Search Results for: Latin Jazz

Yamira Blanco -Director and tresista of her group Son Latino

Many musical genres that emerged over the years, among them are the salsa genre which was a boom in the decade between the 60s and 70s, being a movement that mixes African and Caribbean sounds, which has been adopted by male artists already that in those times the woman who played a musical instrument was frowned upon and it was not accepted that they were in music, however this did not stop and the experience made the artist and she spent many years, female groups managed to exist in Salsa.

In this October 2021 edition, we have the opportunity to interview Yamira Blanco Ramos, a salsa singer who participated in the orchestra made up of fourteen women who cultivate Cuban popular music, fusing the most traditional rhythms with contemporary sound, also known as “Las Mulatísimas del Sabor ”, have achieved a seal that distinguishes them and are appreciated by both critics and dancers from all over Cuba and from various countries around the world.

Yamira Blanco - Photo — Photo by Yamira Blanco

He was in the hands of the prestigious guitarist Efraín Amador during his beginnings and in turn began his studies at the National School of Art (ENA) and then continues the same at the Higher Institute of Art of Havana (ISA), where he graduated with a Degree de Oro, during his student years he always stood out for his active participation in groups of different formats, from duos to septets; Later, he had the opportunity to participate in the 2001 Mujer International Guitar Festival in Costa Rica, where he performed with the Plectro trio, made up of guitar, tres and lute.

He joined the Anacaona group, starting in September 2006 with his tres to enrich the musical spectrum of the group and after a year (January 2007) he joined the Los Galanes quintet simultaneously, under the musical direction of Armando Vidal , vocalist of said group, with whom he performs a musical work based on traditional Cuban music.

In 2008 he recorded with the quintet the album Suena por mi Cuba with the Egrem label, and later with a small format of the Anacaona group, he recorded in 2008 the musical theme “Parampampan”, for the filmmaker’s musical film Chico y Rita Spanish Fernando Trueba; and after a year (2009) he participated with the Anacaona group in an artistic tour in Canada and also attended different jazz festivals and “World Music”, including the third edition of the Aruba Jazz Festival.

As of 2010 Yamira together with the Anacaona group, on their tour to Curacao they presented the show “Viva Cuba”, with the purpose of raising funds for the fight against breast cancer, organized by the Sinte Rose Foundation of said country. This tour brings the Aruba International Film Festival to a close.

Yamira Blanco in the music studio — Photo of Yamira Blanco posing at the piano

Later they resumed their participation with the Anacaona Orchestra in the Santa Lucía Jazz Festival in 2011, being its 20th edition, where they were together with leading jazz players from the international arena, shining for their improvisations on the different themes that they performed with the orchestra. both on the tres and on the guitar.

In 2012 they celebrated their 80th anniversary of this musical institution, making an extensive tour throughout the country in addition to multiple radio and television programs and in August they performed with the group at the PDVSA salsa festival. , in Venezuela, alternating with salsa groups from that country.

They began to record the album De Cuba soy, in 2013 under the Colibrí label, a phonogram dedicated to celebrating the eight decades of artistic life of the Anacaona group, then Yamira assumed the direction of the Quinteto Los Galanes, being appointed by its vocalist and founder, who decides to retire, so she poses new challenges in the music that is the inspiration of this young and talented Cuban tresera.

In 2015:

I participated in the documentary Mix The World by Grammy nominated filmmakers Alex Elena and Steve’s Baughman.
Son Latino, a music septet that he has directed since 2015, is made up of a format of three, guitar, double bass, bongos, tumbadora, singer, trumpet and minor percussion.
Works multiple genres such as son, song, cha cha cha, bolero, rumba, guaracha, bachata, merengue and the interpretation of current Cuban timba, starting from its purely traditional format.
It is a group that seeks to defend Cuban popular music from more contemporary harmonic and rhythmic sounds, with good taste and a high aesthetic sense in creation, seeking its own stamp with auditory and visual identity.

In 2020 Yarima Blanco becomes a Soundwear artist and records with several guests the CD Pa mi tres, a co-production between the Recording Company and Musical Editions, Egrem, and Soundwear Production that will have its presentation and launch in 2021.

The phonogram is a journey through the sounds of Cuban and Caribbean popular music based on 12 unpublished songs where the authorship of Yarima herself, the Puerto Rican Tomás Pérez and the Cubans Yunior Molina, César Lozada and Juan Antonio Gil stand out.

With musical production by the hand of the Latin Grammy award Roniel Alfonso Mella, they participate as special guests in several of the songs on the album: maestro Pancho Amat, Alain Pérez, Kelvis Ochoa, Rolando Luna, Bárbara Zamora, singer from Anacaona, among other important Cuban musicians.

Now if you want to know the exact list of the different activities that he carried out throughout his musical career, you can see them here:

Participation in Festivals:		Discography
2001	International Woman Guitar Festival, Costa Rica	2006	Cuba le canta a Serrat vol. 2, discography –Discmedi
2009	Aruba Jazz Festival	2007	No lo puedo Evitar, Anacaona -Bis Music
2009	Canadian Jazz Festivals	2008	Suena por mi Cuba– Quinteto “Los Galanes” – EGREM
2009	La Nuits D’Afrique Festival in Montreal Canada	2008	“Parampampan” – tema para el Largometraje Chico y Rita
2010	Aruba International Film Festival	2013	De Cuba soy – Anacaona – Colibrí
2011	20th edition of the Santa Lucia Jazz festival	2019	Lágrimas de la cantante Cassandra Nuñez –Egrem
2012	PDVSA Salsa Festival, Venezuela	2020	Pa mi tres, Egrem – Soundwear Production
2019	Salsa Festival in Bogotá Colombia Park
2020	Jazz Plaza Cuba Festival. Collaboration with Dominican-American Cassandra Núñez.
2020	Concerts and show in tribute to the bolero and its relationship between Mexico and Cuba, Mexico City, under the direction and musical production of Rosario Castro.

