As part of its series on Ansonia Records, Intervenxions from The Latinx Project has released this two-part feature on the Puerto Rican music in Ansonia's catalog. Ansonia collaborator Dr. Mario Cancel-Bigay shares his personal journey with the catalog both as a native Puerto Rican and as a student of its musical history. Check out Part I and Part II.
In 1952, Esther Forero and Bimbi y su Trio Oriental joined forces in NYC to record 78rpm singles for Ansonia. These recordings were available only on 78s for decades, a rare find, until Ansonia re-released them along with a few Bimbi singles in this 1986 LP compilation.
Esther Forero is a Colombian icon who popularized coastal Colombian rhythms across the globe. She also pushed to reestablish the Carnival festival in her city, Barranquilla in the 70s. The Carnival is now known as La Guacherna, and features nightly musical parades. Her championing of coastal Colombian music is why she remains "La Novia de Barranquilla" (Barranquilla's Darling) to this day.
Now, 35 years later, Forero's porros are made available on all digital streaming platforms.
For The Latinx Project's digital publication, Intervenxions, Néstor David Pastor profiled Ralph Pérez and his career leading up to founding Ansonia Records in 1949. Check it out here!
