Eddie Palmieri

When a titan music mogul, widely known as having the "best ears in the business", is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma.

Santos–Skin to Skin is a film portrait of community activist and seven-time Grammy nominee John Santos, a “keeper of the Afro-Caribbean flame.” Rich in unforgettable musical performances, Santos links the rhythms of his ancestors to contemporary struggles against urban gentrification, social inequality, and racial injustice. His hands on the skin of the conga peel back the legacy of colonialism while navigating the politics of culture and global migration. One of the world’s foremost exponents of Afro-Latin music, Santos, through his mixed Puerto Rican & Cape Verdean heritage, musical storytelling and legendary percussion classes, strives to unite and expand his kaleidoscopic audience.

A singularly unique live performance filmed in Hartford, Connecticut in celebration of Eddie Palmieri’s 50th Year Anniversary as a bandleader of both salsa and latin jazz orchestras. With awe inspiring intensity, legendary pianist Eddie Palmieri proves once again what it takes to be a leader of wonderfully talented musicians as they perform eight of Mr. Palmieri’s most requested hits. In addition, this DVD features an intimate interview of Mr. Palmieri where he offers his personal account, (with surprising reflections), of both his life and music.

Through interviews and performance clips, filmmaker Henry Chalfant explores the history of music in the South Bronx, from the Puerto Rican and Cuban influences that created the local salsa sound to the rise of hip-hop after fires destroyed the area. Artists appearing in this colorful documentary include Eddie Palmieri, Angel Rodríguez, Benny Bonilla, Clemente "Kid Freeze" Moreno, Ray Barretto, Willie Colón, Bobby Sanabria and many others.

One of the rising stars of salsa music in the 1990s, Latin musician Victor Manuelle came up alongside Marc Anthony and La India. This live concert captures Manuelle's talent at one of the world's most renowned music venues: Madison Square Garden. Among the hit songs performed are "Cenizas", "Nuestro amor", "Nuestra historia", "Puerto Rico", "He tratado", and "Tengo ganas".

This documentary examines the musical tastes of Puerto Rico's youth. The terms "cocolos" refers to those who prefer salsa music, and "rockeros" to those who prefer rock music. Through interviews and an array of musical settings, the film explores the young people's feelings in a humorist yet serious manner, bringing to the forefront issues of biases and national identity inherent in this innocent yet very powerful form of social entertainment.

A testimony about Afro-Cuban popular music from its origins to the present day.