Allen Cote

¡paLABra!

The Latin American arm of the Lyric Advisory Board returns from their fact finding mission in Cuba to present us with a detailed analysis of pre-revolutionary art in the post-cultural era, and a desperate plea for the necessity of international intervention in affairs of the heart and the hips.

There will be arguments for the ultimate superiority of Prado's 8th Mambo (versus the more recognizable bastardization of the 5th), extended riffs on the infinite potential of arpeggiation, and a stern lecture on the proper appreciation of a polyrhythm (spoiler alert para los gringos y las gringas: it ain't the ones and threes).

Unlike last year's flash in the pan, there are already TWO very special presentations of the ¡paLABra! manifesto lined up for 2018, including a return to Arte Para Todos at the lovely little jazz club Gibraltar on April 26; and a slot at the sprawling Chill on the Hill series in the heart of Humboldt Park on July 17. Additionally, Arte Para Todos has leaked advance audio of the aforementioned mambo - recorded live in two takes en La Ciudad de Plata - and it is a SCORCHER.

Lace your tips, loosen your tie and let your tongue roll - this ain't no loving tribute, ain't no lite jazz, ain't no Buena Vista and ain't no Babalu.

Esta es la ¡paLABra!