Los Angeles honors Downey resident for Bolero series

Roberto Carlos was honored by the City of Los Angeles. (Courtesy Photo)

DOWNEY - A Downey resident gained major momentum in his mission to bring Bolero music to the community, thanks to the city of Los Angeles.

Roberto Carlos started the Boleros De Noche concert series in 2015; an annual event focused on maintaining and spreading the genre of bolero music. The concert has featured both local and international Bolero musicians.

“We’ve been really successful, where it’s close to being sold out all the time,” said Carlos.

Bolero originated in Cuba before gaining prominence after arriving in Mexico in the 1940s. It features a guitar and requinto (a smaller guitar typically tuned a fifth higher than a standard guitar), paired with often romantic lyrics and harmonies.

Carlos, a bolero musician himself, says the music inspired him to start the concert series because it connects him to his childhood, family, and culture.

“It’s part of my identity,” said Carlos. “I think I was really inspired by the music, and hoping there was other adults, other community of bolero enthusiasts in the city. For that reason, I said ‘let me open this space, create this space that doesn’t exist.”

The Los Angeles City Council recently recognized Carlos and Boleros De Noche, declaring Aug. 5 as “Dia del Bolero” for the preservation of bolero music in Los Angeles. The proclamation coincided with 6th Annual Boleros De Noche concert series held at the Ford Theatre on Aug. 6, featuring “La Marisoul and the Love Notes Orchestra” and Los Semejantes.

Despite the honor, Carlos says “The work is still not done.”

“I felt a sense of a satisfaction, but still a commitment to continue,” said Carlos. “Eventually the bigger picture and the bigger goal is to create a festival in LA, like at the Hollywood Bowl; to have a larger bolero festival at a larger scale.”

Carlos says the concert series is “not only about the music performances,” adding that it is “a connection to our roots and our culture.”

“It’s much more about the emotional connection, about us connecting to a genre that transcends generations,” said Carlos. “It’s about our families, it’s about representing our communities. It’s about leaving a legacy in LA that for us as immigrants – like me as an immigrant – I can still celebrate something that is so powerful to me, and that was taught to me from my father and probably from his generation.”