Pa'lante hosting Latin night

The Norwood culture group Pal’ante is hosting a Latin music night at Rincon Caribino 2 at 111 Lenox St. from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20.

The night will feature singer and guitarist Gian Carlo Buscaglia, an active, local and full-time musician from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Pal’ante founder Mark Negron said Buscaglia is best known for his Balero songs, moving ballads based on romance, or the tragic loss thereof.

“It’s basically a romantic Spanish music, like some of the old school romantic songs like Bésame Mucho, which is a pretty famous example of the genre,” Negron said. “They’re just romantic Latin ballads.”

Buscaglia started busking at Harvard Square when he was 19, about 40 years ago, and, at least according to a recent post to his Facebook page, he is still busking around Cambridge. He sings and plays a rather unique-looking guitar.

“He tries to bridge cultures by exposing people outside of the Latin cultures to the music that kind of unites us all,” Negron said.

Buscaglia has a residency down in Providence at Los Andes, a mainstay in Peruvean cuisine in the city for more than 16 years. While he says his name denotes his Italian ancestry, he is firmly a citizen of Puerto Rico.

“I am from the Future Republic of Puerto Rico,” he said in a press release. “I sing in Spanish, I accompany myself on the guitar and since I've been here for so many years, the nuances of both cultures are in me and I use that as a tool to break barriers between cultures.”

Buscaglia also sings and plays the romantic strains of pre-Revolutionary Cuba known to many by the Buena Vista Social Club, and the social justice songs of the Nueva Canción movement from the 1970s and 1980s.

Negron said he connected with Buscaglia online, and he’s excited to him play live for the first time.

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“I’ve never actually met him but we’ve gotten to know each other over the internet,” he said. “And I’m really excited because the owner of Rincon Caribeano, Pedro Pinales, has two restaurants in Hyde Park, and he has entertainment in other Rincon Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. And while it’s going to be a great opportunity for Gian Carlo to play here in Norwood, this event is also going to showcase Pedro and his restaurant that people are more accustomed to in Hyde Park, but people in Norwood don’t even know.”

Negron said he’s starting to hear some buzz around the event and he’s going to try to travel to get something special for those with a particular taste.

“I’m going to be going down to the city, New York City, to get some Dominican cigars to give out to folks who want them, and it’s just going to be a nice cultural night and I hope a lot of the local Norwood residents here show up and are able to enjoy it,” he said. “I’m very proud of what we’re able to put together here and is an example of what I’ve been trying to do with Pal’ante for the last few months.”

Negron said he is working on more musical nights in Town for residents. For more information on the upcoming Bolero Night, go to https://www.facebook.com/events/2883597682030310