From Mambo to HIp hop: a bronz tale

Bobby Sanabria & LP Founder Martin Cohen

LP artist Bobby Sanabria is a noted performer whose credits include Dizzy Gillespie, Mario Bauzá, Mongo Santamaria and Tito Puente. A Berklee College graduate, he's also an educator and acclaimed researcher into Latin music and culture. Recently, he completed work on a one-hour documentary, From Mambo to Hip Hop: A Bronx Tale. The film traces the history of a portion of the famed New York borough, from the Puerto Rican migration and melding of Cuban rhythms into what we now call Salsa, through fires that threatened the very existence of the neighborhood, to the development of Hip Hop, which rose from the ashes.

Sanabria is associate producer of the documentary and also one of its narrators. A native of the Fort Apache section of the South Bronx, Sanabria has devoted his life to performing Latin and jazz. He has worked with many of the seminal figures in both genres. In addition, his ethno-musicological studies, informative lectures, and clinics make him as an authority on the evolution of the New York Latino music scene.

Produced by City Lore, an institution that tirelessly promotes New York City grassroots culture, From Mambo to Hip Hop: A Bronx Tale, is a particularly timeless exploration of an inner city journey through darkness and back to light. Signaling hope in cultural rebirth and the positive influences of diverse cultures, the film also offers unique insight into the manner in which turf phenomena can evolve into international cultural movements. To bring this important documentary to fruition, City Lore joined with acclaimed director Henry Chalfant of Style Wars fame.

Artists from the Latin contingent making an appearance, in addition to Sanabria, include Ray Barretto, Benny Bonilla, Willie Colón, Orlando Marín, and Eddie Palmieri. Interviewees featured in the documentary include poet Sandra Maria Esteves and New York Times journalist David Gonzalez. Hip Hop participants include Charlie Chase, Bom 5, Grandmaster Caz, Trac II, Trace, Popmaster Fabel, and Kid Freeze.

The film features several photos by another Bronx native, Martin Cohen, founder of Latin Percussion, the world's largest manufacturer of ethnic percussion instruments. Since the early 1960s, Martin has documented the lives of Latin musicians and has accumulated a vast library of photos.

LP is pleased to herald the completion of From Mambo to Hip Hop: A Bronx Tale and salutes Bobby Sanabria and the many LP artists who figure highly in this cultural celebration. The documentary will air on PBS on Thursday, September 14th at 9:00 pm as part of WNET's Canto Latinos series.