Plena Libre
"The biggest band to
play plena, which is a
folkloric music out of
Puerto Rico, PLENA
LIBRE knows the
tradition but aren't
afraid to draw upon
stuff from outside the
genre to keep it
fresh”. . The Village
Voice
play plena, which is a
folkloric music out of
Puerto Rico, PLENA
LIBRE knows the
tradition but aren't
afraid to draw upon
stuff from outside the
genre to keep it
fresh”. . The Village
Voice
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* ABOUT US *
Plena Libre....is
Hard-hitting
horns, master
hand drummers,
and songs from
the soul of
Puerto Rico.
Hard-hitting
horns, master
hand drummers,
and songs from
the soul of
Puerto Rico.
The Torch Bearers of Puerto Rico’s Plena, Bomba, and Beyond!
Four-Time Grammy Nominee Plena Libre is the Music of Puerto Rico as it Should Be Experienced
Live
Emerging over the chatter of a packed house at New York’s Lincoln Center, the warm tone and
subtle rhythms of a hand-held frame drum quiets the crowd as it beckons to an assembly of
drummers to join. Layering in one by one, soon the polyrhythmic textures of three panderos
(frame drums) interweave and converse, echoing as percussionists materialize from behind the
audience and march towards the stage. Atop this tapestry of rhythm, a melodious voice calls
out, and a chorus of singers responds, providing the final elements of a music known as plena.
Awash in this iconic folk music of Puerto Rico, the spectators can’t help but become energized
by the simple and infectious sounds, swaying, then dancing, then singing along in Spanish.
While the momentum builds, the drummers reach the stage and meet up with the rest of their
band. As the music brings the audience to their feet, bass, piano, guitar, and horns aggressively
enter with a series of thick harmonic staccato stabs, initiating an up-beat Afro-Rican groove
that is distinctly Plena Libre, the torch-bearers of the modern incarnation of Puerto Rico’s
musical roots.
Captivating and moving audiences over the course of a fifteen-year, thirteen-album career, this
fine-tuned 12-piece Puerto Rican-based ensemble of virtuoso musicians has only gotten better
with age, as evidenced by their four recent Grammy nominations. And now, for the 2010-2011
touring season, Plena Libre has created an all-new exciting repertoire along with new
choreography, compelling new stories told from the stage between songs, and an overall
presentation sure to win the hearts of both aficionados and newcomers to their sound. “The
chemistry and emotions on stage – my God!” says founder, bassist, arranger, musical director,
and composer Gary Nuñez. “It never seizes to amaze me how we all feel each other musically. I
am continually overwhelmed by the spirit of the band. It is the music of Puerto Rico as it should
be experienced. This train will just run you over!” The band alternates between tradition and
their unique creative expression and arrangement, keeping audiences engaged with the best of
roots music and the surprises of Nuñez’s hard-hitting touch.
Plena Libre infuses their contemporary Caribbean compositions with a deep sense of the unique
indigenous musical traditions, known as plena and bomba, which developed on the island over a
century ago. “When I was 20 years old,” remembers Nuñez, “I met Noel Hernández, who is now
my compadre. He opened my eyes to my Puerto Rican heritage, got me into studying my
history and my musical roots. I realized then that, as much as Puerto Rican musicians were
known worldwide in many fields of music, the music that was truly traditional to Puerto Rico
was hardly known. I wanted to change that, to devote myself to the music that is based on
our African heritage, the plena and the bomba. Up to then they were relegated to holiday get-
togethers and in danger of disappearing entirely. That’s how Plena Libre, or ‘free plena’ was
born.”
A culmination of African, Spanish, and Caribbean sounds, plena was born in the barrios (slums)
of Puerto Rico in the early 20th century. Starting as a solo pandero that quickly developed into
a trio of interlocking pandero patterns that accompanied a call-and-response vocal style, plena
soon evolved from a music solely played by agricultural migrants to a popular form of social
expression that recounted the daily lives of the island’s inhabitants. “Plena has been called ‘the
people’s newspaper,’” says Nuñez, “because its songs recount the history of our land; it
comments on and satirizes everyday life. You won’t read its stories in history books.” While
augmenting plena with contemporary influences such as jazz, merengue, cumbia, and mambo,
Plena Libre nourishes the roots of this music by continuing to sing about relevant social issues
that affect the island.
While drawing from a diverse contemporary cosmopolitan well, Plena Libre’s foundation is built
on local elements. “Ninety-five percent of our repertoire is based on the plena and bomba,” says
Nuñez. Retaining the African call-and-response singing style found in these musical styles, a
constant dialogue between the sonero and the coro (chorus of singers) is present throughout
many of Plena Libre’s compositions. Unlike salsa bands, who usually only have two singers, Plena
Libre features five vocalists singing in lush three and four part harmonies; a musical
representation of a traditional community gathering. Further giving their live performances a
memorable standout quality, occasionally, the entire band will vocalize the percussion parts of
the plena, creating an a cappella polyphonic polyrhythm. These artistic choices drive home the
core of the tradition in an aesthetic that appeals to broad audiences and aficionados alike.
