Chico Alvarez & Mafimba

I am CHICO ALVAREZ PERAZA, musician and bandleader living and working in the New Jersey and New York area. I wanted to bring you up to date as to some of my past and present activities here in the tri-state area.

I spent the better part of the 1960's and '70's working as a graphic artist, designing about 5,000 album covers, an impressive amount of ads, logos and posters as well. Previously, I studied music theory in Cuba and later studied percussion with Ted Reed in NYC. I was self-taught on the conga drums and was mainly involved in the genre of Rock 'n Roll, all through my High School years. By 1965 all that had changed for me.

The Larry Harlow album "A Tribute To Arsenio Rodriguez" turned me on to the "Cuban sound" - big time. Afterward I found myself composing original material and performing with the bands of Lou Perez, Terry Pierce's Roseland Orchestra, Joe Valle, Charanga America, Papo Pepin, Hector Rivera, Baby Gonzalez, Facundo Rivero, Charanga America, Orq. Tipica New York, Tipica Ideal, Brisas del Caribe, Charlie Palmieri, Latin Jazz Coalition, Havana Brass Orchestra, Andrea Brachfeld, Pucho and the Latin Soul Brothers, Pupi y Su Charanga, Luis Vidal Orchestra, Joe Quijano, Ocho, Las Siete Potencias, Nosotros, Zafra, Orquesta Metropolitana, Cubanoson and The Palomonte Afro-Cuban Big band, among others.

It was roughly around 1986 that I ventured (actually I stumbled) into the field of radio. Starting as a substitute host for radio deejay Al Angeloro, I was given the opportunity of hosting and producing NEW WORLD GALLERY, a popular music show that aired every Sunday from 4 to 6 pm over listener-supported, non-commercial PACIFICA RADIO WBAI (99.5 fm) here in NYC. This show was heard by many people as far out as Bridgeport, Connecticut and as far south as Atlantic City in New Jersey (this was of course before "streaming"). The show aired from 1986 until 2017, when I decided to retire from the airwaves.

In 2002 the LATIN JAZZ USA Awards Committee nominated me to receive the CHICO O'FARRIL LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, in recognition for my contribution to the musical art-form known as "Latin Jazz". I was also awarded a Special Recognition Award from the International Latin Music Hall of Fame at Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture, in 2001, as well as the First Place Award for Excellence in Radio Arts and Entertainment from the New York Association of Black Journalists (NYABJ) at the annual Scholarship and Awards Dinner. Subsequently I received the Silver Reel Local Entertainment Award from the National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB) during their 50th annual conference.

Presently I am involved with two very exciting bands, the first is MAFIMBA, a 10 piece straight ahead latin jazz/dance band and the second is THE PALOMONTE AFRO-CUBAN BIG BAND, a 17 piece concert orchestra, specializing in Afro-Cuban Jazz.

With PALOMONTE I have produced two CD's, one in 2012 and the second one has just come out this year. Together we have performed at Lincoln Center's Midsummer Night's Swing, a yearly event, as well as in various outdoor festivals around the world. Some of these events have been: Summer Stage (Central Park, NY), Celebrate Brooklyn (NY), Catskill Mountain Cultural FestivalL (Hunter, NY), Lincoln Center Out Of Doors, Avery Fisher Hall, Damrosh Park, (NY), Festival International Nuits D'Afrique, (Canada), Newport Jazz Festival (Newport RI), NJPAC (Newark, NJ), Queens Theatre In The Park and Flushing Town Hall (both in Queens), Clearwater Festival, (Croton On The Hudson, NY), Kanneltalossa Salsa, (Helsinki, Finland), The Intrepid (NYC), Harlem Jazz Festival, (NY), Battery Park Music Festival, (NY), Long Island Film Festival, (NY), African Street Festival, (Brooklyn, NY), Newport Plaza (JC), Jazz In The Valley Festival (Poughkeepsie, NY), The Yonkers Waterfront Festival and at The Skirball Center at NYU, where I produced a spectacular two day event titled "NOCHES CUBANAS". I am also an active member of ASCAP.

On Sept. 18th, 2018 PALOMONTE performed a mix of classic arrangements and original material at WORLDWIDE PLAZA, which is located in a spacious outdoor courtyard that stands between 49th and 50th Sts., near 8th Avenue. Beautiful weather and an enthusiastic lunch time crowd made the last concert of this summer long series a most memorable event. Many of those present had not heard this type of large aggregation outdoors before and applauded with fervor, while others reminisced about the golden era of the Savoy and Palladium ballrooms, and a few even danced to such staples as "Tumbao", "El Mulato Rumbero", Sabroso Mambo", "El Bombin De Barretto", "El Indio Caonabo", "Esta Noche", "Piñeiro" and "Cafe Sin Leche", among others. Each section of the band offered fine collective performances, plus superb solos from all the individual members. Worthy of special mention was the instrumental jazz mambo "Macho's Latin Satin", Chico Mendoza's tribute in honor of the great Frank "Machito" Grillo. Cuban dancers Rita Macias & Pedro Domech demonstrated the various Cuban dances.

Our most successful big band concerts were in July of 2018 at Harlem Meer in Central Park where we repeated our repertoire of classics. On June 26th, 2022, we opened for the Morris County, NJ Symphony Orchestra.