this project for the last ten months, I have found that support for the pro-Independence movement is greater by mainland Puerto Ricans compared to those living on the island. I see this plastered all over social media pages and groups, people calling for an end to colonialism through independence. I admit, the idea of it is very romantic, especially with “Hamilton” still fresh in our memories, fueling thoughts of independent thinking and living, however the numbers were just not there in the 2017 referendum. Don’t misunderstand me, I see nothing wrong with wanting independence for the island, however, calling for independence while benefiting from mainland living is a little bothersome to me.  The island itself must make the moves for independence, and yet, as of this writing, the movement is far greater here than it is on the island. My interview with Soto touched on a few more items surrounding Puerto Rican status that will be presented in the finished film. The subject of Puerto Rican status is one that can cause heated debate and although there really is no easy answer, I am happy to have included it in my film. I am looking forward to focusing on the next few segments of my film, which will include art and culture, and that is something all Puerto Ricans can agree with and come together on. Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Community Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics Sports A BITTERSWEET NIGHT, LISTENING TO THE MUSIC OF “GITANAA July 6, 2023/No Comments On Saturday, June 24th, my wife and I joined a few friends and enjoyed a night of live Latin music Read More MAKING A MARK ON OUR YOUTH June 6, 2023/No Comments During my column last month, I wrote about having the opportunity to visit my childhood school, Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy, Read More IT STARTS WITH A BOOK May 12, 2023/No Comments IT STARTS WITH A BOOK On Friday, April 29th, I will have attended the 13th Annual Dia del Ninos y Read More Load More End of Content.

TWO GENERATIONAL MUSIC ICONS LOST I originally wasn’t looking to write an obituary column this month, however Latinos of two separate generations lost two music icons. I’d be remiss to not acknowledge their passing and what it meant to me, as a music enthusiast and lover who has enjoyed their work during various tenures in my life. Johnny Pacheco, co-founder of Fania Records, which introduced a specific New York Salsa and Guajuanco sound, passed away on February 15th. Born Juan Azarias Pacheco Knipping in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic in 1935, it wasn’t until Pacheco’s family moved to New York City in the 1940s that his love of music began. Pacheco had decent success as a musician throughout the 1950s and early 60’s, however it wasn’t until he founded Fania Records along with Jerry Masucci in 1963 where Pacheco’s “Nuevo Tumbao” was created. Working with a stable of artists such as Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez, Ray Barretto, Celia Cruz, Ruben Blades, Cheo Feliciano, Ismael Miranda, Willie Colon, Hector Lavoe and a host of other talented musicians, The Fania All Stars (as they were known) toured worldwide, selling out concerts from Yankee Stadium to Zaire Africa, in front of 80,000 attendees. This event seemingly brought Salsa music back to its African roots with Pacheco leading the way as Composer and musical Arranger, improvising his dances on stage for all to enjoy. Then on February 18th, the Hip Hop world mourned the loss of Prince Markie Dee, of the early Hip Hop trio known as the Fat Boys. Markie Dee, born Mark Anthony Morales on February 19, 1968, was a pioneer in the early genre of Hip Hop music. Not only did he bring  in a new sound to Hip Hop, he was also  one of the first Puerto Rican Hip Hop artists to be accepted into the mainstream. Being a young Puerto Rican Hip Hop fan in the 1980s, seeing the Fat Boys in music videos or in movies, it was amazing to see someone who looked like me (and some of my cousins) rocking stages worldwide. The Fat Boys and Markie Dee had their heyday during the 1980s, releasing seven albums, three of which reached Gold status while another reached Platinum, which was (and still is) a huge achievement. The Fat Boys were regularly seen as a comedy Hip Hop act, almost like the Three Stooges, but they were a talented group whose acceptance in the Hip Hop world was visible in films like “Krush Groove” and in the comedy film “Disorderliness.”  After the group broke up in the early 1990s, Morales made a life as a producer for artists such as a young Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige, even writing Blige’s debut single “Real Love” which was also produced by a young Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs. Although Pacheco and Prince Markie Dee were worlds apart as far as musical genres, the loss of these two artists is felt by many, especially by those of us in our early to late 40s, as Salsa and Hip Hop music grabbed our attentions as youths growing up in the 80s. I still remember going to parties as a youth hearing Salsa music played at house parties, and at the same time, I also remember seeing cousins and friends carrying folded cardboard boxes ready to break (dance) at Beecher’s Boys & Girls Club on 10th Street. Although our heroes pass on, the memories we made with their music became the soundtrack that  never fades. Read More From This Writer All Post Business Culture Food Government Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Medical Music Our Community Peace People Sports TWO GENERATIONAL MUSIC ICONS LOST March 18, 2021/No Comments POST TITLE (CAPITAL) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus Read More GOOD DAYS ARE COMING February 18, 2021/No Comments GOOD DAYS ARE COMING It is now February 2021 and since we last touched base, we have been witnesses to Read More SIEMBRA COMO EL JIBARO SIEMBRO December 18, 2020/No Comments SIEMBRA COMO EL JIBARO SIEMBRO December is upon us, and while colder weather and the holiday season is in full Read More Load More End of Content.