Rubén Blades Still Undecided on Presidential Bid

Source by Camilo Smith

Rubén Blades, the legendary musician and 2014 Latin Grammy winner for best tango album, told his fans that he’s not ready to commit to another run for president of Panama.  He lost his first presidential bid in 1994.

Blades, 66, said it was still premature to call him a presidential candidate at this point even though he’s expressed interest, and he decided to clarify his plans on his Facebook page.  Media reports surfaced following an appearance at Carnaval in Barranquilla, Colombia last week saying Blades was ready to run in 2019. The singer said that political reforms needed to pass which would allow an independent candidate to win an election, and that he needs to be in good health since he’ll be 71 by the time elections roll around.

He’s not the only Latino celebrity involved in politics. From Alejandro González Iñarritu’s Oscar comments about Mexico’s government to Eva Longoria’s work to get more Latinos elected to political office in the United States, Latino celebrities are using their star power to help push for political change.

Ruben Blades, Sting Launch Quito’s 480th Birthday Bash

Ruben Blades and Sting mixed up a cocktail of salsa and rock to give a rousing start to the celebrations marking the 480th anniversary of the founding of this Andean city.

Before crowds gathered at the Bicentennial Park, the old airport north of Quito, Blades and Sting headlined Quitonia, a six-hour show that included Ecuadorian stars such as Tomback, rapper AU-D and singer-songwriter Juan Fernando Velasco. Read more.

Latin Grammy "Tangos" - Rubén Blades

Latin Grammys 2014: Rubén Blades wins Best Tango Album

Source by Martin Chilton

Rubén Blades's new album Tango wins a Latin Grammys award, and there are wins for Enrique Iglesias and Placido Domingo.

Rubén Blades won his fifth Latin Grammys awards last night for his new album Tango.

Enrique Iglesias, Calle 13, Placido Domingo, Niña Pastori and the late flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia, were also winners

Blades spoke recently about the benefits of choosing tango over salsa.

Tango was also nominated for album of the year and the 66-year-old from Panama City said: "People probably have to rub their eyes and say, 'What, Ruben Blades in the tango category?' I was surprised because you never know about Grammy nominations. My album Siembra, arguably the biggest seller in the history of salsa, never got nominated for a Grammy. Read more.

Ruben Blades Tangos His Way to Latin Grammys

Source by CHARLES J. GANS

Ruben Blades says he never imagined his CD "Tangos" would be nominated for a Latin Grammy.

Instead, it's up for two ? album of the year and best tango album.

"People probably have to rub their eyes and say, 'What, Ruben Blades in the tango category?' I was surprised because you never know about Grammy nominations. My album 'Siembra,' arguably the biggest seller in the history of salsa, never got nominated for a Grammy," said the 66-year-old Blades, who has won four Latin Grammys and six Grammys.

Read more.

Rubén Blades & The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Rubén Blades Sings His Way Into Discovery

Source by NPR STAFF

Rubén Blades is one of the great salsa singers in the world. He also happens to be a composer, an actor, an activist and a man who's run for president of Panama. He lost that election, but became that country's Minister of Tourism.

His latest album, Tangos, has been nominated for two Latin Grammys: Album of the Year and Best Tango Album. On the record, Blades turns some of his well-known salsa repertoire into tango music with the help of Argentine composer Carlos Franzetti.

"I was always interested in trying to find how different genres would affect the lyrics that I'd written," Blades says. "Salsa is where most of my songs have been recorded, the genre of salsa. It's very frenetic, fast-paced. And I felt that the lyrics sometimes were being lost. I wanted to see how the lyrics would react under a tango type of structure, which is more reflexive."

Blades says the tango versions, slower and more atmospheric, have led him to understand his songs in a new way. There's also been a less pleasant surprise: "Some people have told me, 'Oh, I didn't realize that you could sing, actually,' which is kind of distressing to hear after 40 years."

