Monsieur Periné
When Chicano Batman stepped onto the riser at ArtsPark at Young Circle in Hollywood on May 5, it was the Los Angeles band’s first headlining Florida show — and a reunion of sorts for two other parties: The city of Hollywood and the Rhythm Foundation, the taste-making Miami Beach concert promoter behind many great South Florida gigs.
Their revived partnership in 2019 has brought back the much-missed Hollywood ArtsPark Experience concerts, which restarted with Chicano Batman after a few years off and continued on May 11 with New Orleans’ Dirty Dozen Brass Band. The series wraps with Colombian swingsters Monsieur Periné on June 15 and Cuban jazz pianist Chucho Valdés on June 22. Here’s hoping the revival is long-term.
“Working in Broward’s best outdoor performance venue is an honor for us,” Rhythm Foundation director James Quinlan tells PureHoney, “providing an incredible platform to expose artists who might not normally play the South Florida market.”
Monsieur Periné, from Bogotá, start out as devotees of old-school gypsy jazz, and then playfully draw out the style pioneered by Django Reinhardt and his Hot Club of Paris, giving it a Latin flair with rhythms and instruments from the band’s own backyard. Monsieur Periné’s other muse is a captivating singer, Catalina García, whose bright voice and effortless charm are a perfect fit for this savvy retro project. Miami singer-songwriter Javier Garcia, an eclectic Latin rock and pop stylist, opens.
Chucho Valdés
Pianist Chucho Valdés rose to international fame and music royalty as leader of Irakere, a Havana-based band that advanced jazz and Afro-Cuban music in tandem. Before that, he cut an album, “Jazz Batá,” in 1972 that laid groundwork for those giant steps, with Mingus-like piano set to batá — a hand drum used in Santeria — in a kind of modernist dialogue with the ancients. Valdés has now resumed that conversation with “Jazz Bata 2,” a 2018 album and companion tour.
Opening is Cortadito, a Cuban son and bolero ensemble led by Miamian Jose Elias of Grammy-nominated Conjunto Progreso and the turntablist jam band Spam Allstars.
Hollywood ArtsPark Experience concludes with two 8pm Saturday concerts at ArtsPark at Young Circle in Hollywood: Monsieur Periné on June 15 and Chucho Valdés on June 22. Admission is free. rhythmfoundation.com ~ Sean Piccoli
