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Allen was born in the Washington Heights section of New York City. As all youths, Allen was attracted to the performing arts, music and dance. His favorite genres of music were Salsa and Latin Jazz. He grew up listening to the renowned Latino greats such as Eddie Palmieri, Ray Barretto, Johnny Pacheco and others. Later he started listening to Cuban music and embraced the beats of Israel “Cachao” Lopez, Arsenio Rodriguez and others. Growing up in Manhattan, Allen was lucky enough to frequent many of the fabulous clubs where these legendary performers entertained and thrilled their audiences. He wanted to capture the moments of these wonderful artists and decided to study photography. He began to network and connected with many of his idols. Currently, Allen does freelance work for many Latino and non-profit organizations, and with his partner, Richard Moreno formed an archival website entitled “MiBarrio.org” whose aim is to enrich the lives of all Americans by displaying photographs, history and art of the Latino culture in New York City. He also is the Director of Still Photography for a new video production company, New York Squadron Productions, located in the Film Center building in mid-town Manhattan. Allen resides in Riverdale, New York and believes that art, music and culture surpasses all human boundaries and is what keeps the human spirit alive. Allen can be reached via email at: MRASpatz@aol.com or by logging on to http://www.mibarrio.org
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