Plena Libre is a

plena Plena is a genre of music and dance native to Puerto Rico. Origins The plena genre originated in Barrio San Antón, Ponce, Puerto Rico, around 1900. It was influenced by the bomba style of music. Originally, sung texts were not associated wit ...

and bomba group. Their music follows traditional forms while also drawing on other styles of music. In a biographical summary of the group, Steve Huey of ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'' observed that the group's blend of "contemporary dance arrangements... (and) the long-ignored Puerto Rican folklore-derived plena style... return(ed) the style to prominence." A popular live act over the course of a 20-year, 14-album career, the Puerto Rican ensemble are known for strong musicianship; for example, Chris Nickson of ''Allmusic'', in noting the blending of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

elements with plena on the ''Mas Libre'' CD, described the group's delivery of said as "highly accomplished". Plena Libre have toured internationally, with notable live dates including the Moroccan''Fes Festival'' in 2008, and the

Playboy Jazz Festival The Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival is an event held in the Hollywood Bowl that celebrates jazz and features both established and up-and-coming jazz musicians. Founded in 1959 by Hugh Hefner as the Playboy Jazz Festival, it was held in Chicago but d ...

at the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...

that same year. Regarding their performance at the latter event, the ''

LA Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' praised the "sizzling Latin jazz and

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

grooves" that both Plena Libre and another act on the bill,

Poncho Sanchez Poncho Sánchez (born Filoberto Sanchez, October 30, 1951) is an American ''conguero'' (conga player), Latin jazz band leader, and salsa singer. In 2000, he and his ensemble won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album for their work on the C ...

, displayed. September 2013 saw the group play

World Music Festival Chicago The World Music Festival Chicago is an annual musical event held in Chicago, Illinois, since 1999. It is organized by the City of Chicago. The festival takes place in September, usually runs 5–10 days, and has featured musicians from over 75 ...

. Plena Libre have received multiple

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

and

Latin Grammy The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been r ...

nominations. The group received their first Latin Grammy nomination, in the category “Best Tropical Traditional Album”, for their 2001 recording''Mas Libre''. The nomination represented the first nomination for a Puerto Rican group in the category. In 2003 the recording''Mi Ritmo'' was Grammy and Latin Grammy nominated, again in the “Best Tropical Traditional Album” category. The 2006 Latin Grammys saw an additional nomination for Best Tropical Traditional Album for the group, this time for their recording ''Evolucion''. Among the notable musicians that have recorded with Plena Libre are master pianist

Eddie Palmieri Eddie Palmieri (born December 15, 1936) is an American Grammy Award-winning pianist, bandleader, musician, and composer of Puerto Rican ancestry. He is the founder of the bands La Perfecta, La Perfecta II, and Harlem River Drive. Early life Pal ...

and

Nestor Torres Nestor may refer to: * Nestor (mythology), King of Pylos in Greek mythology Arts and entertainment * "Nestor" (''Ulysses'' episode) an episode in James Joyce's novel ''Ulysses'' * Nestor Studios, first-ever motion picture studio in Hollywood, ...

. ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

'' has recognized Plena Libre as one of four Puerto Rican musical acts, along with

Ricky Martin Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...

Marc Anthony Marco Antonio Muñiz Rivera (born September 16, 1968), known professionally as Marc Anthony, is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. A three-time Grammy Award and six-time Latin Gra ...

, and

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...

, that are "spearheading the Latin invasion of American popular music".

References

{{Authority control Plena Puerto Rican musical groups Musical groups established in 1994 1994 establishments in Puerto Rico