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| Viva Los Dodgers festival The Los Angeles Dodgers will celebrate the Ninth Annual Viva Los Dodgers festival, presented by Coca-Cola and Toyota prior to the Sept. 2 game against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. This year's event will be highlighted with such top Latin acts as Grammy nominated platinum recording artists, the Kumbia Kings and Montez De Durango. The award-winning event, which drew 10, 000 fans last year and resulted in a packed house at Dodger Stadium, will feature other well-known acts such as Ozomatli, Los Originales de San Juan, Rigo Luna, Ana Alicia, Sonora Karnaval and Son de Venus. "This event has become something that all Dodger fans look forward to attending, " said Dodger Chief Operating Officer Marty Greenspun. "It continues to grow each year, both in attendance and the record number of sponsors we've added this year. With our new location aimed at accommodating the increased number of fans, we expect this year to be the best yet." Also featured during the festival will be special appearances and autograph session by the musicians, Dodger players and the Spanish-language broadcast team of Hall of Famer Jaime Jarrin, Pepe Yñiguez and former Dodger pitching great Fernando Valenzuela. There will be numerous food options, as well as other family fun-filled activities such as live DJs playing the hottest Latin dance music, a dance contest, radio station giveaways, promotional vendor samples and more. The Texas-based Kumbia Kings have been known for their unique cumbia hip-hop since their debut in 1999. With the band's latest release, Pachuo, the group is sure to surpass the mind-blowing success of Fuego, their 2004 release. Fuego which was produced by A.B. Qunintanilla III (known for producing his late sister, Selena's albums) was certified Latin Platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), with only a few weeks of release for sales exceeding 200, 000 units in the U.S. alone. This success led to two Latin Grammy nominations. Just like the Kumbia Kings Montez De Durango is one of the most popular bands in Latin music today. Originating in Chicago, the group played a fast paced style of music, a sort of merengue/ranchera mix. This style quickly became associated with the "El Pasito Duranguense" (The Durango Step) dance style, and Montez de Durango became the band most closely identified with it. The immense success of the band was measured by their 2003 release, De Durango a Chicago, which debuted at number two on the Top Latin Albums chart. Adding a social conscience to the lineup is the southern Californian Norteno quartet, Los Originales De San Juan. Formed in the early nineties, the band grew a steady following in the Southwestern United States and Mexico. A string of independent releases of singles, namely "El Clavo" and "El Jardinero" garnered attention due to their societal content. "El Jardinero" became a huge Norteño hit, and led to the band receiving large commercial success. Another group set to play, with a similar voice for justice, is Ozomatli. Formed in Los Angeles in the mid-nineties, the group has a unique mix of Latin salsa, urban hip-hop and jazz-funk. With their last full-length album's release on September 11, 2001- the band continued to tour after the events which led to a subsequent evolution of their style - "Music is the key to every culture, the beginning of an understanding, " says the band's trumpet player and co-vocalist Asdru Sierra. Rigo Luna a former member of successful pop group, Nu Flavor, embarks out on his own career and promises to be quite a crowd pleaser. Merenge artist Ana Alicia is an up and coming Latin star, with her first album, Miss Ana Alicia, released this year. Her lyrics are infused with the "barrio" and pulsating hip-hop dance beats. With her wrestling to come to terms with their Mexican culture and American up-bringing, she represents the new generation of Latina women. In the same genre as the Kumbia Kings, comes the internationally known Sonora Karnaval. The group originated in El Salvador and has gained international exposure due to their cumbia rhythms. With three years of performing around the world under their belts, this group adds an eclectic mix to the lineup. Adding more Noreñto to the lineup is the six-sister band, Son De Venus. With their high-intensity mix of cumbias, rancheras, and even reggaeteon, this group is always an entertaining crowd-pleaser! write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |