Music Works NYC

05/24/2024

Live Rumba from Cuba! 🇨🇺 with the amazing Ramos family of the legendary Los Muñequitos de Matanzas led by Yuniscleyvis Ramos, featuring special guest Master percussionist Roman Diaz!

Tuesday, June 4th
Tickets Available at https://rb.gy/k7baft

Made possible by:

02/03/2024

Well, it was a sad day for lovers of Cuban arts & culture in the U.S. and Cuban-American cross-cultural relations.

The legendary Cuban artists Los Muñequitos de Matanzas & Afrocuba de Matanzas, a three-generation deep cultural treasure and keepers of the music & cultural traditions of African descendants in Cuba, were denied travel to the U.S. due to years of geo-political dogma and an immigration bureaucracy that is beyond dysfunctional on many levels.

The amount of effort and work that went into their now-canceled trip to the U.S. was genuinely herculean. The GroundUP Music Festival in Miami, where they were supposed to headline this weekend, had prepared almost a year for this trip. All visa applications/work permits were submitted and approved in advance for 22 artists, some over 70 years of age, and the entire group flew to Mexico City last week for their final entry interview as the U.S does not allow Cubans to apply for entry in Cuba, instead forcing applicants to fly to a third country for entry.

El Almacén Luis Bran and the management team have been preparing and rehearsing the group for months and meticulously walking them through the visa and interview process. Francis Mercier and his Canadian company Moperc, the instrument company, custom hand-made these two incredible sets of instruments, works of art, specifically for this visit to the U.S. and was personally going to drive the drums to NY for our workshops & performances up here. Music Works NYC helped organize performances and workshops across NYC next week, with many educational institutions participating.

But the most significant burden has been borne by the 22 Cuban artists, all masters of their craft, who spent months rehearsing, preparing, and jumping through U.S. immigration hoops and finally traveling to a 3rd country in order to be able to be admitted for one week of engagements in the U.S.

The group has been holed up in a hotel in Mexico City near the U.S. Embassy for the last week while we all waited for an answer from the U.S. Consulate.

The answer never came. No department or official in the U.S. government seems to be in place to handle exceptional cases of people-to-people interactions based on music, culture, peace, and togetherness. Instead, our treasured master musicians and artists were treated like an anonymous case number, and their lot was thrown in with the tsunami of people trying to enter the U.S.

There’s always been a rich legacy of cross-cultural relations between the U.S. & Cuba stretching back a century at least. Starting before prohibition and in the 1920s, 100,000 Americans made their way to the “Paris of the Caribbean,” falling in love with Cuban people, beaches, culture, and rum. In the 50s, couples across America were singing Babalu along with “I Love Lucy's” Ricky Ricardo as the hit TV primetime series celebrated the Cuban American cross-cultural experience.

Among the world's foremost conga-playing troupes and pioneers/practitioners of the Matanzas Cuba style of music called rumba, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas & Afrocuba All-stars have performed around the world for over 50 years. Legions of U.S. artists, dancers, and drummers have made the pilgrimage to Matanzas, the cradle of African culture in Cuba, to study with these families and immerse themselves in the art and culture of Cuba’s African descendants.

So this is but a bump in a very long road. It is very frustrating and distressing to all who worked to set this tour up, but nothing, absolutely nothing, will stop the music. The African spirit of the drum always has and will continue to speak from people to people beyond borders, boundaries, and bureaucracies -for indeed, la Rumba no para! 🇨🇺🇨🇺 🪘🪘
Chris Theberge
Founder Music Works NYC

01/20/2024

We are so excited to be working with these legendary Cuban folkloric groups on their historic visit to the U.S. next month.

This is a save the date - all tickets and info will be available starting next week.

2/9/24 Dance & Drum workshop at The Point CDC in the Bronx 6 pm

2/10/24 8pm Performance at Hostos Center for Performing Arts - both groups performing.

2/11/24 3pm Guiro/Bembe/Rumba for Santo Community - at Òtúrá Rigbè Temple in Queens.

Muñequitos de Matanzas and Afrocuba Allstars NYC events co-produced by Music Works NYC w/ support from Moperc | El Almacén and Moment NYC - The Museum of Music & Entertainment in New York City

12/08/2023

11/09/2023

Cuban percussionist Pellito el Afrokan, the grandson of the late great Cuban musician Pello El Afrokan, the originator of the Cuban Mozambique rhythm/dance, will conduct a percussion workshop where he will teach Cuban rhythms on conga drums and other percussion instruments.

The workshop will start at 5:30 p.m. with an introduction to Pellito and the history of the original Mozambique rhythm from Cuba. The Mozambique rhythm and the dance will be taught to workshop attendees, followed by instruction in other Afro-Cuban rhythms such as Rumba, Conga de Comparsa, Yuka, and Makuta.

This program is ideal for intermediate to advanced percussionists or other musicians interested in learning more about Cuban percussion.

Conga drums will be provided, though you are welcome to bring your own conga drum.

Date: Sunday, November 12, 2023
Time: 5:30pm-7:00pm
Location: Shapeshifter Lab 837 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215. Details: https://shapeshifterplus.org/product/afro-cuban-percussion-workshop/
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10/21/2023

Come down to House of Drums in Queens, NY this Saturday 10/28 and experience the Cuban Mozambique rhythm interpreted by the heir to the mozambique throne, Pellito el Afrokan, featuring world champions of percussion Anthony Carrillo and Giovanni Hidalgo along with hernandez! Space is limited - get your tickets today! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ile-ilu-house-of-drums-pellito-el-afrokan-the-mozambique-experience-tickets-736005220427?aff=oddtdtcreator

06/24/2023

🚨Tonight!🚨
House of Drums
in Queens
🪘🪘🪘

06/25/2022

🎉Virtual Events 🔥

🌟Artist Spotlight🌟


🎤👷🏾‍♂️🌏🏠🌟
Artist / World Builder:
Micah J

🎤🌟
Host:
Nina Creese

❤️ edition ✊🏾
Presented by

Sponsored by and .studios
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🏰 🏰

04/13/2022

Live on IGTV ONLY 🔥

Live Mixes • Music Events • Virtual Stem Players

Are you an artist and would like us to mix your song live on IG? Visit our website and select the best virtual mix package for you 🙂

-Your Audio team in the Metaverse
🎚🎚🎚🎚

04/12/2022

🌌Mixing in the Metaverse! 🪐

Yesterday we had fun mixing a new mix request that came in via our new website! Hope you’re ready to watch us finish it up! We’ll be going live again on igtvlive to add the final mix touches @ 3pm today!

See ya later!

For anyone on oculus or on pc, you can join our live mixing event virtual studio via Altspace VR

04/11/2022

3pm today! Mixing in the Metaverse !

03/31/2022

| Link in Bio |

02/09/2022

Music Works Update 🔥🔥 - https://mailchi.mp/235dee2281ad/music-works-update

01/07/2022

Introducing… Music Works Virtual Studios.

Music Works NYC is now Music Works VS & our amazing team will be rolling out services in the virtual realm to help artists around the world create, share, and eventually monetize their music.   While we no longer offer in-studio sessions, we still provide some of the best value high-quality mix, mastering, and editing services around - always with the same deep dedication to getting the best sound for your productions.  

On the new technologies front we are offering remote attended mixes, custom online stem players for your fans, and we can now host your own virtual online listening party held in virtual reality spaces.  Hop on over to our new website musicworksvs.com to see all our new services, take a stem player for a spin, and see what its all about.
…  See you in the metaverse !

Music Works VS Team