SPANGLISH FLY

SPANGLISH FLY is New York City’s only band dedicated to reviving and renewing the music known as Latin bugalú or boogaloo, the sound that sprang from the street corners, the transistor radios, the pool halls and the clubs of 1960s Spanish Harlem. Featuring 11 members with origins in Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico, the UK., Canada, “Loisaida” and Upper Manhattan, Spanglish Fly comes together to play the mixture of soul, r & b, and Latin rhythms that was born in El Barrio. The band’s live shows are explosive Latin Soul parties with packed dance floors. Fans, whether they've been listening to boogaloo since back in the day or just since yesterday, shake their thing to Spanglish Fly's original tunes, which pay homage to the boogaloo genre while refreshing it for a new generation. They get out on the floor for the band's arrangements of boogaloo classics and vintage soul hits. A Spanglish Fly show is a night of stirring melodies, danceable grooves and instant crowd engagement, including the popular Bugalú Dance Lesson. Audiences go wild dancing the boogaloo or simply freestlying it, feverishly responding to the instantly accessible sounds. History: SPANGLISH FLY originated when DJ Jonny Semi-Colón (Jonathan Goldman) started noticing that amidst his sets of old-school funk and soul, what really shook the dance floor was Latin boogaloo, the late-60s records of Joe Cuba, Joe Bataan, Ray Barretto, Mongo Santamaria, Joey Pastrana, Johnny Colón. the Lebron Brothers, etc. JG made it his mission to bring this music live to NYC audiences. Raiding the ranks of groups such as Bio Ritmo, Grupo Latin Vibe and the Hungry March Band, he recruited a bateria of percussionists steeped in traditional Latin rhythms, a horn section of young veterans from the NYC soul, jazz and brass scene, and an accomplished bass player with a resume full with names of Latin Jazz giants. The crew was completed by vocalist Erica Ramos (all other singer auditions were canceled), who perfectly embodies boogaloo’s soulful underpinnings. In the summer of 2009 Spanglish Fly began playing shows in Spanish Harlem and North Brooklyn, eventually dazzling audiences at renown NYC venues such as SOB’s, Le Poisson Rouge, Drom, Sullivan Hall, Brooklyn Bowl and Fonda Boricua Lounge. They have toured the northeast, bringing the party to Philadelphia and Boston and points in between. Their debut CD, simply titled Latin Soul y Bugalú and featuring the hit single “Think (Pensamiento)” (Electric Cowbell Records) was released to enthusiastic reviews in the spring of 2010. More is on the way from this crew, who are hard at work planning their next record.