Hear the rest of the conversation at the audio link, including Blades' plan for a potential presidential bid in 2019 and a tender moment he shared with his father while listening to the album's last song, "Tiempos."

Ruben Blades Dedicates Songs to Disappeared Mexican Students

 

 

Ruben Blades dedicated songs to the 43 disappeared Ayotzinapa students in the closing performance of the 42nd International Cervantino Festival.

Salsa legend Ruben Blades has added his support for justice for the Mexico students from Ayotzinapa who have gone missing since last being seen held by local police.

The salsa artist Ruben Blades had the public swaying and dancing for two and a half hours in the Guanajuato, Mexico, with songs against racism, family violence and state violence.

Early on, hundreds of young people filled the open-air stadium with chants for justice for the teacher training students disappeared a month ago in Iguala, Guerrero.

Blades took up their chants and also called for justice for the missing students, their families, and all the people found in the mass graves near Iguala.

“Love and Control,” he said, is a song that speaks of the family, and it’s impossible not to think of the families who don’t know where the students are…”

To the cheers of the young people, with pictures of the disappeared Ayotzinapa students projected on a screen, he broke into the song Disappeared with the poignant lyrics lyrics “Can anybody tell me if they’ve seen my son? He’s a medicine student. His name’s Agustín. He’s a good boy, kinda stubborn in an argument. They've disappeared him, I don’t know where.”

He roused the crowd of 4,000 people with songs with a strong social message such as They’re Looking For You and The Bells Are Tolling” with its lyrics, “You can kill the people, but you can’t kill their ideas.”

Blades closed the concert with his best known songs, Pedro Navajas, Plastic and Forgetting is Forbidden.

Panamanian singer Ruben Blades to run for second run presidency

Source by Elida Moreno and Eric Walsh

Panamanian salsa star Ruben Blades said on Sunday he could be a candidate in Panama's 2019 presidential election, which would mark his second attempt at the presidency.

The singer, 66, ran in the 1994 presidential election, backed by the movement 'Papa Egoro,' which means Mother Earth in an indigenous language. Blades lost that election to Ernesto Perez Valladares.
"If I'm healthy and I have a plan put together, I will run as an independent," Blades said in an interview on a local television channel. "I'm not running with a party because their structures tie you down."

Blades, who is also a lawyer with a masters degree from Harvard University, defines himself as "left-leaning" and identifies with the current president of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, and the form of government that Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva developed in Brazil.
Between 2004 and 2009 Blades was tourism minister in the government of former president Martin Torrijos.

Why musician Rubén Blades made the switch from salsa to tango

by April Peavey 

Panamanian musician Rubén Blades is best known for his salsa compositions, but all along, it seems, he was fantasizing about something else.

"I've always wondered how the songs I wrote, that were recorded in salsa, how would they turn out if I recorded them as tangos," Blades says.

These aren't exactly the closest of genres — salsa and tango. I mean, where do you even start? 

Read more..



Watch the video

Music legend Rubén Blades writes Editus to praise Costa Rica's World Cup achievements

By David Boddiger

The idea of sports uniting an otherwise politically troubled region might seem a little dubious and superficial at first. But there really is something to it, it seems.

Costa Rica’s beloved national men’s football team, La Sele, is receiving lots of praise from throughout Central America (and the world, really) after dominating the so-called “Group of Death” during first-round play at the World Cup Brazil 2014.

The international love-fest started with Costa Rica’s shocking upset of higher-ranked Uruguay two weeks ago, with a score of 3-1. La Sele’s second goal in that match was scored by Óscar Duarte, a 25-year-old Nicaragua-born naturalized Tico. If you’ve ever traveled to or lived in Nicaragua or Costa Rica, you’ll understand the implications of this duality of citizenship and sport, particularly given the two countries’ historic political hostility.

Reaad more of the Rubén Blades article after the jump...(more)

Ruben Blades Releases New CD TANGOS Today

Tangos, the stunning new CD from Ruben Blades, is set for release via Sunnyside Records today, June 24th.

