REVIEW - by Walter Baez of NEW GEN SALSA:
http://www.newgensalsa.com/review-el-viaje-avenida-b/
REVIEW - by Jackson Palacio Dj-Pichy en Cali, Colombia
http://lospichy.blogspot.com/2014/08/avenida-b-2014.html
REVIEW - by Solar Latin Club - www.solarlatinclub.com
http://www.solarlatinclub.com/avenida-b-el-viaje/
http://www.newgensalsa.com/review-el-viaje-avenida-b/
REVIEW - by Jackson Palacio Dj-Pichy en Cali, Colombia
http://lospichy.blogspot.com/2014/08/avenida-b-2014.html
REVIEW - by Solar Latin Club - www.solarlatinclub.com
http://www.solarlatinclub.com/avenida-b-el-viaje/
Salseek.com interviews Avenida B, Read below!
The New Kids On The Block
By Natalie Maniscalco
If you’re looking for a new sound in Salsa combined with a timeless old-school swing check out our favorite new kids on the block, Avenida B. SALSEEK met up with band leader David Frankel in the Lower East Side of Manhattan to find out how this old soul band came to be and what makes them the new fav of today’s salsa dancers!
SALSEEK: For all our non-New York readers, what’s behind the name Avenida B?
DAVID: Avenida B is a classic salsa dura band based out of New York City's Lower East Side. "Avenida B" means "Avenue B" in Spanish, and it was here on Avenue B where my father Mago Franklin had salsa bands starting in the 1970's through to about 2001. I grew up listening to them rehearse in our ground floor apartment. I was that kid running around during rehearsals, giving musicians a hard time about smoking cigarettes, and watching over their shoulders as they played. I would also play clave next to my dad as he played piano and directed the band, not having any idea that this music would one day become my passion. One thing that always stuck out in mind was why my father played salsa. He said that there was nothing more magical than the "ride" of playing salsa for a dancing crowd and that this music was special because it made people want to dance. So when it came time to choose a name for the band, it was important to me to choose a name that embodied this connection, as well as my personal history in the music. For me, Avenida B sums that all up perfectly.
SALSEEK: As the manager and lead singer of Avenida B, what inspired you to create a Salsa band?
DAVID: When my father passed in 2003, I turned to my roots and found a rich and beautiful consolation in salsa. Encouraged by our long-time family friend Ramon Rodriguez, I started taking percussion and piano classes at The Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts and at the same time started learning how to dance "on 2" with Baila Society. I started to notice that most bands played the same repertoire, like Bilongo and El Cantante, and played them sometimes for up to 15 minutes each! I wanted to hear shorter songs and was fascinated by the songs that DJ's would dig out of the crates. Why didn't bands do this too? Why play the same songs, and extend them so long? Where was the new salsa dura, the creativity? I found other dancers asking the same questions, and I found some answers too. I found groups and artists like La Exelencia, Orquesta Dee Jay, Jimmy Bosch, Willie Torres, et al, each doing different things that I really liked. I developed a vision of a perfect salsa band for dancers and with some encouragement from one of my percussion teachers Johnny Almendra, I set out to create Avenida B.
SALSEEK: What makes Avenida B unique?
DAVID: First, we aim to reconnect dancers and live music. By playing shorter songs at danceable tempos, we believe that we can get dancers to enjoy the music more, pay more attention to solos and breaks and all sorts of other nuances, and become more engaged with both the music being played and the musicians playing it. Second, we cover songs that are old school salsa dura, mostly outside of the main stream. There have been so many incredible salsa bands and songs, I am continually shocked and amazed at what DJ's find. Bands today for the most part do not cover any of those songs, like Tiahuanaco and Gran Señora. We play them for three reasons: as a tribute to so many unknown but amazing artists and compositions, to raise awareness of these songs among our generation of dancers and listeners, and because they swing like crazy!! Third, we are actively composing new songs that keep the first two principles in mind. As we write, we think: "How would dancers respond? Are there too many clave changes? Are these transitions smooth?" Our band has three on-2 dancers, and some on-1 dancers, so danceability is a fundamental consideration in our new music. We use the classic salsa dura style and sound as our base and add in contemporary lyrics and ideas to create new songs that have that old-school swing. All of our music is written, arranged, created and played with the dancer in mind.
SALSEEK: Tell us about your band mates.
