From the editor

Latin Beat Magazine, Dec, 2003 by Rudy Mangual, Yvette Mangual

... and a voice out of nowhere suddenly filled the theatre room, "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to our stage the music and sounds of ..." Instantly the air around me was permeated with the low frequency reverberation produced by ah electric bass, which was bouncing off my body in unison with layers of polyrhythms created by the hands and sticks of several percussionists blessed by the deities of rhythm. Cutting through the thick percussive rhythm, like a knife through butter, were the high frequency screaming sounds of an electric guitar sending chills down my spine. Then, when I thought I had fully experienced the zenith of the band, a brass section exploded with the fury and power of a wild animal stampede. Finally, the sound of the most beautiful instrument known to mankind grabbed my soul and everyone else's in the room. The instrument was a human voice, this one from a female vocalist singing in multiple registers. After almost two hours of listening to the mesmerizing music produced by this wonderful band, I had become a fan and was hooked on the experience of live music. The name of the band is not important now, but it was in that live performance that I first recognized a special bond with music. Regardless of the high level of technology that we currently embrace, with CDs and DVDs played in state of the art entertainment systems, the magic and sensation of encountering a live performance is a self awareness experience unlike any other. Technology may be able to duplicate the sound and images of a performance, but the intimate feeling and environment of the actual artistic rendition can only be captured "live."

With this in mind, treat yourself and your loved ones to a live musical performance this holiday season. All of us at Latin Beat Magazine wish you a sale and festive time of year full of music and art, the best food for the soul and the mind. Feliz Navidad y un prospero año nuevo.