Using the straight two-beat of the plena, Plena Libre’s music is also easy to dance to. “Salsa has
many up-beats that can be confusing to some newcomers,” says Nuñez, “but we show our
audiences how easy it is to dance to plena.” The simple elegance of plena rhythms reflect the
inclusive spirit of the music and encourages even the most timid audiences to dance with
carefree abandon. With these enticing Afro-Caribbean grooves, Plena Libre has been able to
break cultural barriers around the globe. “When we played in Morocco the audience started to
dance, and people couldn’t figure out what the hell was happening. The local reporters later
said that they had never seen people dance at a festival like this in this region. Maybe it was a
cultural thing. Anyway, it was great! Some of the band grabbed people and started dancing
and everybody jumped in.”
Dance, in general, is a vital component of Plena Libre’s live performances. Their innovative
choreography, drawn from folk traditions, offers an experience that is distinct from salsa bands,
and illustrates their profound understanding of their Puerto Rican heritage. In the middle of a
set, most of the band exits, leaving one of the singers to take center stage as a dancer. He
proceeds to challenge a drummer to a rhythmic battle within an African derived, but
unmistakably Puerto Rican bomba. Dressed in traditional white costume, including a traditional
hat, the dancer stomps and shakes, strategically spurring on the lead drummer in an energetic
interplay between rhythm and movement. The band then grabs willing audience members to
join the fun in an exciting exchange of dance and rhythm. Throughout Plena Libre’s concerts
they feature elaborate, visually stunning, carefully crafted choreography that takes its
inspiration from the traditions of the Caribbean.
Along with providing exhilarating entertainment, Plena Libre—which has performed in fifteen
countries, from Morocco to Malaysia—has a deep commitment to educating their audiences
about the traditional culture of Puerto Rico. Since the founding of the group, the ensemble has
offered three levels of workshops tailored to the needs of particular demographics. For young
audiences, the band has conducted hands-on demonstrations, taking an interactive approach
to helping kids play Caribbean rhythms and learn various dance steps. For older audiences, Plena
Libre focuses their discussion on the rich historical and cultural aspects of their music,
reinforcing these points with live musical examples. And, for professional musicians, through
performance and dialogue, the band shares their insight into the music business and their own
creative process as well as details of the technical aspects of producing their art.
Filtering the sounds of various Afro-Caribbean forms like merengue and cumbia, and Afro-Cuban
mambo and yes, salsa if you ask nicely, through a unique set of artistic sensibilities, Plena Libre's
versatile collection of expert performers thrill audiences around the world, from Morocco's Fez
Festival to the Playboy Jazz Festival. With an aggressive, musically tight, yet sensitive style that
balances the traditional with the contemporary, and the global with the local, Plena Libre
creates a critically acclaimed brand of music and live performance which is both profoundly
Puerto Rican and universally appealing.
Four-Time Grammy Nominee Plena Libre is the Music of Puerto Rico as it Should Be Experienced
Live
Emerging over the chatter of a packed house at New York’s Lincoln Center, the warm tone and
subtle rhythms of a hand-held frame drum quiets the crowd as it beckons to an assembly of
drummers to join. Layering in one by one, soon the polyrhythmic textures of three panderos
(frame drums) interweave and converse, echoing as percussionists materialize from behind the
audience and march towards the stage. Atop this tapestry of rhythm, a melodious voice calls
out, and a chorus of singers responds, providing the final elements of a music known as plena.
Awash in this iconic folk music of Puerto Rico, the spectators can’t help but become energized
by the simple and infectious sounds, swaying, then dancing, then singing along in Spanish.
While the momentum builds, the drummers reach the stage and meet up with the rest of their
band. As the music brings the audience to their feet, bass, piano, guitar, and horns aggressively
enter with a series of thick harmonic staccato stabs, initiating an up-beat Afro-Rican groove
that is distinctly Plena Libre, the torch-bearers of the modern incarnation of Puerto Rico’s
musical roots.
Captivating and moving audiences over the course of a fifteen-year, thirteen-album career, this
fine-tuned 12-piece Puerto Rican-based ensemble of virtuoso musicians has only gotten better
with age, as evidenced by their four recent Grammy nominations. And now, for the 2010-2011
touring season, Plena Libre has created an all-new exciting repertoire along with new
choreography, compelling new stories told from the stage between songs, and an overall
presentation sure to win the hearts of both aficionados and newcomers to their sound. “The
chemistry and emotions on stage – my God!” says founder, bassist, arranger, musical director,
and composer Gary Nuñez. “It never seizes to amaze me how we all feel each other musically. I
am continually overwhelmed by the spirit of the band. It is the music of Puerto Rico as it should
be experienced. This train will just run you over!” The band alternates between tradition and
their unique creative expression and arrangement, keeping audiences engaged with the best of
roots music and the surprises of Nuñez’s hard-hitting touch.
