GETTING FESTIVE
‘Carnaval’ is coming to the NHCC with two nights of music and dance
For 17 years, Frank Leto has brought the “Carnaval” season to Albuquerque at the National Hispanic Cultural
Center.
The celebration takes place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, and Saturday, Feb. 25.
“Being able to collaborate with the NHCC has taken our celebration to the next level,” Leto says. “I’m thankful for that partnership.”
The festive season, occurring before Lent in Latin America and Caribbean nations, as well as parts of the United States, is one of the world’s biggest celebrations. It is celebrated in Brazil, Trinidad, Cuba and New Orleans.
Like previous years, there will be performances by Frank Leto & PANdemonium, which includes local musicians César Bauvallet, Kanoa Kaluhiwa, John Bartlit, Howard Cloud, Steve Figueroa, Bo Razon and Tomas White.
The performance also features the Odara Dance Ensemble.
This year’s festival is called “Carnaval 2023: Homage.”
Leto will also be releasing a new album, which pays homage to all of the events that have gotten him to this point.
“This show will give a backstory to my wife and I,” he says. “All the songs have references to the moments and people in my life.”
Leto says the music on this recording reflects the rhythms, instruments and sounds of those local.
He says the recording includes an eclectic array of unusual instruments, steel drums, batá drums, cavaquinho (Brazilian ukulele), Brazilian hand percussion, cuíca (friction drum), ukulele, Mexican harp, chromatic cowbells, along side traditional drums, bass, guitar, keys, trombone and saxophone.
“The song ‘Mestre Moreira’ is a song dedicated to my hero, mentor and friend, Airto Moreira,” Leto says. “Airto followed his wife Flora Purim to New York City and changed the
course of jazz. Single-handedly he created a role for percussionists in jazz ensembles by playing with Miles Davis and Joe Zawinul’s Weather Report. He and Flora were also members of Chick Corea’s ‘Return to Forever.’ ”
Leto says the song “Hold On” was composed during the two years of confinement due to COVID.
“It is about two lovers yearning for each other’s company,” Leto says. “This song is set to the jazzy Brazilian bossa nova rhythm.”