A livestreamed bolero concert tonight will include Los Angeles trio Ellas
With passionate lyrics about love and broken hearts wrapped in slow string music and rich harmonies, bolero is considered one of Latin America’s most romantic genres of music.
And this musical tradition will be celebrated tonight with the ongoing Boleros de Noche concert series, which is keeping the romance alive online this year.
“Boleros are so important. They’re part of our roots and it’s something that should never die. It’s our responsibility to keep it going and keep exposing people to it and always have it evolve as well,” said Suemy Gonzalez, violinist and vocalist of the Los Angeles-based, Latin Grammy-nominated band Ellas, formerly known as Trio Ellas.
Ellas will perform at the show along with Las Hermanas Garcia, two teenage siblings from Mexico whose father accompanies them on guitar.
The bolero genre originated in Cuba in the 1880s but gained international fame once the music reached Mexico in the 1940s.
Boleros are typically performed by a trio playing guitars and a requinto, a small guitar usually tuned higher than a standard guitar.
“It’s a raw, naturally poetic, heartfelt genre. It transcends generations and it’s a genre that’s part of our musical heritage,” said Roberto Carlos, a bolero musician.
He founded the series in 2015 to bring bolero music to a multigenerational audience.
Boleros de Noche performances have been held at venues throughout greater Los Angeles, including the Downey Theatre, La Plaza de Cultura y Artes downtown and The Ford, where more than 1,000 people attended a 2019 event.
Las Hermanas Garcia, who are from Ometepec Guerrero, Mexico, are inspired by traditional bolero songs from the region.
However, Ellas’ performance will include their signature mix of mariachi, modern music and boleros plus songs from their new covers album, “#primerafila,” which includes songs like the ranchera tune “Tu solo tu” as well as pop numbers like Beyonce’s “Daddy Lessons” — all done “a la Ellas” style, Gonzalez said.
“Our show shows a little bit of both worlds. We show them the traditional bolero and then we show them what we can do with boleros also. They can see where it came from, where it had evolved to and how beautiful it can be,” she added.