Just south of the AGO, housed in a historic church at the foot of the Grange Park, is The Music Gallery. A non-profit dedicated to experimental music and the commingling of genres and audiences, the organization regularly hosts some of the most innovative and interesting artists in both Canadian and global music and performance art. The Music Gallery recently announced a new artistic director, respected local critic David Dacks, and the first order of business for the long-time world rhythm advocate was Navideo Reimagined: a salsa Christmas concert, taking place this Friday, December 16. I chatted with Dacks about the wonders of Willie Coln, the Latino diaspora, and partying in church. This isn’t just a regular concert, it’s a showcase for “reimagining” 1973-74’s Asalto Navideo by Willie Coln, a Nuyoricon (New York Puerto Rican) salsa legend. How did this concept come about? And why did you pick the artists that you did to help recreate this album? There were two inspirations. The idea to reimagine the album came from the liner notes of this year’s Asalto Navideo reissue, in which Coln calls the original idea a “crazy experiment” to take traditional Puerto Rican Christmas songs (considered somewhat old-fashioned or ‘country’ at the time) and mix it with the brand new musical designation of salsa. In the context of salsa and New York music at the time it was a very daring but danceable piece of work. The second inspiration is the fact that The Music Gallery is located in a church. The idea of a Christmas concert appealed to me because it could be an event for Music Gallery patrons and also the congregation of the Church of St. George The Martyr. Originally this was going to be a large, live ensemble but the concept changed and I commissioned reinterpretations of the source material from Toronto’s DJ Linterna (Dos Mundos Radio), Uladat (Funkete parties), San Antonio’s Sonora (Peligrosa blog and parties) and DJ Javier Estrada from Monterrey. They’re experimental, work in many different styles and tempos, can write for singers and live instruments and come up with music that would work in a church instead of a rave. Singer Lido Pimienta is a unique talent in Latin music bringing together electronic beats, DIY instruments, a slightly dissonant rock edge and perceptive and uplifting lyrics. Ricardo Barboza is a local salsa singer who brings the most overt salsa experience to the table. Ruben “Beny” Esguerra is the most versatile percussionist I know. Steve Ward is just coming back from touring with Caribou; he’s got a big bold salsa-ready trombone tone but being an excellent free improviser, he can go anywhere. When did you first discover Asalto Navideo? How did a Christmas album become a key salsa record? I bought the double album when it was reissued because I’ve always been a Coln fan. It’s not so much a Christmas album as the result of an artist, who can do no wrong, going through an insane run of creativity. Coln explained there was no record company oversight of this album so he was able to do what he wanted. I think Christmas symbolizes collective optimism, celebration and pride in this context and that transcends any holiday contrivance. How did the recording process work considering some of the artists you work with don’t even live in Canada? I sent the producers instructions not to use any samples of the originals and be mindful of leaving room for vocalists, and I also told them to check out The Music Gallery website and footage to get an idea of the space they were composing for, a non-club environment. Mostly it was a matter of simplifying sounds and rhythms. In the end they provided me with stems – separated instrumental tracks – and I’ll be running them in Traktor, so I’ll be doing my own mixes of these ingredients live. So the final product will only come together at The Music Gallery. Asalto Navideo touches on themes of home and away; something Toronto’s various diasporic communities can relate to, especially around the holidays. How did this play out on the record? What are some of Toronto’s big Latin American communities? The reissue liner notes note that while these holiday songs are rooted in Puerto Rico, they’re celebrated and augmented by Puerto Ricans in New York and elsewhere in diaspora. For instance, a track like “Esta Navidad” talks of (expat) city and (native) country folk encountering and being scornful of one another. By the end of the song they realize what they have in common and celebrate together. Toronto has a really diverse Latin population. Major presences include Cubans (who themselves have a very different history than Cubans in New York or Miami), Colombians, Chileans, Salvadorians and in the last 10 years, Mexicans. Then there are “Latino-philes” who love and support the music and culture. No single country has a hegemonic hold on what “Latin music” sounds like here: you’ll hear salsa, cumbia, reggaeton, bachata, merengue and hip-hop around town. Tell me a bit about the space and what someone can expect to see and hear at the concert. The Music Gallery is in a historic church; this makes it a great place for deep listening due to the lack of alcohol in the pews. It’s not going to be a dance party, but there will be beats. Lido will do an opening set completely solo. The main event will feature 2 singers, trombone and percussion, plus me off to the side running the electronics. No Lo Ves who has also worked on Funkete parties will set a large screen up in front displaying video art. Anupa Mistry writes regularly about music for Toronto Standard. Follow her on Twitter at @_anupa.
