Musician Dariel Peniazek organized and successfully presented the first Philatino Music Fest, held on November 14 at the Black Squirrel Club in the Fishtown neighborhood. The festival included a bilingual yoga class and performances by several local groups: Son Revoltura, dedicated to Veracruz music; Los Búhos, an Afro-Latin jazz ensemble from Temple University; as well as guest groups from New York, including Plena del Puente, one of the city’s most prominent plena ensembles, and ALBA Musik, a project that blends flamenco with other styles.
The evening concluded with a stellar performance by Tanicha López, a promising Puerto Rican artist accompanied by a band of Philadelphia musicians.
Introducing Son Revoltura, Dariel explained that during a visit to Veracruz he fell in love with son jarocho, a genre characterized by its blend of Indigenous, African, and Spanish influences. The group, a community collective formed in Philadelphia ten years ago, also offered a singing and zapateado workshop led by Alejandro Utria, with audience participation.
Their performance was followed by the Afro-Latin jazz ensemble Los Búhos, who fuse African rhythms with Latin American musical traditions, incorporating percussion, jazz instrumentation, and improvisation. Their set included “Como Fue”, a bolero written by Cuban composer Ernesto Duarte Brito and “El Cuarto de Tula”, by Sergio González Siaba.
Next, the members of Plena del Puente delivered a vibrant demonstration of plena, using the traditional panderos and güiro characteristic of this genre, which has deep African, Spanish, and Taíno roots. Plena emerged in the 19th century in the sugar-producing regions of southern Puerto Rico, particularly around Ponce, and remains strongly connected to the daily life and struggles of the Puerto Rican people.
Afterward, the duo ALBA Musik took the stage, composed of flamenco singer and dancer Bárbara Martínez—born in Venezuela and grandniece of renowned tango singer Libertad Lamarque—and guitarist and composer Albert Alabedra, originally from Barcelona.
To close the musical presentations, the Philatino Music Fest featured Tanicha López, considered one of Puerto Rico’s most promising young artists. Born and raised in the town of Carolina, Tanicha blends the island’s musical traditions with influences from rhythm and blues, gospel, and jazz, creating a unique and contemporary sound.
With this festival, Dariel Peniazek—musician, composer, and educator—brought together renowned artists from a wide range of Caribbean, Spanish, and Latin American genres, marking a highly successful debut for the Philatino Music Fest.