Ok Folks,

 Have you ever felt that you were missing out on something from back home? That’s exactly what you felt when you left the 2nd Annual Festival del Cuatro held on September 1, 2007 at the remarkably beautiful San Gabriel Civic Auditorium in downtown San Gabriel. First of all, they could not have chosen a more suitable location – it almost felt as though we were inside the Ateneo Puertorriqueño in San Juan. To say that the San Gabriel Civic Auditorium is a beautiful structure does not do it justice – let’s just leave it at that.

 I know that some will say (complain, perhaps), that it was too hot inside – however, my purpose is to review the entire package, not just focus on one or two negative aspects of the festival.

 The evening started out with Roberto Rivera, the quite understated (tremendously talented and well educated individual) emcee and unofficial guiro player, who also happens to be the President of the Festival del Cuatro – he introduced the lovely ladies of the NACOPRW (National Conference of Puerto Rican Women), who came on stage and sang an “Aguinaldo” parranda style – a lovely way to kick things off.

 Immediately thereafter, Alvin Medina on the cuatro & his wife Elsie as the primary vocalist was a tremendous way to open the show. I’ve heard the words “exciting,” “virtuoso,” and “prodigy” used to describe Alvin Medina’s talent on the Puerto Rican cuatro – there has got to be a better word! His flawless technique, precise and blindingly fast notes (which probably reached 64th notes!) – there’s just no way to describe how well this young man plays his instrument – actually, I’d say he “feels” it more than he plays it. His entire group was enjoyable, and his wife’s voice was very pleasant and melodic. I also want to mention that Alvin has vocal chops as well. The moment that made my heart stop was Alvin’s rendition of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Prelude #6 in D Minor – it was always a given that the cuatro is a beautiful instrument – Alvin Medina’s renditions, especially the classical music, left absolutely no doubt about the cuatro’s versatility in the right hands.

 Next up was the world-renown “salsero” Yomo Toro. Now, it’s obvious that Yomo has slowed down quite a bit – he’s not nearly as flawless and fast as Alvin, and this is the consequence of what happens as we age. However, Yomo is still a “tartaro” on the cuatro – he came up with some very cool little riffs that just brought us all back to the glory days of Fania, and he also transported us back to the 1800’s style beauty of Puerto Rican country music. The biggest show-stopper was his vocalist Dhalia Silva – who steals her own part of the show with her emotive renditions of songs by La Lupe and other great Puerto Rican folk music – her body movements and facial expressions matched the powerful songs she expertly interpreted.

 The crème de la crème came with Edwin Colón Zayas – a masterful, artful, and well-studied cuatrista. His renditions brought many of us who were partly raised in Puerto Rico back to the days of Tony Croato (of Nelly & Tony fame), and the old trovadores who made the seis con décima a national staple on the island. His group Taller Campesino is impressive enough – especially with his vocalist, former child prodigy Luis Daniel Colón – but the truly impressive moments of the evening came when Edwin’s daughter Nelian joined him on stage. The memorable moments included Nelian having to remove her shoes because they made her taller than her dad (he couldn’t cradle behind her to play their numbers unless she came down a little), and their masterful interpretations on the combination cuatro con tiple and the “cuatro manos” piece on the cuatro – absolutely amazing!

 The grand finale included the three principal performers on the cuatro – in a “dueling cuatros” – if you will, but they were more friendly than dueling; they were a cornucopia of freestyle and improvised riffs that dazzled the senses.

 All in all, a fabulous evening, and a reminder that Puerto Rican culture is alive and well, and that we can never forget where we came from. It was also terrific to witness so many of “mi gente” dressed in diverse outfits – from casual Californian to typical traditional Puerto Rican outfits, and everything in between. If you weren’t able to attend, you missed a tremendous opportunity to reinvigorate your internal PR spirit – I felt connected to everyone there, despite the fact that I hardly knew anyone personally.

 Make it a point to attend next year’s concert, which will feature an all-female cuatrista ensemble – all the performers next year are women! (Nelian Colón, Edwin Colón Zayas’ daughter will be one of the performers) – I’m not going to miss it!

 As always, this review is strictly my own, and does not reflect the views or opinions of the Festival del Cuatro, or the National Conference of Puerto Rican Women. I hope this helps those who were there remember the names of the performers, and make those who missed it feel sorry they did. Feel free to pass this review along to anyone you think it will help. Also, if you find there are any inaccuracies with this review, please send me any corrections so that I can post these and forward them on.

 Sabor,

 Ed Martinez

 … Espera el Café…

visit us at festivaldelcuatro.org