The best songs are those that provide messages that reach beyond the genre into which they are born. There are lyrics that can move people deeply, even when the composer and listener are separated by oceans.

The tremendous poet, composer and actor Rubén Blades is the sort who can plumb the depths of human emotion. Over his industrious and varied career, Blades has been a voice of passion, awareness and social consciousness throughout the Spanish-speaking world. He also possesses a wide-ranging interest in ideas and art, which has led to his involvement in projects with intriguing musical blends, including his new recording Tangos, a fascinating partnership of Blades's classic salsa compositions with Argentinean tango.

Blades's interest in tango music led him to reach out to his long time friend and collaborator Carlos Franzetti. Both were intimately involved in the New York Latin jazz and salsa scenes of the late 1970s and early 1980s and they befriended each other while working on a number of recordings, including the massive releases of Siembra (1978) and Maestra Vida (1980) and the music for the films Beat Street (1984) and Q&A (1990).

The initial idea for a collaboration using tango material was proposed nearly a decade ago but plans were delayed while Blades served as the Minister of Tourism for his native Panama from 2004 to 2009. Blades never forgot the idea and he began to hint at a possible tango project with Franzetti while touring Latin America shortly after his term ended.

Blades's hints led to an invitation from Gustavo Mozi for the two to close the World Tango Festival in Buenos Aires during the summer of 2010. The Festival gave Blades and Franzetti the perfect opportunity to tackle the project.

Franzetti began by arranging five of Blades's compositions for their performance: "Pablo Pueblo," "Ligia Elena," "Ella," "Paula C" and "Pedro Navaja." At the Festival, Blades and Franzetti were accompanied by the fantastic Leopoldo Federico Orchestra, which also recorded the pieces shortly thereafter. Once they returned to New York, Blades and Franzetti worked on arranging another six compositions, which were recorded with a tango quintet, with the strings and woodwinds recorded later in Prague.

Ruben Blades has proven himself to be one of the greatest lyricists and songwriters of our time. The idea to frame his lyrics with the tremendous arrangements of Carlos Franzetti in the tango idiom only increases the drama of his poetry. Tangos will prove to cement the legacy of this master songwriter and the ability of his songs to transcend musical borders.

Tangos is set for release June 24th on Sunnyside Records.

Fania 50th Anniversary Concert Series Partners with SummerStage

By Justino Aguila 

The 50th anniversary of the iconic Latin label Fania Records will be celebrated this summer in partnership with Central Park's SummerStage program.

Starting June 14, the City Parks Foundation will feature a concert series, dance and theater performances, film screenings and other events that highlight the label's history in New York. The series will conclude with a Fania All Stars concert in Central Park on Aug. 24.

Fania Records was home to major recording artists who performed in genres such as Latin big band, Afro-Cuban jazz, boogaloo, salsa and Latin R&B. The label also introduced the musical group Fania All Stars and included entertainers such as Hector Lavoe, Willie Colon, Celia Cruz and Ruben Blades.

“The SummerStage series is one of best Summer concert series in the world,” said Michael Rucker, chief marketing officer at Codigo Group.  “We are thrilled to be a part of this series and couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate this iconic label’s 50th anniversary.”

The series is also scheduled to showcase new acts and DJs that embrace the Fania sound. Also, Fania is releasing eight digital albums from May through September to coincide with the SummerStage events. Each album will feature tracks from both well-known entertainers and new artists, all of whom will also be performing through the summer.

The June 14 kick off has scheduled performances by Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound, La Mecanica Popular and DJ Louie Vega.

Rubén Blades Releases “Tangos” on June 24

By: Latin Jazz Network

Tangos, the stunning new CD from Rubén Blades, is set for release via Sunnyside Records on June 24th.

