Our Latin Thing
1972 documentary film directed by Leon Gast
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Our Latin Thing (Spanish: Nuestra Cosa Latina) is a 1972 documentary film directed by Leon Gast. The film documents New York City's emerging Latin music scene, centering on a Fania All-Stars concert organized by Fania Records management at Manhattan's Cheetah nightclub.[1] The film was distributed by A&R Film Distributors,[2] headed by Alex Masucci (Fania Records founder Jerry Masucci's younger brother and Fania Records vice president[3]) and Ray Aviles.
Jerry Masucci
Steven Harris
Thomas Reichman
Burleigh Wartes
| Our Latin Thing | |
|---|---|
| |
| Directed by | Leon Gast |
| Produced by | Larry Harlow Jerry Masucci |
| Cinematography | Ted Churchill Steven Harris Thomas Reichman Burleigh Wartes |
| Music by | The Fania All-Stars, under the musical direction of Johnny Pacheco |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | A&R Film Distributors |
Release date |
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Production
The film grew out of Fania Records's effort to document and promote the New York salsa scene around the Fania All-Stars. The central concert was held at the Cheetah nightclub, at 53rd Street and Broadway in Manhattan, where Fania brought together label-related artists including percussionist Ray Barretto, trombonist Willie Colón, singer Cheo Feliciano, pianist Héctor Lavoe, Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez, Ismael Miranda, and label co-founder Johnny Pacheco. The film combines footage from the Fania All-Stars concert at the Cheetah nightclub with street scenes of Nuyorican life on the Lower East Side. Performances documented in the film and related live releases include "Descarga Fania", "Anacaona", "Quítate Tú", and "Macho Cimarrón".[4]
After the success of Our Latin Thing, Fania increasingly marketed salsa through the Fania All-Stars, emphasizing celebrity, Puerto Rican musical identity, and a broader sense of Latino urban community.[5]
