Aurora Flores, Founder & Leader, composer, vocalist, small percussion
David N. Fernandez, Musical Director, arranger, keyboards, percussion
Sammy Ayala, Lead vocals
Sammy Rosa, Lead vocals,
Luisito Ayala, coro/percussion
Ruben Lopez, bass
Oreste Abrantes "Hey Kidd", congas
Eduardo "Tito" Gonzalez, bongos
Nelson "Space Mathew" Gonzalez, timbales
YOMO TORO: Guest Artist
Zon del Barrio: MI BANDERA from DANCE OF THE WHITE DRESS
Here are some photos from our Easter Weekend Performance @ St. Lucia's Kalalu Festival in the West Indies. It was a BLAST!
..
Check out our interview over NBC's Weekend Today Show:
Here's a clip from our 2008 Christmas Show w/ Yomo Toro & Danza Fiesta: ¡WEPA!
REPRESENTIN' ON 5: Zon del Barrio was the official houseband for BOTH the National PR Day Parade & the Hispanic Day Parade up Fifth Avenue: Check out our salute to Ruben Blades as he leads the Panamanian contingency:
Here's a clup of our LIVE rendition of Mi Bandera as we did it for our 100 Years of Latin Music concert @ Flushing Town Hall featuring Yomo Toro & Danza Fiesta:
Influences
Rafael Cortijo
Ismael Rivera
Mon Rivera
Roberto Roena
Eddie Palmieri
Tito Puente
Celia Cruz
Pan American Orchestra
Bobby Capó
Myrta Silva
Flora Purim
Airto
Art Tatum
Oscar Brown, Jr.
Nina Freelon
Pleneros Quinto Olivo
Rafael Cepeda
Familia Ayala
Familia Cepeda
Odilio Gonzalez
La Calandria
Chuito
Ramito
Augosto Coen
Rafael Hernandez
Pedro Flores
Jao Gilberto
Benny Moré
Roberto Faz
Juan Luis Guerra
Convite
Luis Kalaf
Milly Quezada
Chamaco Ramirez
Marvin Santiago
Bobby Valentin
Ruben Blades
Oscar D'Leon
Chucho Valdes
Papo Lucca
Jose Lugo
Truco y Zaperoko
Cachete Maldonado
Ray Barretto
Al Santiago
Alegre All-Stars
La Lupe
Sounds Like
The Future of Salsa: PHAT Sound, Small band, contagious rhythms, catchy songs GET DOWN DANCE MUSIC.
Here we are backing up Johnny Rivera & Frankie Negron during the National Puerto Rican Day Parade where Zon del Barrio was the house band on the main stage:
Here's a short clip from a fan @ the Boston Boricua Festival where we headlined this past Sunday, June 29, 2008 in Franklin Park in Roxberry, Mass. Zon del Barrio performed with Yomo Toro, Sammy Ayala & 10 dancers from Danza Fiesta. This was our finale: Fin de Fiesta and if you look close, you'll see Yomo Toro's nephew Ralph Toro dancing w/ one of the Tall Cabezudos: ¡Wepa!
Asalto Navideño w/ Yomo Toro, El Topo, Zon del Barrio & Danza Fiesta! ¡WEPA! Lehman: Sat. Dec. 5, 2009!
AurorazdbJoin Zon del Barrio & Yomo Toro as we give back to those who gave so much...Thurs. Oct 1, 2009 @ 8 pm @ Julia http://twitgoo.com/3g02s
Here's a video in progress of our song REVOLU: that speaks to DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK
Here's a clip from our Christmas concert finale Sat. Dec. 13, 2008 when Yomo Toro joined ZDB interpreting this fusion plena from Cortijo's 1973 Time Machine recording. Carnaval has not been done in more than 35 years. This arrangement was done by our bassist Ruben Lopen for 3 trombones......WEPA1
Performing dance-style classic Afro-Puerto Rican music from the barrios, Aurora & Zon del Barrio bring its foot stomping, funk-based classic salsa, plena, bomba & boogalu to the corners of the Barrio "zones" where Latinos live, work, & play the "son" found throughout the Caribbean.
Aurora & Zon del Barrio have lectured and performed at the Vic Fesenzac Latin Music Festival in Toulouse, France; the Afro-Caribbean Festival in Veracruz, Mexico; at the NYC Road Runners Half Marathon; the NYC CultureFest; the US Hispanic Chamnber of Commerce Gala alongside Danza Fiesta dance troupe and most recently at the Borgata Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. The group was founded and is led by writer, composer, historian and cultural activist Aurora Flores, an in demand lecturer who also teaches a course on Latin music history in New York.
Aurora co-produced a segment over the Latin Music Grammy Awards on Latinos in New York, hosted by Milly Quezada where Zon del Barrio was featured. She is also a historian, cultural writer for major newspapers and magazines, as well as a lecturer and instructor on the history of Latin music. She produces sold out shows, composes music and is proud of her deep Puerto Rican roots.
