FRIDAY, AUGUST 14 | 6:00PM
6:00PM | THE JOE CONZO LATIN MUSIC TERTULIA SERIES
7:00PM | VISUAL CLAVE CLOSING RECEPTION W/ THE BRONX DESCARGA ALL-STARS
BMHC LAB | 1303 LOUIS NINÉ BLVD. | BRONX, NY
Visual Clave documents the little known evolution of ‘Salsa Graphics’ and the expression of Latino/a identities through the prism of album cover art over half a century of music packaging and graphic design.
The exhibit explores the evolution of Latin music album cover art over the last 50 years, paying critical attention to issues of identity and aesthetics through depictions of Hispanic people and cultures, with an emphasis on historical context and the unsung graphic artists who helped present Latin music — and its attendant socio-cultural themes — to the world. Visual Clave’s premise is that the record jacket is not just an ephemeral mass-produced object to be relegated to the trash heap of a bygone era, but rather a unique 12 by 12 inch window onto a culture’s soul.
The Latin Music Tertulia Series by Joe Conzo is a free series presented by the BMHC that explores the history of Latin music (what we call mambo and salsa) in New York City, as well as the musicians who created it from the Mambo Kings—Machito, Tito Rodríguez and Tito Puente—to Johnny Pacheco, Graciela, Celia Cruz Ray Barretto, and Eddie Palmieri. From the Palladium Ballroom in midtown to Teatro Puerto Rico in the South Bronx, the series looks at the people and places who shaped the music.
Hosted by Joe Conzo Sr., chronicler and producer, and author of Mambo Diablo: My Journey with Tito Puente, the lectures will include music and video to illustrate the history along with special guests.