Sonido Amazonico!

Chicha is the name of a corn-based liquor the Incas distilled in the days before The Conquest, and the word's mysterious, boozy etymology makes it perfect for the musical style that bears its name. Chicha - the music - was spontaneously distilled during the culture clash of the '60s when the Indian population of the Peruvian Amazon blended Columbian cumbias with American rock & roll, particularly the twang heavy sound of surf music. With cheap electric instruments, Amazon Indians used the syncopated beat of cumbia as the foundation for melodies that sound to western ears like Andean folk music played on electric guitar supported by Tex-Mex style Farfisa. When the Indians moved to Lima, chicha became a thriving subgenre, but since the 70s the style has been dying out. Olivier Conan, owner of New York's Barbés nightclub and record label, discovered the music on a 2005 trip to Peru. In 2007, he put out a compilation called The Roots of Chicha. The music so captivated New York's downtown crowd that he put together Chicha Libre, a combo comprised of New York's musical scene makers, and started playing the old hits, and some new compositions, to packed houses. Part of the charm of the old chicha recordings had to do with their distorted, lo-fi approach, something that you can't match in a Manhattan recording studio. Nonetheless, Sonido Amazonico!, named after a hit by the chicha band Los Mirlos, is a sunny, upbeat collection guaranteed to bring a silly smile to your face. Vincent Douglas' plays a twangy guitar and Josh Camp plays a rare Hohner Electravox, an accordion-like instrument that sounds like a 70s Farfisa, anchor the band's timeless sound (the Electrovox is an electric hybrid; no air passes through it).

Like reggae, the chicha groove is so recognizable, and flexible, that almost any style of music can be played using it. The playing here has a lightness and humor that the originals lacked, but Chicha Libre's not making any claims about being authentic or keeping a lost tradition alive. They're playing it for kicks, and they supply plenty of 'em. ~ j. poet, All Music Guide

Miami might not be like Los Angeles or New York, cities where movies are continuously being shot around every corner. But, Miami has certainly had its fair share of filming. Maybe it was chosen because of the movies plot and maybe it was chosen because of its location (it hard to shoot a beach scene in Nebraska). Whatever the reason, Miamis presence in the cinema has left other Florida cities to approach, and shyly ask for an autograph. The following is a short list of Miami born movie moments:

From Justin to Kelly: How Miami outbid every other city in America for rites to this film is beyond me. Seriously, the bidding war for this must have been up there with bidding on the Olympics or the Super Bowl. A movie featuring American Idols first winner and runner-up, From Justin to Kelly was enough to make anyone go from nausea to vomiting. Yes, it was seriously that bad. I would provide a lengthy discussion of the plot, but there really wasnt one. Suffice it to say that the story line involved little more than singing, and flapping of limbs to the same choreographed routine.though, in one scene, they did dance with towels. That, in a word, was magical.

Theres Something About Mary: One of the funniest movies to ever hit the screen, this film featured Cameron Diaz as Mary, a girl who men were willing to go to great lengths to impress. These great lengths included stalking, spying, impersonating and donning a fake British accent. Ben Stiller plays Ted, a clumsy but likeable man in love with Mary; a man who wants to impress her but comes across as a little less psychotic than the rest of the fellows. A definite sleeper hit, this movie had unforgettable scenes, with laugh out loud moments. It also made us look forever differently at hair gel.

Scarface: At one time during the 1980s, nearly every teenage boy had a poster of this movie on their bedroom wall. It is a tale about Tony Montana, played by Al Pacino, who comes to Florida as a Cuban refugee. After becoming a gangster, as a result of the 1980s cocaine boom, he rises to the top of Miamis organized crime world, only to fall back down. Originally released to little enthusiasm, Scarface has since become a cult classic and one of the most recognized movies ever made; it has forever left movie fans considering it one of their little friends.

Bad Boyz: The movie that left us all wondering what you gonna do when they come for you, Bad Boyz features Martin Lawrence and Will Smith as two detectives on the Miami police force. After 120 million dollars in drugs are stolen, the two detectives are given the option of getting the drugs back or losing their jobs. They fight and squabble with each other, but their mutual love is also genuine, leading this duo to be compared to those of Lethal Weapon and Starsky and Hutch. Though this movie is far fetched - as police dramas often are - it is entertaining, fast-paced, and the action is hard to pass up. This movie led to a sequel, which was also shot in Miami.

Any Given Sunday: One of the more action-packed football films, Any Given Sunday includes a star-studded cast of both actors and professional athletes. With a portion of the movie filmed in Miami, the Orange Bowl Stadium was disguised as home turf for a fictitious football team, the Miami Sharks. Al Pacino plays an intense coach while Cameron Diaz plays an owner, and a not very nice one at that. The football movie greatly differs from heartwarming ones like Rudy or The Replacements. Instead, it shows the inner workings and politics involved with running a professional team.

Jennifer Jordan is a senior editor for http://www.milleniumlimo.com. An avid sports fan, she likes the Miami Dolphins but her heart belongs to the Denver Broncos.

best salsa music