Los Pleneros de la 21

September 19th, 2017

The National Hispanic Cultural Center and the Outpost Performance Space present Los Pleneros de la 21, an Afro-Puerto Rican bomba and plena ensemble of musicians, dancers, and artisans, on Saturday, October 7 at 7:30 PM in the NHCC’s Albuquerque Journal Theatre. Tickets are $32 and $35, with a $3 discount for students and seniors and a $5 discount for Outpost and NHCC members, and are available from the Center’s Box Office, at 505-724-4771, or at www.nhccnm.org. The concert is part of the NHCC’s Chispa: Latino Music Season.

Los Pleneros de la 21 (“LP21”) returns to New Mexico for a National Performance Network (NPN)/WESTAF TourWest residency. A sub-group of LP21, Redobles de Cultura Boricua, will conduct four days of drumming and dancing workshops, in addition to the nine-piece ensemble’s concert at the NHCC on October 7.  LP21’s complex, multi-part vocal harmonies, set to the rhythms of hand-held plena drums and barrel-shaped bomba drums, resurrect the African-rooted bomba and plena musical styles of Puerto Rico. Billboard praised the band for its “exhilaratingly deep Latino explorations of Afro-Caribbean grooves,” and the New York Times wrote, “the melodies are gorgeous and the tunes perfectly arranged, precise rhythms making way for singing or a drum section.” Founded in 1983, LP21 previously performed at the NHCC in 2006.

Los Pleneros de la 21 is also a non-profit community-based organization, founded by National Heritage Fellow Juan Gutiérrez and located in the heart of El Barrio (NYC’s Spanish Harlem). The group’s mission is to “unite community building and cultural equity through music.” Members make traditional music programming accessible to the public, expose inner city youth and others to the cultural heritage of Puerto Rico while encouraging their active participation in these traditions, and perform a repertoire of work embedded in the rich tradition of Puerto Rican folk music for audiences everywhere.

The National Hispanic Cultural Center is dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and advancement of Hispanic culture, arts, and humanities, and is a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. Established in 1988, the non-profit, member-supported Outpost Performance Space is Albuquerque’s premiere intimate, community-based performing arts center.

If you would like more information, contact Kinsey Cooper, marketing and public relations office, NHCC, at 505-377-8968 or kinsey.cooper@state.nm.us.