festival :: Blog
All the World's on Stage
On Sunday, October 9, the universal language of music takes center stage during the 13th annual World Festival at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. "The World Festival celebrates the wonderful cultures in our community," says Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Vice President of Planning and External Affairs Dr. Jacklyn Chisholm. "We get to enjoy music from around the world in a world-renowned Museum. What could be better!"
The celebration of culture will fill the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's main lobby from noon to 4 pm, as the greater Cleveland area's diverse ethnic communities come together to share traditions and musical legacies. The region's rich cultural mosaic will be complemented by musicians that include African Soul International, R&B vocal group Artistree, Brazilian jazz artist Moises Borges (pictured below), the Puerto Rican tropical band stylings of Nano Cabrera, Native American rockers Native Reign, lively Ancient South Indian dance by Mahima Venkatesh, traditional Greek dance by Sts. Constantine and Helenic Senior Hellenic Dancers, Middle Eastern dance by Wind and Sand Dance Company, and the sounds of Cleveland-based The Vernon Jones Blues Cartel. The 2011 World Festival will be ...
Rock Hall’s Curatorial Director Talks about Rock and Roll and “the Latin tinge”
Jelly Roll Morton, the self-proclaimed inventor of Jazz, spoke of “the Latin tinge” in music. It was always there, as far as he was concerned. It’s also true with rock and roll. In the Fifties in Los Angeles, Latinos there embraced early rhythm and blues and vocal group harmony. Ritchie Valens was a high school kid from the San Fernando Valley who played guitar and was crazy about Little Richard. Consider this – Valens’ professional career lasted barely six months. Here we are, more than 50 years after his untimely death, and his influence can still be felt. He was only 17 when he died. When I look at photos of Valens, I see a pudgy kid with spotty skin and a glowing smile, slinging a Stratocaster and oozing confidence. We have one of his stage outfits on display here in the Rave On case. It’s a two-piece vest and pants set with rhinestones trimming the lapel of the vest. He bought it at Nudie’s, the famous Western wear tailor in North Hollywood. Hank Williams and Elvis Presley wore clothes from Nudie. To me, that sort of encapsulates how cool Valens was. That and his enduring music, of ...
