Tune in the beat, turn up the heat

>> The Telelatino Carnaval makes its Montreal debut

by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

Tune in to channel 57 on your Vidéotron dial and you'll find Telelatino, a trans-Canadian specialty network with a spicy flair. Those in the know can tell you it's been there for some time.

"We were licensed in '84 by the CRTC," says TLN director of sales and marketing Nick Caccavella, "to serve the Hispanic and Italian cultures--and Canadians at large who enjoy these cultures. Eighty per cent of our programming is from international program providers, so we have top-quality 'telenovela' soap operas, variety shows and live soccer, news in Spanish, sitcoms, international films, kids' shows and specials like beauty pageants--Miss Mexico, Miss Colombia, Miss Venezuela, even Mister Venezuela."

Then, of course, there's the music. That side of things comes to a head with the outdoor Telelatino Carnaval, which for the last five years has happened in Toronto. It still does, but this year they're branching it out to Montreal as well. "What we've tried to do is showcase Latin culture, the food, the traditions and the international rhythms of Latin America--merengue, cumbia, salsa, cha-cha, flamenco and so on. The food is a big part, too. We have Montreal restaurants with cuisines from around the world, Cuban, Venezualan, Ecuadorian, all under one roof, cooking up a storm."

Whatever pounds you put on, you can promptly sweat off to the spread of great tunes they've hooked up. "When the doors open at 4 p.m., there's folkloric acts like Nova Amanecer from Bolivia. At 5 p.m., we've got Asere, a Montreal salsa band, and then we've got the best Cuban dancers in Canada, Calor de Cuba, doing a beautiful, 20-minute presentation at 6 p.m. Then we go into the international acts--D'Talle, a very beautiful and talented all-female salsa band from Cuba. In fact, Chucho Valdès's daughter is in that group.

"They're followed by Azul Azul from Bolivia. Their song 'La Bomba' is a number-1 hit on the charts worldwide, not just in South America. There's La Makina from Puerto Rico--if you go to any Latin club, you'll here two or three songs by them every night. Then there's the king of salsa, Venezuela's Oscar D'Leon, who's one of a kind, wrapping things up with an hour-and-a-half set."

Both TLN Carnavals, Montreal and Toronto, will be filmed and broadcast at a later date. If this one goes well, it'll be another annual event to look forward to during Montreal's summer months. "I want to say that Montreal's a market that's been very cooperative, both French mainstream media and the ethnic market. It wasn't as welcoming in Toronto in the beginning! There's been a huge receptiveness to this event, which is what makes it that much more likable from our perspective."

At Stade du Maurier, Jarry Park, on Saturday, Aug. 11, 4pm, $25, all ages