DAVID: I love these guys! (and girl). What an amazing group of dedicated, professional musicians, who put in so much time to make this group sound good. Their humility, musical excellence, patience and creativity are unsurpassed and I am extremely lucky to have them all on board! Our band has nine members - "full percussion" (piano, bass, congas, bongos, timbales), me (the lead singer) and three trombones. Our pianist, Eliud M. Vazquez Ortiz, and bongocero Reymond Davila hail directly from Puerto Rico, where they both had extensive careers in various forms from salsa to timba to bomba and plena. Eliud directs the band, and aside from having some of the coolest guajeos I've ever heard, provides a lot of musical brain power. Rey brings incredible sabor on bongos and cowbell and is literally a ball of energy, in rehearsals and on stage! Mario Garcia, our conguero, is from Honduras, and brings years of experience and a rock-solid, driving marcha that is our percussive foundation. Jhohan Hernandez, from Cali, Colombia and Queens NYC, is our timbalero, and has the talent of playing smooth cascara, then ripping out a solo that will get you jumping! I think it's the pan de bono. Anna Milat-Meyer is our bassist and creates the musical base upon which everything else depends on. Her swing is amazing! Our band is a trombone band, and the following three guys in many ways create our sound: Demetrios Kehagias, who plays trombone with the Boys Harbor big band, can single-handedly unsettle loose bricks with one well-placed note. Nick Grinder (trombone) recently moved here from California where he played salsa and cumbia, and Dan Lehner (trombone) brings Afro-beat, reggae and jazz experience to our group. Nick and Dan amaze me every week. While they have clearly studied the old salsa classics (Barry Rogers, Jose Rodrigues, etc), they also have so many other genres that they draw from to make our sound distinct and exciting. Nothing...and I mean nothing...is as exciting to me as the trombone sound, and these guys bring it! Interestingly, our band represents at least six different ethnicities and four different languages, demonstrating that salsa crosses language and cultural barriers, and is for everyone!
SALSEEK: Who are your favorite current and past musicians?
DAVID: My favorite current musician is also a past musician, Oscar D'Leon. I think his talent as a vocalist, sonero, musician and band leader rank with the best of our time, past and present. I mean, you talk about "swing"...this guy is a must-see wherever he goes! Other favorites in salsa today are Herman Olivera, Cheo Feliciano, Papote Jimenez, Willie Torres, Henry Fiol, Ray Santiago, Freddy Lugo, Jerry Hernandez, Larry Harlow, Sonny Bravo, Eddie Palmieri, Papo Pepin, Anthony Carillo, Louis Bauzo - just to name a few. Louis has also taught me more about being a musician, performer, and band leader than I could have learned in a lifetime on my own. Old school musicians: Peruchin, Bebo Valdes, Mon Rivera, Tito Rodriguez, Benny More, Richie Ray/Bobby Cruz, Ray Perez, Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez, Ismael Rivera, Ismael Miranda, Ismael Quintana, of course Hector Lavoe and Willie Colon, Joe Cuba, Jimmy Sabater…the list literally could go on for pages. Outside of salsa, I have to give props to pop music at least a little bit: Adele, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige; further outside of the genre, I love Chopin and Johnny Cash.
SALSEEK: What’s the best and worst part about being in a band?
DAVID: There's no single best part of being in a band. The entire process is what I love. From creating new music, rehearsing it with the band, getting their feedback and ideas to performing for an appreciative crowd...I truly enjoy every step of the way. Good Lord, it's a lot of work! But when everything comes together on stage and the crowd is dancing, the "ride" is unlike anything else! The hardest part for me is self-promotion. I know that seems hypocritical by virtue of this article, but it's true. I find the business side of music challenging, but I’m learning every day and always looking for ways to promote our group.
SALSEEK: If you could perform in any city in the world, where would it be and why?
DAVID: I would choose Cali, Colombia (apologies to my brother-in-law from Venezuela! Nadie les para bola! Caracas would be our next stop!). I've been to Colombia, but never Cali, and I think it would be amazing if our group got invited to play at la Feria de Cali with some of the greatest names of salsa past and present! Cali has a singular reputation for being a bastion of salsa for decades, with a particular appreciation for salsa dura. The only problem with going to Cali is that I might not want to come back!
SALSEEK: What has been your most memorable performance?
DAVID: While we have been fortunate to have had many amazing experiences in this brief year (our birthday is November 16th), my favorite performance was at Session 73 on August 27th for DJ Babaloo's pre-Salsa Congress party. The band was sharp, our energy was high, and the crowd was feeling it, dancing like crazy and feeding us with their own energy! I got off stage and sat by myself for a second and thought to myself, "THIS is what it's all about." It was exhilarating!
SALSEEK: What’s one thing most people don’t know about Avenida B?
DAVID: We are hard at work on our first CD, and are little by little sneaking original songs into our sets. It will be all salsa dura, original compositions and arrangements, with some son montunos and other surprises to mix it up. Also, I believe our favorite collective color is blue! Or maybe purple.
SALSEEK: Where can fans find you next?
DAVID: We will be playing on Saturday October 27th at Camaradas in East Harlem, where we are creating a monthly event called "Salsa en el Barrio." 1-year anniversary will be at Iguanas, Friday 11/16. Contact David Frankel for reduced admission. We will also be performing at Alfred Pena's new-years party, which is gonna be off the hook! And find us on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Avenida-B/254950687892119 or check us out at www.avenidab.com
