Notes From A Native Daughter

My dear Francisco Serrano, who is one of those people I consider a genius, calls me up a few weeks back to tell me I have to listen to the guy that his little daughter Isabel (3) is obsessed with. “She just can’t get enough of him.” Parents and love, love, love…I am not a mother, but I love enthusiastic parents.

So I went ahead and listened and tuned in for a few hours of Google video watching. Turns out that 123 Andrés (Andrés Salguero) has a Spanish/English music shtick, with substance, for kids and he’s etching a himself a respectable career. So much so that, for two consecutive years he’s been a Latin Grammy ® nominee for Best Children’s Album. Last year with his debut album ¡Uno, dos, tres Andrés! and this year with Arriba Abajo (Above Below).

123 Andrés is not a one-man band, Christina Sanabria, his wife, completes the power house team behind all the fanfare. The band expands and “shrinks” depending on the gig and though they themselves are Colombians, their other bandmates represent Latin America and the Caribbean in various forms.

The bilingual element in 123 Andrés is intentional, smart, and fun. He puts out vallenato, rock, cha-cha-cha, cumbia and much more. Andrés is a skilled music man with a doctorate degree and all. His mission is to educate and validate children. In this episode #19 Andres and I talk bilingualism, being Latino in the U.S., seeing children learn, parenting and a bunch of other stuff. We became friends.

During these times of such grotesque political behavior I search for things to hold on to and

With people like them, the world is a better place.

There’s so much I want to say about Eduardo Alegría, and yet I'm out words. Eduardo’s artistry was the first light I saw at the end of a dark tunnel. A performance artist, writer, dancer, vocalist, philosopher and band leader. Una Estrella, a star. He calls Se Nos Fue La Mano a musical “novelette.” The album is an outstanding piece, a Spanish alternative-rock gem for the ages.

In the episode: Poneletreros and El Recipiente/Tsunami. His words, music, queer life, Clowns Caress Me, Puerto Rico’s quagmire, made in the sea…

From the personal to the universal or from the universal to the personal – I believe that’s the quest of all artists. To nail that very thing that grabs at us in our core. A hit and miss type of thing, but the noblest of efforts. Argentinean filmmaker Gaston Solnicki has an uncanny ability to achieve just that, every single time it seems. He’s known for his non-fiction documentaries Süden (2008) and Papirosen (2011).

Gaston's latest film Kékszakállú, his first fiction feature, was an official selection at this year’s Venice, Toronto and New York Film Festivals. He won the FIPRESCI Award (International Federation of Film Critics) a few weeks back at Venice.

“Kékszakállú is a singularity: a playful portrait of spiritual lethargy. A portrait of several young women at the threshold of adulthood…” 

Partly inspired by Béla Bartók’s sole opera Bluebeard’s Castle, Kékszakállú is a must see.

Ivonne plays a fabulous Alba Gloriana Villanueva, abuela, on The CW hit show, Jane the Virgin. Ella es una gloria puertorriqueña / a Puerto Rican glory, with a career path of many years. I offer a heartfelt introduction about her and to her, for all of you, which, I hope will make up for the fact that I lost the first nine minutes of conversation. Humbling.

Ivonne es bella y tremenda and she’s family. She's part of my childhood framework regarding arts, culture and entertainment in Puerto Rico during the 70s and early 80s. Beautiful times. Beautiful person.

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