Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Redoles is back

Mauricio Redoles is back in Valpo.....

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Teatro Mauri doing stuff

Teatro Mauri up on the hill close to Neruda's house on Av. Alemania keeps doing stuff....

Cinzano celebrated Carmen Corena

Tonight the Cinzano celebrated with singing and toastings Carmen Corena's life. Today around noon a few attended her private funeral in a Jehova's witness chapel and later at the cemetery in Concon. Many people there said we had to celebrate her at the Cinzano in the night and so it was. So in between singing her songs people stood up to tell testimonies about her.
Certainly, we will miss her...
More at:

Noche de San Juan & Cuando canta Gardel

La Noche de San Juan is a traditional party celebrated in rural Chile and in many cities in the country. Since 2003 the Universidad Católica de Valparaiso organises a café concert where storytellers, pregoneros, folk singers and folk bands celebrate the season change (the longest night of the year). Also the same night in some places of the city such as the dancing hall of the Sindicato de Tipógrafos (Canciani street) and the Seminario San Rafael another private memorial party is going on, it is the Gardel night, remembering to the most famous argentine tango singer Carlos Gardel, who sang in Valparaiso in 1917, leaving a lasting impression on their tango aficionados, to the extreme that every year on the eve of his passing away tango aficionados around the world and especially in this town celebrate him with music, dancing and toastings .

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Carmen Corena & Cinzano

The Cinzano restaurant is perhaps the most famous traditional bar restaurant in Valparaiso, where you could eat good (bueno), the old place is nice (bonito), it has its bohemian atmosphere, and rather not expensive (barato). As a summary, despite some may consider this place overated, it has the three spanish BBB.... bueno, bonito y barato. The last point especially given when you consider the people who sing there, Carmen Corena & Manuel Fuentealba plus their musicians, who have been a main part of the musical framework of this cityport for nearly 50 years.
Carmen Corena is the most beloved singer from Valparaiso, professionally singing for almost 50 years at different stages from the Casino in Viña to her cherished old Cinzano bar, where many have been able to listen her singing her latin american repertoire every week after 10 pm. Now, she is facing a difficult ordeal because this last week her heart brought her ill to the hospital Van Buren. We wish her the best.... More on her at:http://www.puntofinal.cl/654/corena.htm

Cuecas choras workshop

"un Decreto de Policía de Buen Orden,con fecha 21 de mayo de 1823, prohibe las chinganas, ramadas, juegos de bolos, ruedas de fortuna, loterías privadas, rifas y carreras de caballo, sin previa licencia de la Intendencia". A 180 years ago, this goverment ordinance tried to regulate the chilean passion for dancing and games in the city. Now the Universidad Arcis Valparaíso, is starting to set up their own chingana inviting everybody to learn chilean traditional dancing at the "Taller de Cueca Chora". More info at Baquedano 8 esq. Av. Francia, phone 32-2230332 or mail: mmondaca@uarcis.cl. The workshop is free. Sessions on tuesdays and thursdays from June 17th to September 5th, at 19.00 horas in the Salón de Conferencias de Baquedano.

Sunday, June 01, 2008

The British Memorial Arch

Roberto, a photo flickr member shot this night view of this small copy of the Parisian Triumph Arch located on Av Brazil, the old sea shore line at the end of the XIX century. There is not much information about it, more than what it's written on the wall of the monument itself, "From British colony in 425th anniversary of Valparaiso discovery" and the name of its architect, Alfredo Azancot.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21054770@N07/2260429998/