Los Pleneros De La 21

Los Pleneros de la 21 (LP21) is the premier East Harlem-based performing ensemble and non-profit community organization. LP21 was founded in 1983 by Juan J. ‘Juango’ Gutiérrez (National Endowment for the Arts’ Heritage Fellow, 1996) and the legendary Master Plenero, Marcial Reyes Arvelo. The ensemble has pioneered the road for bomba and plena performance around NYC, and continues to spread it globally for nearly 40 years. The ensemble received a Grammy nomination for their groundbreaking album with Smithsonian Folkways, Para Todos Ustedes. The organization aims to present accessible public traditional music programming; expose and encourage the participation of inner city youth and others to the cultural heritage of Puerto Rico; and perform a repertoire of works embedded in the rich tradition of Puerto Rican folk music to audiences everywhere. LP21’s landmark community-based cultural and educational programs have created a common space for the recognition, education, and practice of Puerto Rican culture and identity. These programs include Bomba and Plena Community Workshops for adults and kids; Bomba and Plena In the House for NYC school children; and other Cultural Legacy Programs. These programs have educated thousands of individuals of all ages. Los Pleneros de la 21 remains a dynamic, intergenerational group of musicians and cultural leaders from East Harlem, the South Bronx and many of NYC’s own local communities. LP21’s latest album, Los Pleneros de la 21 Live at Pregones: 35 years of Bomba & Plena (Truth Revolution Records, Nov 2018), is an ode to the group’s long arduous, yet satisfying journey, representing a lifetime of work, blood, sweat, tears, and laughter of countless dedicated bomberos, pleneros, educators, and cultural advocates.