Lincoln Hayes
Dr. Robb
Hum 103
19 October 2023
Pledged
I went to see Carlos Henriquez and his band Latin Algorithm perform in The Jazz Room in downtown Charlotte. The Jazz Room is a medium-sized venue with chairs set up along tiers to face the main stage. There was mood lighting and candles on small tables lightly illuminating the room, creating a relaxing ambiance. Some other members of the Davidson jazz band and I watched a local high school jazz band perform onstage as we waited for Latin Algorithm to come out to play. We had high musical expectations as Carlos Henriquez is the bassist for Jazz at Lincoln Center, a world-renowned venue, and would be bringing some world-class musicians into his band. After the high school band finished their set, they brought out Latin algorithm.
The band walked straight onstage, not acknowledging the opening applause much, heading straight into their first couple tunes. The tunes were full of life and Latin influences such as traditional Latin rhythms and Spanish singing and had the whole audience moving in their seats to the groove. After giving the audience a sample of what the band sounded like, Henriquez introduced the band. There was himself on upright bass, a drummer, a bongo player, a vocalist who also played some percussion, a trombonist, a trumpet player, a sax player, and a piano player. Henriquez went on to speak with the audience before each tune, making the environment more informal and interactive. He explained each songs meaning and influences, and he stopped to communicate with the audience, asking how their nights were going or if they were familiar with the musical influences he mentioned. The songs were heavily influenced by his upbringing in the Bronx and the history of Latin people in New York. He talked a lot about his song “Bodegas Groove”, a tune influenced by his time spent going from block to block and stopping to talk in all the bodegas that lined the streets. Another song called “Nuyorican Soul” was about the energy and vibrancy found in the Latin communities of New York, with lyrics like “rhythm in our blood” and high energy Spanish commentary and percussion breaks. These songs felt like dance music made for a club but was full of incredible high-flying solos and amazing singing. He was very fond of these memories, and it made it clear to the audience how strong the influences of Latin New York culture affected his song writing. He also spoke about the struggles of minority communities in New York. His song “Moses on the cross” was about Robert Moses’s destruction of culturally significant neighborhoods in the Bronx and Harlem. Moses was the Secretary of State of New York and oversaw an urban planning project which built roads and highways through historically minority neighborhoods. His vivid descriptions of these influences gave the songs more purpose than being good songs, allowing the audience to connect more with the music and the performers.
These vibrant environments and memories Henriquez described were aided by a projector above the stage. They showed images of everything Henriquez was describing, from bodegas and Latin dancers to jazz clubs and famous musicians, as well as pictures of the band at different venues. Henriquez’s efforts to connect with the audience was effective and made people comfortable to get up and dance to the music, which was my favorite part of the show. It felt like a resurgence of when people used to go to clubs and dance to jazz and swing music.
Henriquez’s goal of the night was to produce a good show with high quality music, and him and his band definitely achieved that. Besides playing good music, connecting with the audience by sharing personal and cultural experiences of the Latin community was his overarching goal. He went about sharing these experiences by assigning messages and ideas to his songs and explaining the meaning through personal experience and historic events. His ability to assign such significant attributes to his music in such a personal way made the music feel like more than just notes strewn together to make a satisfying song. It felt like true artistic expression. The audience had a very strong, positive reaction to Henriquez and his message, shouting out approval and dancing throughout the performances, so his goal of connecting with the audience was thoroughly achieved. Not being Latino or from NY, I had not known much of the subject matter that Henriquez was delving into throughout the night so the experience was as much a historical and cultural delve into New York Latin history as it was a musical performance for me. I learned a lot about Henriquez’s life, community and influences, allowing me to feel more connected to his incredible music.
