Film Screening and Discussion: "Rumba Clave Blen Blen Blen"
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| Venue: | FIU Modesto A. Maidique Campus, Graham Center 150 |
Directed by Arístides Falcón-Paradí, 2013, Cuba/United States, documentary, 101 min., Spanish, English subtitles.
Rumba Clave Blen Blen Blen is a song of praise to the musical genre of rumba in New York City. It reveals the vibrant Afro-Cuban culture of the city. In addition, the film unravels the African and Andalusian origins of rumba and follows ordinary people and famous musicians through the dances, drums, and clave rhythm of the genre. The film is a poem of color and music, bringing to the surface the religious cosmogonies of Bantu, Abakua, Yoruba, and Arara traditions that have nourished it. By paying homage to the grand masters of the genre, such as Chano Pozo and his collaborations with Dizzy Gillespie, the film traces the history of rumba in New York City through the words and music of scholars, producers, artists, and renowned musicians who continue to practice it today.
Arístides Falcón-Paradí is an award-winning writer, poet, and film producer. He wrote and co-produced the documentary El Play (2008), directed by Pablo Medina, which was awarded Best Documentary Short Film at the 2008 Urbanworld Film Festival in New York and the Excellence in Filmmaking award at the Baseball Hall of Fame Film Festival in Cooperstown, N.Y. He has completed a script (Ashé Obanilú) and a novel (En clave blen blen) about the great conga player and composer Chano Pozo. His collection of poems Tantra Tanka was published in Spain (2003), followed by Japan (2007). His book, La crueldad en el teatro de Matías Montes-Huidobro, was published in 2006.
Confirmed participants in the panel discussion after the film screening include the director; Cuban music historian and author Eloy Cepero; and Alexander Fernández, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies at FIU.
To see a video clip of the film, click here.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information and to RSVP, please call (305) 348–1991 or email cri@fiu.edu.
