Cascada de Flores – July 11, 2014

Cascada de Flores, musical ambassadors of Mexican and Spanish-speaking Caribbean traditions present Radio Flor—an album and a concert—a love letter to the early days of Latin American radio, when songs were king and a melody grabbed your heart for a lifetime. Whether broadcasting from station XEW in Mexico City, or RHC of Habana, Cuba, the sultry songs of Radio Flor tell the story of a bygone era. Musical vignettes feature heart-wrenching bolero, raucous Cuban guaracha, or earthy Mexican son, set in an old-time radio show format, including jingles and radio drama, a bit from 1930 and a bit from the musicians bi-cultural imaginations. For over 14 years the sound of Cascada de Flores has echoed the golden radio age of Latin America, featuring Arwen Lawrence and Jorge Liceaga, a duet of song, guitar and dance, expertly support by pillars of the San Francisco traditional music and Latin jazz scene. Radio Flor is the fruit of musical communication between these five musicians who, absorbed in their various musical cultures, itch to create with them, and do so with heart. Besides a call to nostalgia, Radio Flor is also a proposal for the present day: to ponder the simple lo-tech orchestration, find the beauty of its spaciousness, and of its frank emotions. Arwen and Jorge invite you to “Sit, listen, dance, cry, laugh. Radio Flor is a little bit from the past, a bit from the present, and little more from our imagination.”