The two Special Collections Research Center listening parties will feature a wide variety of music from Africa and the Caribbean.
The Special Collections Research Center at Syracuse University Libraries, in conjunction with La Casita Cultural Center, will host two spring listening parties this month featuring recordings from the Bell Brothers Collection of Latin American and Caribbean Recordings, which contains over 15,000 45 rpm recordings. Both events are free and open to the public.
Bohemia & Bolero
Wednesday, Feb. 14, 5-8 p.m.
La Casita Cultural Center, 109 Otisco St., Syracuse
La Casita Cultural Center will host a Latin music showcase of classic boleros and timeless love songs to warm your heart! Join us for a special night listening to great music, dance if you like, and taste some delicious tapas and sweets!
Africa and the Music of the Caribbean
Friday, Feb. 23, 3-4 p.m.
Peter Graham Scholarly Commons, Bird Library
From bomba to boogaloo, salsa to soul, Africa has provided source material and inspiration for Caribbean artists throughout the centuries, and vice versa. Join us to hear the sounds of this dynamic interchange.
The Bell Brothers Collection of Latin American and Caribbean Recordings at Syracuse University Libraries contains over 15,000 recordings from North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. The 45-rpm disc collection includes merengue, bolero, guaracha, chachachá, pachanga, merecumbé, seis fajardeño, bomba, plena, mambo, guaguancó, son montuno, charanga, guajira, música jíbara, danzón and more.
Max and Joseph Bell, the owners of the Bell Music Box, a New York City record store, were avid collectors of Latin and Caribbean music. Syracuse University acquired the entire inventory of the Bell Music Box store in 1963 and recently began a major digitization project to preserve and make accessible this unique collection.
If you need an accommodation in order to fully participate in these events, please contact Julia Chambers at jschambe@syr.edu.
About Syracuse University
Founded in 1870, Syracuse University is a private international research university dedicated to advancing knowledge and fostering student success through teaching excellence, rigorous scholarship and interdisciplinary research. Comprising 11 academic schools and colleges, the University has a long legacy of excellence in the liberal arts, sciences and professional disciplines that prepares students for the complex challenges and emerging opportunities of a rapidly changing world. Students enjoy the resources of a 270-acre main campus and extended campus venues in major national metropolitan hubs and across three continents. Syracuse’s student body is among the most diverse for an institution of its kind across multiple dimensions, and students typically represent all 50 states and more than 100 countries. Syracuse also has a long legacy of supporting veterans and is home to the nationally recognized Institute for Veterans and Military Families, the first university-based institute in the U.S. focused on addressing the unique needs of veterans and their families.
