at night because they were little kids. so we used to walk both he and his sister, my late wife and i, would walk them right here to the home and deliver them to mom. so this is where he was from. narrator: in 1994, tito nieves, another of colón's former students, scored a big hit with a cover of "i like it like that." like nieves, many artists have found success with latin-pop fusion, a style that originated with boogaloo. in recent years, djs seeking dance floor inspiration discovered the original latin boogaloo recordings and shared them with a new generation of fans. (king nando's "mama's girl" plays) all right, so everybody was playing, like, funk and soul, and i was like, "all right, well, let me push it a little further and find some latin funk." that combination of new york, gritty,

hardcore funk, you know, mixed with... with gorgeous, brilliant latin music. and the result is... is surefire, like, you can't miss. carlos "turmix" vera: spanglish lyrics and american rhythms with latin rhythms makes me crazy. when i spin in parties and i play latin boogaloo, everybody goes, "wow, this is amazing." many people thinking, wow, this is from now? no, no, this is from the '60s. once you start feeling those polyrhythms in your spirit, you start buggin' out like, yow! i really think that a lot of the interest in boogaloo today would not exist if there hadn't been this intense interest by djs beginning about, i'd say, maybe ten, 15 years ago. i mean, really just in the last five to ten years, the amount of compilations and anthologies that have really looked at boogaloo music both in the u.s. and outside of it has... you can clearly see this incredible rise in the interest in it. so it's gone from sort of being this very local

kind of new york style to suddenly, you have boogaloo experts in europe, you know, in japan. in the last ten years or so, the whole thing has opened up with europe and the whole world, and we've traveled to a whole bunch of places. and i'm amazed! like, i mean, i go to germany, and this guy shows up, doesn't speak english or spanish. he only speaks german, and he's got a pile like that of lps that he wanted me to sign 'em, you know? and i'm like, oh, my god. god has blessed me to start playing around the world. i support my family, my grandkids. and i'm just so gratified to be alive. i never thought boogaloo would be back, and now i'm thrilled to death because i see... i see joe bataan working all over the place. i see the djs playing boogaloo music. i just got a call from switzerland asking me to do an album of boogaloo music for a record company out there. they feel it in london, they feel it in australia. they feel it in japan.

you have just in the last few years new boogaloo bands being formed. like here in los angeles, you have the boogaloo assassins. there's this group in new york called spanglish fly that's doing the same thing. (latin music playing) ♪ stand up and boogaloo ♪ stand up and boogaloo it's called latin boogaloo, a rhythmic mix of r&b, soul, jazz, born in spanish harlem, and now this music is making a comeback big-time. and look who's here with us today, two men credited with helping propel the latin boogaloo sound during its start, johnny colón, your ordinary guy joe bataan. to their right dj turmix.

to what do you credit the return of boogaloo music? i think that, uh, it's probably that the... the boogaloo has always been around. it never really went away. torres: there's a big event that will be held this week in central park. the three of you are together, right? bataan: we're all three together-- it's history. we expect the whole barrio to come down. (johnny colón's "oyelo" plays) (singing in spanish) how's everybody feeling out there tonight? (cheers and applause) we got two serious, serious new york artists about to lay down some real new york music on this stage tonight.

there is nowhere i would rather be on this planet right now than right here in central park about to hear two legends of el barrio. well, without further ado, let me turn it over to the pros. ladies and gentlemen, johnny colón and the johnny colón orchestra. (cheers and applause (playing "boogaloo blues") come on now! oh, memories, huh? yeah, that was the groove. yeah, baby.

♪ i could remember that time ♪ when i thought the world was mine ♪ ♪ and as we played this same tune ♪ ♪ which we called "the boogaloo blues" ♪ ♪ the crowd bursts out with cheers ♪ ♪ they said, yeah, this is weird ♪ ♪ all except that one girl

♪ who cried and cried and, man, it was outta this world ♪ ♪ and i said baby, why do you feel so blue? ♪ ♪ don't you like my boogaloo? ♪ and she said lsd's gotta hold on me ♪ and i said what? ♪ lsd's gotta hold on me but what you mean, girl? ♪ one, two, three, i feel so free ♪ ♪ one, two, three, i feel so free ♪ ♪ i'll give you the world ♪ diamond rings ♪ mink coats ♪ a penthouse ♪ and more ♪ all one love ♪ but just feel free ♪ mmm, feel free ♪ mm, you got to feel free ♪ mm, feel free

♪ ...i feel so free (speaking spanish) (screams) (screams) (audience screams) (screams) (audience screams) (screams) (audience screams) man: let's hear it for johnny colón! keep moving, keep grooving. dj turmix is gonna keep you guys steppin', and we're gonna set the stage for joe bataan.