The best songs are those that provide messages that reach beyond the genre into which they are born. There are lyrics that can move people deeply, even when the composer and listener are separated by oceans.
The tremendous poet, composer and actor Rubén Blades is the sort who can plumb the depths of human emotion. Over his industrious and varied career, Blades has been a voice of passion, awareness and social consciousness throughout the Spanish-speaking world. He also possesses a wide-ranging interest in ideas and art, which has led to his involvement in projects with intriguing musical blends, including his new recording Tangos, a fascinating partnership of Blades’s classic salsa compositions with Argentinean tango.

Blades’s interest in tango music led him to reach out to his long time friend and collaborator Carlos Franzetti. Both were intimately involved in the New York Latin jazz and salsa scenes of the late 1970s and early 1980s and they befriended each other while working on a number of recordings, including the massive releases of Siembra (1978) and Maestra Vida (1980) and the music for the films Beat Street (1984) and Q&A (1990).

The initial idea for a collaboration using tango material was proposed nearly a decade ago but plans were delayed while Blades served as the Minister of Tourism for his native Panama from 2004 to 2009. Blades never forgot the idea and he began to hint at a possible tango project with Franzetti while touring Latin America shortly after his term ended.

Blades’s hints led to an invitation from Gustavo Mozi for the two to close the World Tango Festival in Buenos Aires during the summer of 2010. The Festival gave Blades and Franzetti the perfect opportunity to tackle the project.

Franzetti began by arranging five of Blades’s compositions for their performance: “Pablo Pueblo,” “Ligia Elena,” “Ella,” “Paula C” and “Pedro Navaja.” At the Festival, Blades and Franzetti were accompanied by the fantastic Leopoldo Federico Orchestra, which also recorded the pieces shortly thereafter. Once they returned to New York, Blades and Franzetti worked on arranging another six compositions, which were recorded with a tango quintet, with the strings and woodwinds recorded later in Prague.

Rubén Blades has proven himself to be one of the greatest lyricists and songwriters of our time. The idea to frame his lyrics with the tremendous arrangements of Carlos Franzetti in the tango idiom only increases the drama of his poetry. Tangos will prove to cement the legacy of this master songwriter and the ability of his songs to transcend musical borders.

SiriusXM Radio airs Ruben Blades music on Channel 533

Saturday September 14th you can't miss a day full of Ruben Blades music!! Channel 533 on SiriusXM Radio.... For a Free 7 day trial visit

RUBEN BLADES performs in Lincoln Center NYC 8-7-2013

It was a free NYC concert which attracted thousands of Rubén Blades fans from all parts of the world. They came out to enjoy a night of salsa music and dancing.  And for Blades performing his hits hasn't slowed down at all. He is in full swing to securing a music career as an iconic salsa performer. Well, in actuality, for many salsa music enthusiasts or critics, Rubén Blades has reach iconic salsa status many years ago. Not to mention, he also accomplished a successful acting career and as an influential activist for the urban Latino community.

 

Many fans have enjoyed plenty of Rubén Blades' performances in New York City but unfortunately many was left out in the streets from this particular concert at the Damrosch Park Bandshell in Lincoln Center, NYC. It could have been their worst concert experience, however it was a experience that was entertaining and enjoyable. Why was it enjoyable? Because the show was part of the Lincoln Center Out of Doors festival and its was an outdoor festival open for the public to listen and watch.

Not everyone had a good seat. Some of the crowd audience watched the performances from the city streets through a protect screen that was used to make it look something  similar to a closed venue. It didn't matter because the sound of the music was vibrant for everyone to hear and dance the night away.

Overall, the entire scene was exuberant. Rubén Blades delivered several of his classic songs while providing the audience with a little brief  history of his musical journey for them to take home and remember.


VIDEO: Ruben Blades performs El Cantante. (Tribute to Hector Lavoe)



 

 To see more pictures of the concert click here. Photographs by Kevin Yatarola.

