Pablo Mayor, whose powerhouse orchestra has redefined modern Colombian music in the last decade, crosses cultural boundaries with his latest “El Barrio Project,” which takes his renowned Colombian band into the heart of NYC’s barrios (ethnic neighborhoods). Weaving a theatrical narrative, “El Barrio Project” on April 29 at Flushing Town Hall, will present a concert inspired by Queens’ Colombian barrio and otherwise diverse community. The work presents a musical ensemble (Folklore Urbano Orchestra) and a dance company (Pajarillo Pinta’o dance company) as a metaphor for a NYC community with its diverse mash-up of peoples, and the real-life relationships that develop, exploring themes of culture, immigration, tradition, and love through music and dance. Pablo Mayor collaborates with choreographer Daniel Fetecua (formerly of the Limon company, director of Pajarillo Pinta’o), and other composers in this project, with theatrical direction by German Jaramillo of ID Studio Theater. The production is high-energy dancing and modern choreographies based on Colombian rhythms and salsa, theatrical drama, and a cooking repertoire of Pablo Mayor’s renowned Colombian arrangements and compositions, highlighting his latest collaborative works.
The group features Pablo Mayor’s Folklore Urbano Orchestra with its latest vocalist, Colombian ALEA (Maria Alejandra Jiménez), and invited guests of NYC’s Latin elite including Danny Gonzalez on congas (a long-standing member of the Cuban establishment Orquesta Broadway), multi-instrumentalist Eddie Venegas (Marc Anthony side-man, Orquesta Broadway) on vocals and violin, and dancers from Daniel Fetecua’s Pajarillo Pinta’o Dance Company.
The pre-concert dance workshop will be presented by Pajarillo Pinta’o Dance Company.