(latin piano music playing) hey! (indistinct conversations) this day is the day the lord has made. it's for all of us to come together. don't you see the magic that's here in this place today? it's giving us a chance to come back and put it back on the map. esteves: put a show together, man! bataan: it's not too late. so i say let's all put our hands together leave the past go, and let's move palante! ("gypsy woman" plays)

♪ she smokes, ha ha, she smokes, ha ha ♪ ♪ she smokes, ha ha, she smokes, ha ha ♪ ♪ she smokes, ha ha, she smokes, ha ha ♪ ♪ she smokes, ha ha, she smokes, ha ha ♪ ♪ she came from nowhere ♪ to watch this caravan ♪ gypsy woman ♪ she came from sunlight to moonlight ♪ ♪ to see the gypsy in motion ♪ gypsy woman ♪ with lips of red... ♪ with hips that sway in the night ♪ ♪ that paralyze me with love ♪ ♪ she was my gypsy woman ♪ gypsy woman

♪ was my gypsy woman ♪ gypsy woman ha, hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! ♪ gypsy woman ♪ gypsy woman ♪ gypsy woman... ♪ gypsy woman ♪ gypsy woman ♪ gypsy woman ♪ gypsy woman... ♪ gypsy woman ♪ she dances around on the ground ♪ ♪ to a guitar melody ♪ and from the fire, her face was all aglow ♪ ♪ and, whoa, how she enchanted me ♪ ♪ and, whoa, how i long to hold her dear ♪ ♪ and whisper in her hear ♪ you are my gypsy woman ♪ gypsy woman ♪ you are my gypsy woman ♪ gypsy woman hey! hey!

hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! hey! ♪ gypsy woman ♪ gypsy woman ♪ gypsy woman... ♪ gypsy woman ♪ gypsy woman ♪ gypsy woman ♪ gypsy woman... ♪ gypsy woman here we go! are you ready?! ♪ i said party ♪ party ♪ i said party ♪ said party come on, jump! jump! jump! jump! jump! jump! jump! jump! jump! jump!

here we go! whoo! whoo! whoo! ♪ gypsy woman ♪ gypsy woman... ♪ gypsy woman ♪ gypsy woman... ♪ gypsy woman ♪ gypsy woman... ♪ gypsy woman ♪ gypsy woman... say ba-ba-ba. (song ends, cheers and applause) marin: i truly thought that when the boogaloo era ended, i would never hear it again.

flores: good music will always be good music. it will stand the test of time. we travel all over the world, and we do our latin concerts, our salsa concerts, okay? but wherever we go, they always ask for our boogaloos. at this point in my life, i don't think boogaloo will ever die. garcia: whether you liked it or not, you have to give it its blessing in time because it raised the bar for what was gonna be known as latin music. in order for us to emerge in the future whole, consistent, healthy, we have to develop new forms. latin boogaloo is that new form that allowed me to be who i am today. a total being. (ray barretto's "new york soul" plays) wow! good god! new york soul, y'all!

to learn more about "america reframed," the stories and issues we present, visit our website at worldchannel.org. i'm natasha del toro. thanks, and see you next time. ♪ right from the new york street ♪ ♪ yeah, yeah ( grunting ) good god! wow! come on! man: ray, que pasa, baby? del toro: stay up-to-date on america reframed at worldchannel.org. subscribe to world channel's youtube

to go beyond the lens with our filmmakers. tell us what you think using #americareframed. america reframed was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, wyncote foundation, the national endowment for the arts, park foundation, and the reva and david logan foundation. ♪ ♪ i come to boston from the dominican republic with one suitcase. my suitcase was full of books, and many dreams. it was a very heavy suitcase.

when dominicans emigrate to the united states, we give away all our clothes and our belongings. we say, "why bringing stuff to a country where we're going to find everything we need?" and plus, bikinis have no place in the middle of the winter. i come here to boston, i had just got married and come here to start my new family. my husband had immigrated here a year before with his family and was working as a kitchen aide at a local nursing home. his family, nobody spoke english nor had a professional job. i had learned english in high school, and i had just graduated from a bachelor's degree in computer science and engineering. so i'm thinking, "i'm going to boston, i'm going to find a job as soon as possible." i start sending my résumé everywhere, but i don't hear from anybody. nobody's calling me for any interview, and i'm wondering what is going on. i cannot understand what is going on. but i also didn't have anybody to ask.

