GIMME A DOUBLE SHOT OF CULTURE DEPT.
Will a Cuatro Festival Survive in L.A.?
Report by Don Jibaro Barbanegra
uerto Ricans have been trying to establish Puerto Rican traditions in Los Angeles for many years in one way or another but somehow they all get blown away with the winds of change. It seem that the easiest one to start with would be something similar to the "Fiestas Patronales we have in each town of Puerto Rico. Easy? No way, José!

The Puerto Rican population in most big cities in the USA have successfully established ethnic Fiestas such as "Festival del Plátano", "Dia de San Juan" "Salsa Festivals" and many more.

But it just so happens that for some not-so-strange reason Boricuas can't seem to plant down the Ubiquitous Boricua Cultural Foot in the Los Angeles area. Oh, yeah... we get Salsa Congresses, and a feeble attempt to pass a Salsa Festival as Dia de San Juan (Nobody actally goes backwards into the beach at midnight, though.)

The Puerto Rican Communities in the Bay area and San Diego appear to have nailed down the mysteriously basic, and yet intrinsically difficult principle of how to keep Boricuas working together. Oh, yeah! The Task of Tasks, harder than Sissipus Rolling the Ball... (Sisyphus is best known for being punished in the Underworld by rolling a stone with his hands and head in an effort to heave it over the top of a hill; but regardless of how much he pushes, the stone rebounds backwards again and again... and so on forever.)

The Festival del Cuatro in Los Angeles is a baby organization who succesfully pulled off the 1st Annual Cuatro Festival in Los Angeles in 2006. It was like pulling teeth (I was a founding member), but by Dinga or Mandinga we made it happen.

2007 should have been easier, uh? Well... it happened. It had its thorns and birthpangs and again by Dinga or Mandinga, the folks came through!... Not as grandiose and robust as last year's program, Yomo Toro, Alvin Medina and Colón Zayas were able to give the audience a memorable cultural experience that has to be treasured to be remembered. Treasure it I did, here, for you... forever.

Testing Testing, one, two... The humble equipment set up was a great chance to see the players with "their hair down", tuning and setting up the parameters for sound.

The people anxiously gathered at the small but beautiful San Gabriel Civic Auditorioum some 7 miles east of downtown Los Angeles

Alvin Medina is a cuatro wizard who pulls sparks outta the fingerboard while his wife brings the jíbaro lyrics alive with passion and authority.

Alvin Medina reminds me of Paganini who had supposedly made a deal with the Devil in order to acquire mesmerizing musical prowess.

Yomo Toro, as old as he is, still has the flavor neccessary to drive the band into sensual and syncopated polyrythms that makes  you get outta your seat to bust a move. Bust I did! Thanks, Yomo

All he has to do is sit there and pluck the catgut into squealing melodies and riffs that made him a cuatro icon.

California Jíbaras Olga Howard and Ajée Ortiz flank Don Jibaro Barbanegra and set the wheels in motion...

The National Conference of Puerto Rican Women (NACOPRW) hit a home run with the aguinaldada parrandeada that got the audience roaring.

Watch them in these two videos... these women are hot.