The music from that Mellow Session was an apt ending to this 2021 Day of the Dead.Andi Xoch, founder and owner of Latinx With Plants in East Los Angeles, said the growing popularity of the holiday has made it "easier for young Latinx or brown people who are first or second generation to accept their heritage and be and be proud."Īndi Xoch, founder of Latinx With Plants in East Los Angeles, told NPR she is concerned about the commercialization and the borderline or sometimes outright cultural appropriation of what was once an indigenous holiday. Flowers and candles filled the exact crime spot, reminding us that Death and Life in the City continues. This Quintet is a great addition to our varied musical menu.Ī very poignant detail: this last concert took place right across from where only a day before a shooting left at least one person dead. hillbilly tunes and Puerto Rican “Plenas” coexist and thrive in a very exciting way. In the type of “fusion music” I heard, apparently distant and separate musical forms, like U.S. These “Locos” are everywhere!Īs the Quintet Director Ahkeel Mestayer told me: “The Quintet fuses unorthodox styles for the sake of musical exploration.” This quintet features a group of (mostly) Mission born and raised young musicians who have already made a name for themselves in other groups, such as “Soltrón”…and Loco Bloco, where Kai Lyons works as Musical Director and Emilio Dávalos-Gaylord is Assistant Musical Director. The venue? A wonderful space called “The Mellow Haight,” a houseplant store by day and a musical venue at nightfall.
#Dia de los muertos 2021 sf series#
The Quintet (Ahkeel Mestayer on congas and vocals, Emilio Dávalos-Gaylord on bongos and cow bell, David Lechuga on Bass, Kai Lyons on acoustic guitar, Cuban tres, Brazilian cavaquinho and vocals and Roque Barón, vocals) played as part of a series called Mellow Sessions. This time, we moved to the corner of Haight and Masonic. 6 we attended a wonderful concert by the Ahkeel Mestayer’s Quintet. Photo: Vince de JesúsĪs “the cherry on top,” on the night of Nov. Members of Ahkeel Mestayer’s Quintet (from left) Kai Lyons, David Lechuga, Emilio Dávalos-Gaylord, Ahkeel Mestayer and Roque Barón (in front).
It was an extremely receptive and supportive audience, mostly friends and relatives from the surrounding communities, who were happy to be there. All around me, people followed with rapt attention. Nevertheless, there was no denying the enthusiasm and-in most of the action-the quality of the performances. I forgot my own mother’s advice: “De lo bueno, poco.” (“Of that which is good, don’t serve too much!”) In my own personal history as a theater director, I have indeed created works that could have benefitted with some judicious editing.
It was difficult to perceive a through-line for the action. Although every segment was interesting and-at times-quite exciting, the show needed a more cohesive script. It was a vibrant (if a bit long-winded) show, which would benefit by some trimming. It included speeches about the recent passing of the artist Yolanda López and the writer/activist Elizabeth “Betita” Martínez, theatre skits warning about the danger of drug abuse, long-legged “alebrijes” (on stilts), dances that referred to Haiti, (although without elaboration) and even the classic Rubén Blades’ song “Siembra.” Rather late in the night, the exciting Ballet Folklórico Cuicacalli. The event was titled “Renacimiento,” a collage of various vignettes. In 2021, although COVID is still around, the celebrations were more public.Īmong them, organizing the omnipresent and always exciting Loco Bloco, a group formed in 1994 to support the creativity of young dancers, musicians, actors and stilt-walkers. Like most everything else, it became an on-line event.
In 2020, the severe restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic impeded the massive celebration. The Day of the Dead procession in San Francisco had become one of the biggest participatory events of its kind in the entire nation. Thousands took part in it, all dressed for the occasion, with faces adorned with many versions of skulls. Until 2019, the celebration had grown enormously. It is a night to remember, to celebrate, to keep our ancestors alive in our memories. The event increasingly asserts its deep-rooted spiritual and indigenous characteristics and it is safe to say that the date has become a very important highlight in our collective cultural calendars. 2 has clearly established a more transcendental importance. These past two weeks, the Mission District and other significant parts of the city were jumping with various celebrations of Día de Muertos.Īlthough some still tend to confuse Halloween and Day of the Dead, the celebration on Nov.
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