 

 

Ruben Blades "Yo soy de Alianza Lima"

Ruben Blades is well known for his music throughout the world but in Lima, Peru where "Soccer is King", he is also known to be a honorary social member of the Club Alianza Lima. Club Alianza Lima is a Peruvian First Division football club which plays at the Estadio Alejandro Villanueva in the La Victoria District of Lima, Peru.

 

Even though, Rubén Blades is a Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter, actor, Latin jazz musician, and activist, Blades' musical performances is mostly often in the Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz genres which conveys a strong influence in the Peruvian musical culture and soccer community. There's been plenty of occasions where Rubén Blades performed in Peru and made announcements of his involvement with the soccer club. For Alianza Lima fans, it brings them joy and happiness to know that a Salsa-icon like Rubén Baldes is one of them. Arirba Alianza Lima!!!

  

Rubén Blades performance in Lima Peru. Pedro Navaja is the song of the community

LATIN MIXX to honor RUBEN BLADES the 2O13 LMX ICON AWARD

The 8th annual Latin Mixx Conference and DJ Choice Awards has announced its official content line-up for the highly coveted Latino DJ award show. This celebration will showcase events that will highlight workshops, exhibits, expos and social media networking. Plus it will include a tribute to Rubén Blades. This year LMX will introduce a unique contest for DJ´s to enter and win an exclusive opportunity to spin LIVE on the #1 Latin Radio Station in the Tri-State area. The 2013 LatinMixx conference and award show will kick-off July 9th and extent to the LMX DJ Choice Awards presentation on July 11th. It will be hosted by one of the country's most prominent and recognized DJs/Radio Personalities Alex Sensation, alongside fitness and cover model, Vida Guerra.

See you at the LatinMixx Awards!!!!

Juanito Alimaña vs. Pedro Navaja

                          
                Can you imagine this? It’s a match between two criminals, two tales written by two iconic salsa giants Hector Lavoe and Rubén Blades. Each song portrays the lifestyle of the urban Latino American experience and who would have thought that these songs were going to be part of the salsa explosion of Fania records. Well, the songs Juanito Alimaña and Pedro Navaja are classics now and the lyrics to both songs are well worthy enough of be craved in stone.


Coming straight from a New York City street corner, we have Juanito Alimaña that tells the story of a street thug that is irreconcilable with society. He is vicious and dangerous; his cousin is a police officer, which makes it seem that he can get away with any crime. Hector Lavoe depicts Juanito’s world as sordid and exquisite but the song keep us engage as if you was watching Carlito’s Way.

Juanito Alimaña (Hector Lavoe)

From the street corner of lower Manhattan, it’s known that the track Pedro Navaja was dislike by Fania bosses Johnny Pacheco and Jerry Mascucci. However, when Willie Colón and Rubén Blades’ second collaboration album, Siembra hit the record stores in 1978. The song Pedro Navaja became famous and a hit classic. Blades wrote and narrated Pedro Navaja with a tale illustrating life, death and with an unexpected dark ending. We have to ask ourselves, was there anything between Pedro Navaja and the prostitute. Did he already have a grudge? And where did the drunk come from?

Pedro Navaja (Rubén Blades)

What’s your opinion? Which one is the best song of all-time? 

Leave a comment.

Why did Ruben Blades wrote the song "Pedro Navaja"?

Rubén Blades was inspired to write Pedro Navaja when he first heard the medley of The Threepenny Opera song. He felt the haunting story and medley of the characters in the opera and fell in love with it. Later in his life, he heard the song Mack the Knife. The first singer to record Mack the Knife was Bobby Darin and later Louis Armstrong performed the song. In parties, Blades was asked to sing the Mack the Knife song, which tells the story of a panderer's life and his presumed death. Rubén Blades was shy in singing the song but he loved it since his early youthful days.  The song stuck with him for the remainder of his life, which later influence him and Willie Colon to produce a 1978 collaboration album titled Siembra. The album introduced us to songs like Plástico, Buscando Guayaba and the hit classic Pedro Navaja.

Mack the Knife (Bobby Darin)

Mack the Knife (Louis Armstrong)