Afro-Puerto Rican orchestra Kadencia appears on Apple TV+ Series ‘Swagger’
Darlene M. Johnson | 8/17/2023, 6 p.m.
Virginia-based Afro-Puerto Rican orchestra, Kadencia, appears in Season 2, Episode 7 of the Apple TV+ series “Swagger.”
“Swagger” is a basketball drama TV series loosely based on the life of NBA superstar Kevin Durant. Seasons one and two of “Swagger” were filmed in Richmond and feature extras from the area.
The episode premiered Aug. 4 and features original music from the group’s sophomore album “En Otro Barrio” throughout. Songs include “Bagazo,” “Puerto Rico Te Extraño” and “Oye,” which are played in the native Puerto Rican rhythms of Bomba and Plena. The band contributed an authentic Puerto Rican sound to the story of character Nick Mendez, a Puerto Rican high school basketball star playing in the DMV after relocating to America after Hurricane Maria. Members of Kadencia appear in the opening scene of the episode.
Kadencia is an 11-piece band led by the father-son duo of Maurice Sanabria and Maurice “Tito” Sanabria, with members from Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and the Tri-Cities. The band is a member of the Virginia Commission for the Arts Performing Arts Touring Directory and preserves, promotes and plays the Afro-Puerto Rican musical genres of Bomba and Plena, according to its news release.
The band recorded its sophomore album, En Otro Barrio” at Minimum Wage Recording in Richmond. The album was selected as one of the Top 20 albums released by Puerto Rican artists by Puerto Rico’s National Foundation for Popular Culture.