With Zon del Barrio, she is able to bring the music from the streets of New York to audiences all over the world while showcasing young talent while mixing the folklore of Puerto Rico with salsa rhythms and other musical genres. Our percussive engine is driven by our own master percussionist, Chembo Corniel with musical direction, arrangements, keyboards and other instruments led by multi-instrumentalist David N. Fernandez. To hear a great bomba/jazz tune arranged by David: Go on Chembo Corniel's page: myspace.com/chemboro and check out: Nuevo Bieke
Go on our website and check out our articles, our music, our bios and our videos. Welcome to the barrio zone and visit us at www.zondelbarrio.com Where History Becomes Music & old school gets a new beat.
Look us up on Youtube and check out our LIVE performances: http://www.youtube.com/aurorazdb
To read an essay on Ismael Rivera go to: Ecua Jei: Ismael Rivera, El Sonero Mayor @ http://www.zondelbarrio.com/Press_Releases.html
Here's another clip from our Christmas show w/ Yomo Toro @ Hostos: La Murga, Watch as the salsa dancers entice the audience while the folkloric dancers vogue on stage...
Bomba on B'way, Zon del Barrio @ the Hudson Theater ..
..Carnaval w/Zon del Barrio: Severa
This Wednesday, Nov. 4th, Gilberto Colon, Jr. y su Ensalada de Pulpo...
Salsa music pianist, Gilberto Colón Jr., affectionately known as “PULPO,” initially received the moniker from conguero Eddie Montalvo, echoed soon after by the reluctant superstar vocalist Héctor Lavoe during a show at the legendary Corso Nightclub. Pulpo's dynamic ability to move up and down the keyboard while telling a musical story through his solos sound only possible from someone w/more than a pair of arms. That music had to come from a virtuoso octopus! The name stuck and he continues to live up to his melodic and spontaneous reputation on the piano.
An original Puerto Rican New Yorker, Pulpo's break came as pianist for the Hector LaVoe orchestra during the latter part of the singer's career. As La Voe's musical director, he traveled the world and recorded for the Fania music label. Pulpo then went on to the next level when he played with the "Big 3": Tito Puente Orchestra, Tito Rodriguez Orchestra and the Machito Orchestra. As an educator, Pulpo instructs students on theory & piano. His warm natured personality and charming sense of humor is as infectious as the nasty, funk based vamps he pulls up from those keyboards. Visit his website at: http://www.pulpomusic.com/PulpoSite/Home.html
PRETTYBOY LATINO UPTOWN'S #1 CHOICE PRESENTS FRIDAY OCT23RD 1ST EVER BLACKOUT PARTY @ LUNA NIGHTCLUB (1834 175TH WEBSTER AVE BRONX NY 10457) WARNING:: FULL HOUSE::GET THERE EARLY:: EVERYONE FREE TILL 12:30 ON GUESTLIST
EXCLUSIVE SATURDAYS @ EROS LOUNGE (178TH & SOUTHERN BVD E. TREMONT AVE) UPTOWN #1 LATIN SATURDAY NIGHT PARTY WARNING FULL HOUSE::GET THERE EARLY LADIES FREE TILL MIDNIGHT ON GUESTLIST
FOR INFORMATION,BIRTHDAYS & GUESTLIST CALL: 347-981-6536 OR (AIM) PRETTYBOYENT1 FRIDAY NIGHTS @ LUNA NIGHTCLUB CRAZY CHECK THE VIDEO OUT
PRETTYBOY LATINO UPTOWN'S #1 CHOICE PRESENTS COVERGIRL FRIDAYS @ LUNA (FORMELY KNOWN AS JET SET CAFE) (1834 WEBSTER AVE) BRONX NY, 10457 THE ONLY FRIDAY NIGHT PARTY ROCKING UPTOWN EVERYONE FREE TILL 12:30 ON GUESTLIST ::WARNING FULL HOUSE::GET THERE EARLY
GLAMROUS SATURDAYS @ EROS LOUNGE (178TH & SOUTHERN BLVD EAST TREMONT AVE)BRONX,NY ::WARNING FULL HOUSE::GET THERE EARLY LADIES FREE TILL MIDNIGHT ON GUESTLIST
FOR GUESTLIST BIRTHDAYS AND INFO CALL:: 347-981-6536 OR (AIM) PRETTYBOYENT1 NEW VIDEO + FRIDAY NIGHTS @ LUNA+CHECK IT OUT!
About the MILK Lounge: ... back in the day, it was known as Christopher's or the Oldtimer's club where all the great Latin music legends played. From Tito Puente to Ray Barretto, the walls still vibrate with the spirits of saleros past. Today it's the MILK Lounge and this all white room throbs with music from the 21st Century. GOT SALSA? 2 for 1 Drinks 6 - 7 pm Ladies FREE 'til 7 p.m. Gents $5 'till 7pm After 7 pm Admission is $10 for all Dress your best rsvp: 212.594.9355 or 212.410.2999 Foillow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=118565453535
Aurora Communications, Inc. & Azucar Entertainment present: Spanish Harlem Salsa Nights @ MILK Lounge
2056 Second Ave, bet 105 and 106 Streets, Take the 6 train to 103 St El Barrio, USA NYC
Join us after work every Wednesday in El Barrio as we bring Spanish Harlem Dance Nights to the MILK Lou
