Del Boca Vista – Sam Reider, Jorge Glem, & The Human Hands

Artists: Sam Reider, Jorge Glem, and The Human Hands

Title: Del Boca Vista

Year: 2022

Composers: Sam Reider and Jorge Glem

Genre: Jazz, Venezuelan folk

The international influence here is in Jorge Glem's Venezuelan cuatro alongside Sam Reider's accordion. Brooklyn-Cumaná is a dual-cultural project of musician friends Sam Reider and Jorge Glem. The duo joins American and Venezuelan cultures through their shared love of music. Sam Reider, originally from San Francisco, California, is a musician and composer, creatively uniting jazz and folk tunes with contemporary compositions. Glem is a Venezuelan immigrant currently living in New York, where he met Reider for the first time in 2016. The album name derives from the artists' cultural roots: Reider previously lived in Brooklyn, New York when he first met Glem, who was born in Cumaná, Venezuela.

Both Reider and Glem have been recognized for their talents. Reider has served as a musical ambassador for the United States and has been featured on NPR, PBS, and NBC. Similarly, Glem received a Latin Grammy award, has been nominated for a Grammy, and has also been featured on NPR. Since its release in November 2022, Brooklyn-Cumaná has been featured on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert; this video has garnered a total of 75,000 views in a span of a month. Despite the artists' individual successes, their music is still relatively "underground."

The Human Hands add percussion to the piece, further exploring the intermixing of cultures in music. They create a danceable beat that complements Reider's accordion music and Glem's impressive cuatro playing. This layered instrumentation in this tune creates a unique, upbeat sound. Personally, I envision beautiful, tropical landscapes as I listen to this fantastic piece. It also reminds me of classic film like Casablanca.

Del Boca Vista is a fictional location in Florida on the show Seinfeld. Described as a retirement condominium complex, this location sounds rich and exotic, much like the musical selection from Reider and Glem. By pulling this location as inspiration for their piece, they reveal more of their friendship and allow listeners to connect with them, not only through music, but also through shared interests in television shows.

Connection to Playlist

This selection depicts the harmony that I believe God intended for humanity. Much like other selections, it represents the beauty of blending unexpected sounds, creating music that transcends cultures and unites people of various backgrounds.

Resources

Jorge Glem, [Website], https://www.jorgeglem.com/biography/.

NPR Tiny Desk Concert, Jorge Glem and Sam Reider, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxEvAHLqryg.

Sam Reider and Jorge Glem, Del Boca Vista, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og9ofrCq47A.

Sam Reider Music, [Website], http://www.samreidermusic.com/about.

Seinfeld Dictionary, Del Boca Vista, https://theseinfelddictionary.com/seinfeld-del-boca-vista/.