so the only person i knew had a professional job was my cousin, angela, who was working as an administrative assistant at a local day care center. and she said, "of course, "i can refer you to my former boss. she's looking for a part-time bilingual receptionist." and i said, "of course i can do that." days were going by, i was getting desperate. we were living in a two-bedroom apartment with his family, and before the landlord kick us out, we needed to move out, so i head to that interview. when i get to the interview, i meet cathy, the manager. she was a long-hair, hippie style... ...married to an african american guy, cambridge resident, so she just loved me. she, she just wanted to offer me the job right away. and then she says, "but you still have to interview with my executive director. "she's a little bit intimidating, "but don't worry, you'll be just fine. "i know you'll be okay.

just get yourself ready and go to the interview." so i get very excited. i get a nice, professional suit, and i head to the second interview with executive director. i get to meet the executive director, a very tall woman, big personality, middle-age, expressionless white woman. (laughter) she asked me all sorts of questions, and i'm answering-- very nervous-- i answered them all, i went home, and i just prayed i get that job. a few days go by, and cathy calls me and says, "claritza, you got the job," and i'm like, "yes." "so, but you have to start right away." and i said, "of course, i'll start on monday." so i start my job, and two weeks go by, and the executive director comes back from vacation. she walks in through the front door with her big bags, her big personality,

and she looks surprised and a little bit upset. she stares at me for a few minutes, and she goes upstairs. needless to say that i'm nervous. soon enough, i find out that she had told cathy not to hire me because i didn't speak good english. so at this point, cathy thought that, because of my education and my energy, i was going to be able to do this job and of course gain the confidence of the executive director. and i have to confess that i also thought i could do the job. soon enough, i realized i couldn't do that job. some of you may not know that in spanish, words are spelled the same way as they sound. we don't have to deal with those damn silent vowels that you have in english. (laughter) and, plus, when you're learning a new language, the processing time in your brain,

it's much slower. so i was struggling. i was disappointed with my own performance, because i couldn't pick up messages and the spell of the names of the callers soon enough before they would hang up on me or get upset because i had to ask them over and over again. so i knew i was in trouble. by then we have move out and get a rent-controlled apartment in cambridge. so i'm concerned i'm going to lose my job, and i needed to do something. so i said, "claritza, you got to do something." it occurred to me to grab the white pages. do you remember those? (laughter) i grabbed that book and walked down the street to the only person who spoke english in the family, my 12-years-old niece, melissa. and i said, "mellie, "can you please dictate names and number of the book, so i can learn how to pick up messages?" and she's, like, "of course, tía."

so for two or three weeks, we sat down every night for her to dictate names and numbers, and i became a master speller. i was so proud of myself, i thought had secured my job. so i come happy to my job every day, but one day, that proved that that was not enough. cathy comes down the stairs with tears in her eyes, and she said "claritza, the executive director have eliminated your position." i still can feel the sadness and despair of that moment. by then, i was four months pregnant with my first son, and just the thought that i couldn't provide for my son and being able to pay rent that, as it is, a part-time, ten-dollars-an-hour job, i was making more money than my husband with a minimum-wage kitchen aide job. i picked up my stuff, i went home, and cried.

i cried and cried and cried. i just couldn't believe it. and i picked up myself a couple of days later, and i said, "you know what, i'm applying for new jobs." a women's organization, out of all places, called me up for an interview. and i went to the interview, and when they saw me pregnant, they look at me like i had three heads, and i never heard from them. days went by, weeks went by, and i still cannot believe, up to this moment, the executive director herself called me back. and she asked me to come back. and this time, she offered me a full-time job. (applause) i heard there was a lot of chaos in the front office. and people were just asking, "where is claritza, where is claritza?" i worked there one more year,

and as you remember, i was a computer engineer. so i developed a software for them, and i used that experience as a reference to get my first software developer job. fast forward many years later, i am an executive, at technology companies, and i have my own company. so my story... reminds me that we always have to be understanding and tolerant of others, because we really don't know the trials and challenges that they're going through. (applause)

(soft music) - i guess a lotta people would've come out of what i went through as a child kinda broken. the truth, is i think everybody is, in some way, shape, or form. people desperately need to relate, and music is this beautiful tool that you can use to share who you are.