Les Camarades

In case you haven't made the connection, the titles of my posts refer to movies.

I thought it was a nice way to link my stories to other stories while expanding my knowledge of films, since screenwriting is the latest career change I want to pursue this month.

Les Camarades is the French title for an Italian film, I Compagni or The Organizer. It is Mario Monicelli's portrait of an early workers' strike at a Turino textile factory circa 1890.

Why didn't I just use the Italian title you ask?

Because the place I went to last night was called CAMARADAS.

Jorge, Christine and I went to hear a nuyorican band in Spanish Harlem. The location couldn't have been better.

To quote the website, "Camaradas el barrio is a worker's public house where camaraderie is built atop of a fine selection of wine, great beers from around the world, excellent music and an innovative blend of the tapas tradition with Puerto Rican cuisine."

In other words, Camaradas is where local nuyoricans grub and throw down.

The place was cozy, the food was tasty and the music was amazing.

We heard a group called Yerbabuena. They describe their performances as a cross between a jam in the park, a spiritual ceremony and a family reunion.

Their moves were not choreographed and their outifts didn't match but still they conveyed a wholeness and harmony in their music that was moving.

Whether bomba, plena or música jíbara, the jam was definitely interactive. They encouraged the audience to get involved and although some were shy at first, the depth of feeling in the performance gave viewers no choice but to dance for the drums.

Even I found myself unable to stay in my seat. After two songs I was making my way through the crowd so I could stand front and center swirling my hips. Suddenly I was Puerto Rican too.

There's something about the deep afro-caribbean beating of a drum that penetrates the soul.

For info about future performances or to get more information about Camaradas, el barrio click on Les Camarades above.