Whirl With Merle

Spanglish Fly is the premiere band dedicated to reviving and renewing the music known as Latin bugalú, or boogaloo, the sound that sprang from the street corners, the transistor radios, the pool halls, and the clubs of 1960s Spanish Harlem.

“The genre featured a loose, eclectic blend of funky polyrhythms, Latin percussion, jazzy horns, bluesy piano lines, soulful vocals, English lyrics and hand clapping, which gave recordings an exciting, club feel,” Marc Myers wrote in The Wall Street Journal. “The music fed off the freestyle moves of African-American and Latin dancers as they personalized the twist in the early ’60s.”

Renowned for bringing performance, art and cultural events from around the globe to Queens, Flushing Town Hall will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with music, dance, and family-friendly fun in September. The other events are Colombian drumming (Sept. 16) under the moon and a performance by the Last Mambo King, Orlando Marin (Sept. 30).

Spanglish Fly’s multicultural cast has origins in Puerto Rico, Cuba, Ecuador, Venezuela, Japan, and Upper Manhattan. They come together in New York City to create quintessential music of the urban United States. Appearing at Flushing Town Hall will be: Jonathan Goldman (trumpet); Mariella Gonzalez (vox); Rafael Gomez (bass); Arei Sekiguchi (timbales); Ronnie Roc, Dylan Blanchard, and Edwin Estremera (all percussion); Matt Thomas (tenor saxophone); Jonathan Flothow (baritone saxophone); John Speck (trombone); and Victor Rendon (piano).

We will be hearing from Jonathan Goldman.