SALSA MASALA's "Block Party Unplugged" at the Evolution Festival - Sep 23 & 24
Salsa Masala
Block Party Unplugged
Walk down Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens, and you hear Bhangra, Bhajans, and Bollywood on one side, Cumbia, Salsa, and Bachata on the other. What would happen if everyone brought their instruments out and we had one big block party?
Salsa Masala is the music that comes out of that neighborhood jam, paying homage to the music of Latin America, the Indian subcontinent, and African American music of the US, and how we all feel similar rhythms and emotions through different languages; it's a celebration of the kind of interactions that make New York City---and America---beautiful. In Spanish and Hindi, salsa and masala both mean “that special mix” from which magic emerges.
This year, though, emergence takes on a new meaning. Years of a pandemic, economic disruptions, and racial justice reckonings have made us all introspect, and this performance turns down the volume to give space for what we’ve been processing. Through the integration of thoughtful, pensive ragas with softer bolero and gaita rhythms, jazz, salsa romantica, ghazals, devotional music from across faith traditions, flamenco, qawwali, soul R&B, bossa, bhajans, art songs, and more, “Block Party Unplugged” emphasizes acoustic music in a reflective space, allowing us to reconnect, reflect on where we’ve been, and consider where we’re headed next.
