La Covacha

Last updated
La Covacha
Restaurant information
Established1989
CityMiami
StateFlorida
CountryUnited States
Lacovacha1.jpg
Lacovacha2.jpg
Lacovacha3.jpg

La Covacha, was a high-end international restaurant, nightclub, and live concert venue in Miami, Florida, United States. Teresa and Aurelio Rodriguez opened the venue in 1989 as a cafeteria. A year later Aurelio created the nightclub and live music venue. Now permanently closed.

Contents

History

After La Covacha burned down in 1999, Aurelio and architect William Lane redesigned the club.

Live music venue

Many artists have performed live at La Covacha, including:

Controversies

La Covacha has had several controversies, including the Elba Morales commission campaign checks scandal [2] and the presentation of Cuban artist Paulito FG, a concert that drew protests from the Cuban-American community in Miami. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celia Cruz</span> Cuban-American singer (1925–2003)

Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso, known as Celia Cruz, was a Cuban singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during the 1950s as a singer of guarachas, earning the nickname "La Guarachera de Cuba". In the following decades, she became known internationally as the "Queen of Salsa" due to her contributions to Latin music. She had sold over 10 million copies, making her one of the best-selling Latin music artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buena Vista Social Club</span> Cuban musical ensemble

Buena Vista Social Club was a musical ensemble primarily made up of Cuban musicians, formed in 1996. The project was organized by World Circuit executive Nick Gold, produced by American guitarist Ry Cooder and directed by Juan de Marcos González. They named the group after the members' club of the same name in the Buenavista quarter of Havana, a popular music venue in the 1940s. To showcase the popular styles of the time, such as son, bolero and danzón, they recruited a dozen veteran musicians, some of whom had been retired for many years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timba</span> Cuban genre of music

Timba is a Cuban genre of music based on Cuban son with salsa, American Funk/R&B and the strong influence of Afro-Cuban folkloric music. Timba rhythm sections differ from their salsa counterparts, because timba emphasizes the bass drum, which is not used in salsa bands. Timba and salsa use the same tempo range and they both use the standard conga marcha. Almost all timba bands have a trap drummer. Timbas also often break the basic tenets of arranging the music in-clave. Timba is considered to be a highly aggressive type of music, with rhythm and "swing" taking precedence over melody and lyricism. Associated with timba is a radically sexual and provocative dance style known as despelote. It is a dynamic evolution of salsa, full of improvisation and Afro Cuban heritage, based on son, Rumba and mambo, taking inspiration from Latin jazz, and is highly percussive with complex sections. Timba is more flexible than salsa and includes a more diverse range of styles. Timba incorporates heavy percussion and rhythms which originally came from the barrios of Cuba.

Polo Montañez was a Cuban singer and songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bebo Valdés</span> Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger

Dionisio Ramón Emilio Valdés Amaro, better known as Bebo Valdés, was a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger. He was a central figure in the golden age of Cuban music, especially due to his big band arrangements and compositions of mambo, chachachá and batanga, a genre he created in 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calle 13 (band)</span> Puerto Rican hip hop band

Calle 13 is a Puerto Rican alternative hip-hop band formed by stepbrothers Residente and Visitante, along with their half-sister iLe, also known as PG-13.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cachao</span> Cuban double bassist and composer (1918–2008)

Israel López Valdés, better known as Cachao, was a Cuban double bassist and composer. Cachao is widely known as the co-creator of the mambo and a master of the descarga. Throughout his career he also performed and recorded in a variety of music styles ranging from classical music to salsa. An exile in the United States since the 1960s, he only achieved international fame following a career revival in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Pacheco</span> Dominican-American musician (1935–2021)

Juan Pablo Knipping Pacheco, known as Johnny Pacheco, was a Dominican musician, arranger, composer, bandleader, and record producer. Born in the Dominican Republic, Pacheco became a leading figure in the New York salsa scene in the 1960s and 1970s as the founder and musical director of Fania Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Troubadour (West Hollywood, California)</span> Nightclub in the United States

The Troubadour is a nightclub located in West Hollywood, California, United States, at 9081 Santa Monica Boulevard just east of Doheny Drive and the border of Beverly Hills. Inspired by a visit to the newly opened Troubadour café in London, it was opened in 1957 by Doug Weston as a coffee house on La Cienega Boulevard, then moved to its current location shortly after opening and has remained open continuously since. It was a major center for folk music in the 1960s, and subsequently for singer-songwriters and rock. In 2011, a documentary about the club, Troubadours: Carole King / James Taylor & The Rise of the Singer-Songwriter, was released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist</span> Annual music award

The Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists, nationally and internationally. The award is given to solo artists or groups that first establish an identity to the public as a performer and release a Spanish or Portuguese language recording during the period of eligibility. In 2012, the Academy announced the category would include ten nominees to reflect changes within the music industry.

