HotBlog

Dec

HotList Decemer 17-December 24

By hothousechicago 1 Comment

Categories: Weekly Chicago listings

If you’re on the HotHouse mailing list, you already know that we’ve energized our weekly music listings to include more events and my types of events representing Chicago’s diversity. AND you know that you can get this list in your mailbox ever week. If you’re not on the list or you’ve accidentally deleted your copy, here’s this week’s HotList:

Not on the mailing list?? Sign up here

Friday December 19

HotHouse Presents Chicago Samba - Heating up the HotLoft
3220 N. Lincoln Ave
9:00pm $10 in Advance $12 day of show

Azvl de Noche, Maria Blues Carballo Trio .
La Botana, 8 p.m
Brighton Park 4818 S. Pulaski, Chicago, IL
773-847-6642

Bossa Tres
Ole Tapas Lounge, 10:00pm
2812 N. Lincoln Ave,Chicago, IL

Darwin Noguera’s Evolution Trio (Latin Jazz)
Las Tablas 7.30pm-10.30pm
2942 N. LINCOLN AVE
CHICAGO, IL 60657
773.871.2414

Continue reading ‘HotList Decemer 17-December 24′

Dec

Metromix declares HotHouse “Great in ‘08″

By hothousechicago 0 Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

HotHouse was picked as one of Metromix’s “10 reasons Chicago Rocked” in 2008!

“Great in ‘08: 10 reasons Chicago rocked

Feeling Hot again
Well-established cultural center HotHouse was a force in Chicago world music until moving out of the South Loop in July ’07. So it was a treat when HotHouse scheduled a host of performances in April at the Viaduct Theatre. Though the collaboration was short-lived, HotHouse currently presents shows Fridays at the “HotLoft” above Lakeview bar Fizz (3220 N. Lincoln Ave.), and hosts dinner-show packages at Las Tablas (2942 N. Lincoln Ave.) one Saturday per month.”

Check out the full list, with photos, here

Dec

HotHouse announces New Years Eve party with Chicago Samba

By hothousechicago 0 Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

1013chicagosamba

Ring in 2009 with Chicago Samba at Logan Square Auditorium

Wednesday, December 31st

10:00 p.m.

$25 in Advance ,$35 day of show

purchase tickets at Hothouse.net

Dec

Check this out: Gamelan X

By hothousechicago 0 Comments

Categories: World Music Artists

One of the things I really enjoy at the end of the year is reading everybody’s “best of” list. This is a great way to learn about excellent artists and recordings that I may have missed. Earlier this afternoon I was reading Soundroots.org’s “Top 10/20/25 Global Albums of 2008″, trolling for new sounds, when i came across Gamelan X, a Gamelan-fusion orchestra out of Berkeley, California.

You may remember from an earlier post that I have a soft spot for gamelan music, thanks to my brief stint in my university’s gamelan orchestra and it’s generally long history as a subject for ethnomusicologists. Unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot of gamelan fusion going on in the US, so I was really excited to come across this group. Check out the video above, and listen to their music from the album Satu on their website or on emusic. You’ll find the expected cyclical an ephemeral gamelan base intelligently crossed with melodies and rhythms inspired by Balkan, African, Indian and American traditions. A few tracks are hard-hitting with fast, complex, rhythms and powerful brass sections. Others are more laid-back, melodic and even mysterious. Great.

Dec

Idilio and Mwelwa @ HotLoft

By hothousechicago 1 Comment

Categories: Latin and Live Performances

Friday, December 12

“HotLoft” (above Fizz bar and grill)
3220 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago, IL 60657
Doors 8:30pm | Idilio 9pm | Mwelwa 10:30pm
$5
Get tickets here

Blow off some steam from a stressful week with HotHouse! The very talented Idilio gets the night started with a unique flamenco collaboration. After Idilio heats up the house, Mwelwa will spin through the night with an eclectic global beat dance party! So grab a friend, bring your dancing shoes, and get the weekend off to a smoking start!

Flamenco music trio, Idilio, combines traditional sound with original vocals and accompaniment. Musicians, Chiara Mangiameli, Diego Alonso and Kassandra Kocoshis are influenced by both education and individual roots. Diego’s interest in jazz and its influence on modern flamenco compositions, Kassandra’s versatility and education in classical percussion, and Chiara’s roots based in her bulerías rendition of a popular Italian song combine for a truly unique sound.

Mwelwa brings an extensive World Music collection to the table. His special mix of eclectic global beats include Latin, Brazilia, Caribbean and African Varieties. Mwelwa, originally from Zambia, has provided the soundtrack to many a special night in Chicago. With his music and bountiful spirit, he has brought together folks from around the world and every walk of life. He says he is the “man pushing for a brighter day,” and inspires all who hear him to celebrate hope, love — and dance the night away!

