HIS JUST IN! The Last Mambo will be featured at two International Film Festivals!
We are proud to announce two special virtual screening events for the documentary The Last Mambo. The 18th Annual Oakland International Film Festival will sponsor the film from September 17-October 3, 2020. A virtual Q&A with the filmmakers will occur on September at 7P.M. PCT. The Last Mambo will also be screened at the 23rd Annual United Nations Association Film Festival from October 15-25, 2020.
The Zoom panel discussion on Sept. 25 will feature director Rita Hargrave, co-director Reginald D. Brown and seven-time Grammy nominee, trombonist/bandleader/composer Wayne Wallace. The discussion will be open to public and will celebrate the dedication, creativity and resilience of the Bay Area’s diverse Afro-Latin music community, as well as the filmmakers’ concerns about the art form’s future. The film traces the evolution of the music scene from Cal Tjader and Pete Escovedo in the 1950’s to present day ensembles such as the Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet, Louie Romero Y Su Grupo Mazacote and Pacific Mambo Orchestra, the 2014 Grammy winner for Best Tropical Album.
The Last Mambo dives deep into the heart of the uniquely West Coast style, a potent gumbo of Afro-Latin rhythms, jazz harmonies and funk heavy grooves. Unlike New York or Miami. “There is no one Cuban community, one Puerto Rican or Dominican community…so many different styles of music come out of this area because nobody has to stay in one camp.” says music director Wallace.
The Last Mambo honors generations of Asians, Latinos and African Americans who have settled in the Bay area and supported the music. This eclectic network of artists and audiences are the soul of the Afro-Latin music community.” When you went to the (salsa) clubs, you could dance with a dishwasher one moment and a brain surgeon the next” says veteran salsa dancer, Selma Abinader. “ If we find this scene and it touches our hearts we make it ours” says Jesse “Chuy” Varela, journalist and KCSM 91.1 FM's Music Director. The film explores the innovative ways music educators are engaging and inspiring young musicians, to pass on the tradition and to keep the community and music alive.
But the future of Bay Area Salsa and Latin Jazz is on shaky ground. “I was inspired to make this film by the closing of Jelly’s(a popular salsa club) in 2010. As the Bay area struggles with exploding rates of homelessness, soaring real estate prices and rampant gentrification, performance spaces for diverse communities have vanished” says filmmaker Hargrave. “I felt that we had do something that both documented the whole scene and inspired people to preserve the culture. “
The Last Mambo at heart is a full-throated call to action for both performers and participants. Hargrave says “Now is the time to honor our past, support our present and advocate for our future. “