Luis Vega De Castro is a Cuban artist. Since 1980 he has lived in Miami, Florida, United States. He works in graphic design, painting, drawing and illustration, and has been noted for his work in film posters.

Calle Real is a Timba band from Sweden founded in 1999. Calle Real currently has twelve members who play modern timba music with various influences. The music is well arranged and suited for the club scene. There is a definite, heavy and unique groove with a sound that differs from many other bands. The music of this band contains some elements of various musical genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rita Montaner</span> Cuban musician

Rita Aurelia Fulcida Montaner y Facenda, known as Rita Montaner, was a Cuban singer, pianist and actress. In Cuban parlance, she was a vedette, and was well known in Mexico City, Paris, Miami and New York, where she performed, filmed and recorded on numerous occasions. She was one of Cuba's most popular artists between the late 1920s and 1950s, renowned as Rita de Cuba. Though classically trained as a soprano for zarzuelas, her mark was made as a singer of Afro-Cuban salon songs including "The Peanut Vendor" and "Siboney".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Residente</span> Puerto Rican rapper

René Pérez Joglar, known professionally as Residente, is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, songwriter and filmmaker. He is best known as one of the founders of the alternative rap band Calle 13. Residente released five albums with Calle 13 before announcing his solo career in 2015. Residente released his debut solo album in 2017. He has won four Grammy Awards and 28 Latin Grammy Awards—more than any other Latin artist. Residente has also delved into producing documentaries including Sin Mapa (2009) and Residente (2017) and has directed some of his own music videos.

<i>Entren Los Que Quieran</i> 2010 studio album by Calle 13

Entren Los Que Quieran is the fourth studio album by Puerto Rican hip hop band Calle 13, released on November 22, 2010. Recorded in the wake of controversial events surrounding the group, the album contains more political lyrical themes not discussed on previous Calle 13 releases. It also expands upon the musical experimentation demonstrated in the group's albums Residente o Visitante (2007) and Los de Atrás Vienen Conmigo (2008). The record's compositions feature various musical styles, including rock, ska, merengue, reggaeton, and Bollywood music.

Paulito FG is one of the original innovators of timba and is a popular salsa and timba performer.

Manuel "Manolín" González Hernández, is a Cuban timba and salsa songwriter, singer, and band leader. Manolín was an amateur songwriter, when NG La Banda's leader José Luis "El Tosco" Cortés discovered him at medical school and famously dubbed him "El Médico de la Salsa".

Leandro Soto was a Cuban-American multidisciplinary visual/installation and performance artist. He was also a set and costume designer for theater and film. Soto studied at Escuela Nacional de Arte National Art Schools (Cuba) and Instituto Superior de Arte, University of Havana. As an educator he taught and lectured at various Higher Education institutions in the U.S. and abroad. Soto also founded a creative workshop, El Tesoro de Tamulte, in Tabasco, Mexico, from which professional artists emerged.

Luis Martínez Griñán, better known as Lilí Martínez, was a Cuban pianist, arranger and composer specializing in the son montuno style. He played in the Conjunto de Arsenio Rodríguez and Conjunto Chappottín. Together with Rubén González and Peruchín, he is said to have "forged the style of modem Cuban piano playing in the 1940s".

iLe Puerto Rican singer; formerly with Calle 13

Ileana Mercedes Cabra Joglar, better known by the nickname "iLe", is a Puerto Rican singer, composer and vocalist. She began her musical career as a teenager as the sole female singer of Calle 13, a group she took part in for 10 years alongside her brothers René Pérez Joglar (Residente) and Eduardo Cabra Martínez (Visitante).

References

  1. Cunningham, Jonathan (July 2, 2007). "Last Night: Calle 13 at La Covacha". Miami New Times.
  2. Editorial (September 19, 2002). "Busted!". Miami New Times.
  3. Editorial (February 3, 2009). "What's wrong with Paulito FG?". Mambi Watch.