Dec

The world around Chicago, Dec. 11-17

By hothousechicago 3 Comments

Categories: Weekly Chicago listings

Not on the mailing list?? Sign up here

Thursday, December 11

KAPSALIS & IVANOVIC WINTER CONCERT (Flamenco/Balkan/Mediterranean/Americana) ($7)
Katerina’s, 8:30pm
1920 W. Irving Park Rd. Chicago, IL
(773) 348-7592

Lecture: <The new Latin-American literature in the Barcelona of the 1970’s
Instituto Cervantes Auditorium, 6pm
31 W. Ohio
(312) 335-1996
More Details…

Bossa Tres (Samba)
Las Tablas, 7:30-10:15pm
2942 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago, IL
(773) 871-2414
More Details…

Continue reading ‘The world around Chicago, Dec. 11-17′

Dec

Songlines announces world music awards

By hothousechicago 0 Comments

Categories: World Music Artists

As the end of the year approaches, I have a feeling we’ll be inundated with awards and “best-of” lists. One awards program we’ll be missing, however, is the BBC’s Radio 3 Awards, which ended this year. Fortunately, Songlines Magazine, the British world music magazine, has launched their own world music awards that they hope will help build momentum and enthusiasm for world music. The awards will be conducted in partnership with WOMAD, and will culminate in a live event at WOMAD in 2009.

The best part, though, is that YOU can vote for your favorite albums in four categories: Best Artist, Best Group,Cross-Cultural Collaboration, and Newcomer. Eligible artists are those whose albums were reviewed in Songlines in 2008.

Read more about the Songlines world music awards here

Learn more about the artists included in the awards here

To vote, click here

Dec

Cumbancha previews Coba Coba by Novalima

By hothousechicago 0 Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

Cumbancha, the world music label that brought us the Garifuna Women’s Project and Chiwoniso, announced a preview of its new record Coba Coba by Afro-Peruvian group Novalima. The album will be released early in 2009 by Cumbancha, but you can listen to excerpts from the new album on the Cumbancha site. I’m listening to it now, and I’m telling you folks, this sounds like a good one. I can’t wait until it comes out so I can download it right away!

“Novalima’s pioneering blend of soulful Afro-Peruvian rhythms and melodies with the cutting-edge grooves of dub reggae, chilled-out electronica and funky Latin beats creates an irresistible mash-up of old-school traditions and modern trends. Fans of the Gotan Project, Ojos de Brujo and Thievery Corporation will love Novalima’s stunning new album, Coba Coba. ”

Dec

around the web

By hothousechicago 0 Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

Suzanne Vega wrote a great little piece in the NYT Measure for Measure blog this weekend about music, heritage and belonging:

“In the last few months I have had a chance to review a song I wrote in October of 2007. It’s called “Daddy Is White,” and I haven’t sung it out loud yet in front of an audience except to record a demo of it. My daughter worries that people might make fun of me. However, I feel that it is a truthful song.

In my last blog post I mentioned that I was raised in a half-Puerto Rican family and spent five years in East Harlem as a young child. At some point, when I was about 9 years old, I learned that my birth father was actually English-Scottish-Irish. Or white, as we used to say in my old neighborhood. Actually, anybody looking at me could probably tell that this was the case, but I felt I was the last to know, partly because I was treated by my Puerto Rican abuelita and my aunt and uncle as one of their own. I was proud, and still am proud, to be a Vega.”

Check it out.

Dec

grammy nominations: traditional and contemporary world

By hothousechicago 0 Comments

Categories: World Music Artists and World news

I waited to post this one because I was trying to decide whether or not I was going to rant about the category names. Traditional world vs. contemporary? What does that mean when the first nominee for “traditional world” is “Indian Slide Guitar Odyssey”?? It seems to me that the “traditional” albums are really pretty “contemporary”, although that’s not really surprising. But it is Friday, I will leave this rant for another day as I expect many of us are tired of it anyway. Here are your world music grammy nominees. I’ve included links so that you can listen and learn a little about each album. :)

Best Traditional World Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Calcutta Chronicles: Indian Slide Guitar Odyssey: listen on emusic
Debashish Bhattacharya
[Riverboat Records/World Music Network]
The Mandé Variations: listen on amazon
Toumani Diabaté
[Nonesuch Records]
Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu: listen on emusic
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
[Heads Up International]
Dancing In The Light: listen on amazon
Lakshmi Shankar
[World Village]