Help us kick off summer
with a lively program of Dominican music and lyrics featuring Rafaelito
Polanco and his merengue group, La Diferencia Típica. Together
with ethnomusicologist Sydney Hutchinson, the group will demonstrate
the development of perico ripiao, or traditional accordion-based merengue
music, over the past fifty years — with a special focus on song texts.
They will play and discuss political merengues from the Trujillo era,
personal experience merengues by famed composer Tatico Henríquez, and
humorous contemporary songs. A dance will follow the bilingual lecture-demonstration
and Polanco's lightning technique will be on full display.Perico ripiao (also known as merengue típico) was born in the 1840s in the rural Cibao valley region of the Dominican Republic. Originally played on button accordion, güira (a metal scraper), and the two-headed tambora drum, perico ripiao today is usually also played with an electric bass and saxophone. Fast-paced and highly syncopated, this music is the precursor of the big band (orquesta) merengue now ubiquitous on New York radio, but its improvisatory style has more in common with jazz than pop music.
Polanco is highly respected among típico musicians as a master of the Dominican accordion, since he is able to play both traditional and modern styles and can improvise complicated solos with ease. One of eight children born to subsistence farmers in the countryside of the Dominican Republic, he grew up in the city of Santiago. At age five he began playing accordion and organized a group with his two younger brothers, Radhamés and David, using homemade instruments. Their talent was soon spotted and they performed for several years on a popular children's television program, "Sheriff Michael." From there they went on to form their own group which performed all over the DR to great acclaim. In 1994 Rafaelito moved to Brooklyn, where he and Radhamés lead the group "La Fuerza del Mambo." We're delighted to bring them to Tarrytown!
Thanks to Warner Library, the Village of Sleepy Hollow and the Village of Tarrytown for helping support this event.
Warner Library is located at 121 North Broadway (Route 9), Tarrytown, New York. For detailed travel directions, visit the library website, http://www.wls.lib.ny.us/libs/tarrytown/warner.htm
Watch for details of upcoming events in the La Palabra series:
La
Decima tradition featuring Eddie Rosa: Sunday, October 20th,
2pm
La Navidad (Christmas) tradition: December date TBA
Made possible by The Hudson Valley Writers’ Center with support from the Folk and Traditional Arts Program at the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency; Westchester Arts Council; the Villages of Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown; and Warner Library.