Miami Beach’s Rhythm Foundation and kindred concert promoters have a twofold mission in South Florida: to support local musicians and expose local audiences to music from across the globe. A pair of upcoming shows at a Rhythm Foundation anchor venue, the recently renamed Miami Beach Bandshell, checks both boxes.
First up is Miamibloco’s Brazilian Social (Dec. 12), a Bandshell Laboratories presentation of “an authentic night of what Rio de Janeiro feels like on any Carnaval night: Dancing, cachaça and friends vibing to the roots of Samba culture.” The music starts with DJing by the Miamibloco OG’s followed by a contingent of percussionists to “hold down the groove all night and transport us to Rio de Janeiro for the evening.”
Locos por Juana
Up next, Rhythm Foundation presents the return of Miami Latin fusion band Locos por Juana (Dec. 15), who for over two decades now have served a bouillabaisse of rock, hip-hop and reggae stirred into a hearty base of Colombian rhythms like cumbia, champeta, mapale and chande. The current iteration has frontman Itawe Correa backed by guitarist Mark Kondrat, drummer Javier Delgado and bassist David Pransky. For this Bandshell show they also promise some of Miami’s “best horn players, guest vocalists and percussionists”.
Five years ago Locos por Juana had a superstar guest vocalist in hip-hop icon Talib Kweli join them on the song “For the Ladies.” When I spoke to Corra back in 2017 about the collaboration, the singer was over the moon about working with one of his favorite rappers: ”I grew up listening to him in the hip-hop era. Talib’s work with Mos Def in Blackstar changed my life.”
“We sent him the song, and there were no compromises,” Correa said. “He liked the message about how beautiful women can be in any size, any shape, any color.” The band’s newest single, “Redemption,” has a reggae vibe with lyrics sung in Spanish and is just a hint of what’s to come off a forthcoming new album — which Bandshell concert attendees can dance to at this free show.
Miamibloco Brazilian Social kicks off 7pm Monday, Dec. 12. Locos por Juana perform 7pm Thursday, Dec. 15. miamibeachbandshell.com ~ David Rolland
