Puerto Rican Music by Plena Es

In South Florida, Plena Es has carved out a space for Puerto Rican music by presenting the island’s distinctive rhythms and percussion-driven music known as bomba y plena to new audiences. Plena music, derived from the African bomba rhythms, was originally forged under colonial conditions in early 20th-century Ponce, Puerto Rico, where African and indigenous rhythms mixed with folk and chamber elements, vocal satire and storytelling to create a new form of urban music.

Founded by Pierre Ramos in 2004, Plena Es features African percussion, trombones, piano, drums, bass and a vocal chorus in an exciting orchestration of Latin dance music with powerful lyrics. As Ramos states in an interview with HistoryMiami about the group’s namesake, “Plena is Puerto Rico.”

“We are very pleased to welcome the public to Mission San Luis for this free performance to experience traditional Puerto Rican music,” said Secretary Detzner. “Plena Es is a group of talented musicians whose dynamic music exemplifies the diversity and depth of Florida’s cultural heritage.”