Plena Libre infuses their contemporary Caribbean compositions with a deep sense of the unique
indigenous musical traditions, known as plena and bomba, which developed on the island over a
century ago. “When I was 20 years old,” remembers Nuñez, “I met Noel Hernández, who is now
my compadre. He opened my eyes to my Puerto Rican heritage, got me into studying my
history and my musical roots. I realized then that, as much as Puerto Rican musicians were
known worldwide in many fields of music, the music that was truly traditional to Puerto Rico
was hardly known. I wanted to change that, to devote myself to the music that is based on
our African heritage, the plena and the bomba. Up to then they were relegated to holiday get-
togethers and in danger of disappearing entirely. That’s how Plena Libre, or ‘free plena’ was
born.”
A culmination of African, Spanish, and Caribbean sounds, plena was born in the barrios (slums)
of Puerto Rico in the early 20th century. Starting as a solo pandero that quickly developed into
a trio of interlocking pandero patterns that accompanied a call-and-response vocal style, plena
soon evolved from a music solely played by agricultural migrants to a popular form of social
expression that recounted the daily lives of the island’s inhabitants. “Plena has been called ‘the
people’s newspaper,’” says Nuñez, “because its songs recount the history of our land; it
comments on and satirizes everyday life. You won’t read its stories in history books.” While
augmenting plena with contemporary influences such as jazz, merengue, cumbia, and mambo,
Plena Libre nourishes the roots of this music by continuing to sing about relevant social issues
that affect the island.
While drawing from a diverse contemporary cosmopolitan well, Plena Libre’s foundation is built
on local elements. “Ninety-five percent of our repertoire is based on the plena and bomba,” says
Nuñez. Retaining the African call-and-response singing style found in these musical styles, a
constant dialogue between the sonero and the coro (chorus of singers) is present throughout
many of Plena Libre’s compositions. Unlike salsa bands, who usually only have two singers, Plena
Libre features five vocalists singing in lush three and four part harmonies; a musical
representation of a traditional community gathering. Further giving their live performances a
memorable standout quality, occasionally, the entire band will vocalize the percussion parts of
the plena, creating an a cappella polyphonic polyrhythm. These artistic choices drive home the
core of the tradition in an aesthetic that appeals to broad audiences and aficionados alike.
Using the straight two-beat of the plena, Plena Libre’s music is also easy to dance to. “Salsa has
many up-beats that can be confusing to some newcomers,” says Nuñez, “but we show our
audiences how easy it is to dance to plena.” The simple elegance of plena rhythms reflect the
inclusive spirit of the music and encourages even the most timid audiences to dance with
carefree abandon. With these enticing Afro-Caribbean grooves, Plena Libre has been able to
break cultural barriers around the globe. “When we played in Morocco the audience started to
dance, and people couldn’t figure out what the hell was happening. The local reporters later
said that they had never seen people dance at a festival like this in this region. Maybe it was a
cultural thing. Anyway, it was great! Some of the band grabbed people and started dancing
and everybody jumped in.”
Dance, in general, is a vital component of Plena Libre’s live performances. Their innovative
choreography, drawn from folk traditions, offers an experience that is distinct from salsa bands,
and illustrates their profound understanding of their Puerto Rican heritage. In the middle of a
set, most of the band exits, leaving one of the singers to take center stage as a dancer. He
proceeds to challenge a drummer to a rhythmic battle within an African derived, but
unmistakably Puerto Rican bomba. Dressed in traditional white costume, including a traditional
hat, the dancer stomps and shakes, strategically spurring on the lead drummer in an energetic
interplay between rhythm and movement. The band then grabs willing audience members to
join the fun in an exciting exchange of dance and rhythm. Throughout Plena Libre’s concerts
they feature elaborate, visually stunning, carefully crafted choreography that takes its
inspiration from the traditions of the Caribbean.
Along with providing exhilarating entertainment, Plena Libre—which has performed in fifteen
countries, from Morocco to Malaysia—has a deep commitment to educating their audiences
about the traditional culture of Puerto Rico. Since the founding of the group, the ensemble has
offered three levels of workshops tailored to the needs of particular demographics. For young
audiences, the band has conducted hands-on demonstrations, taking an interactive approach
to helping kids play Caribbean rhythms and learn various dance steps. For older audiences, Plena
Libre focuses their discussion on the rich historical and cultural aspects of their music,
reinforcing these points with live musical examples. And, for professional musicians, through
performance and dialogue, the band shares their insight into the music business and their own
creative process as well as details of the technical aspects of producing their art.
Filtering the sounds of various Afro-Caribbean forms like merengue and cumbia, and Afro-Cuban
mambo and yes, salsa if you ask nicely, through a unique set of artistic sensibilities, Plena Libre's
versatile collection of expert performers thrill audiences around the world, from Morocco's Fez
Festival to the Playboy Jazz Festival. With an aggressive, musically tight, yet sensitive style that
balances the traditional with the contemporary, and the global with the local, Plena Libre
creates a critically acclaimed brand of music and live performance which is both profoundly
Puerto Rican and universally appealing.