If you want to contact this great artist:

Contacto: https://www.facebook.com/yarima.blanco.79
Email: [email protected]

Yma America “We have done a good job, making our Music and Latin Culture known”

“Every time I go out to play, to sing, I show my training and above all I put the name of Venezuela up high and without talking too much”.

She reaffirms that; We have done a good job, making our music and Latin culture known.

It is indisputable the mark that many Venezuelan artists who have decided to settle abroad leave on their way around the world, because they are distinguished by their achievements and place the name of Venezuela in great, making their fellow citizens feel proud of their successes, such is the case of Yma America Martinez, born in Caracas and based in Germany for almost 30 years.

With a musical vein that she inherited from her parents who, she points out, were the fundamental pillar in her formation and career, and why not, for having grown up in one of the most musical parishes of Caracas, the San Agustin del Sur neighborhood, Marin sector, from where great characters have emerged including her uncle, the choreographer and dancer Carlos Enrique Orta (+), who toured with his dance company Coreoarte great stages around the world.

His musical beginnings were with a group created by his father “Los Azulitos Juveniles” where he sang aguinaldos with his sisters and neighbors, to later join the San Agustin Choir at the Don Pedro School “Fe y Alegria”. She received her academic preparation at the “José Ángel Lamas” Music School and at the “Simón Bolívar” National and Youth Orchestra, to continue her cello studies in Paris at the “Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris” and singing and composition at the CODARTS of the World Conservatory of Music in Rotterdam.

It reaffirms that; We have done a good job, making our music and Latin culture known. — Yma America “Every time I go out to play, to sing, I show my training and above all I put the name of Venezuela up high and without talking too much.”

Yma America is a singer, musician, composer, arranger, plays the cello and the cuatro. Her clear and powerful voice makes her very sought after throughout Europe. She has worked with different groups; Kimbiza, Latin Sampling, Francisco Zumaqué, Conexión Latina, Mirta & The Goalgetters, Dúo Ymaya, Cubop City Big Band, among others. He has participated in major jazz and classical music festivals such as the Ruhr Guitar Festival, the North Sea Jazz Festival, the RuhrTriennale, the MusikTriennale Köln, and the Elblandfestspiele. In 2004 her perseverance made her the winner of the international competition “Voice and Guitar” in Saarbrücken-Germany, where she won the first prize together with the Colombian guitarist Andrés Mendoza Villamil.

Another relevant fact in the life of this artist can be seen in the song “Juégalo”, a song she composed and sang for the Bacardi company commercial, which became a hit in the summer of 1998 and 2000. He participated in the musical “King of The Lions”, with WDR Big Band in the main role of the Lilipuz children’s concert “Die schlaue Mama Sambona”; and has performed more than 30 times with the production “Adventure Weltumrundung” of the Fly & Help Foundation.

She has on her shoulders the responsibility of a great project that she is carrying in Germany and wishes to realize in her native country, making music with percussion for deaf people called “FEEL SOUNDS”, because of this proposal in 2010 she was awarded with the Disability Policy of the Innovation Prize of Cologne (KIB).

She assures us that; “The language of music is the same all over the planet”, with this phrase we enter to discover the virtues, dreams, and desires of the interviewee.

How does Yma America define herself?

“It is not easy to answer this, but I think I am a very patient and calm person, too much I would say. I don’t give myself a bad life, fortunately, I have done what I have wanted and desired, thanks to the support of my parents and family in general.” “I am a character to whom, thank the god’s things and opportunities have been offered to me, some I have taken advantage of, others not, there are some which I have not realized in time that they have been there waiting for me and I have lost them. But I can say that I have lived my life, with the ups and downs, good and bad, without involving anyone and that is how I have been leading it and learning”.

Yma America is a singer, musician, composer, arranger, plays the cello and the cuatro. — His musical beginnings were with a group created by his father “Los Azulitos Juveniles”.

Part of his training was obtained through the “José Ángel Lamas” Conservatory of Music and the “Simón Bolívar” National and Youth Orchestra. What do you thank them for and how do you give back your training with them?

“I thank them for part of my training as a musician than I am, because the other part I owe to my family and my people where I come from.” “-Give back-“, I think that every time I go out to play, to sing, I show my training and above all I put the name of Venezuela up high and without talking too much”.

What do you think of the phrase “No one is a prophet in his own land”?

“-I honestly don’t know what it means-“. “I don’t think I would have started singing professionally if I had stayed in Venezuela. I played cello in the National and Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, I played and substituted for the cellists in the Philharmonic Orchestra of Venezuela and in the Municipal Orchestra of Caracas, I sang solo at every party and family celebration, and in reality, I was very quiet at home”.

“I don’t think I am a “prophet” where I am, I always do the best I can and people value it and many times also criticize it, of course”.

Why did you choose Germany and not another Latin American country? How many years have you been living in Cologne?

“I left Caracas in 1986 for Paris-France, thanks to the fact that my grandmother worked for a wealthy family and they offered to help a relative to study abroad, specifically in France because they had relatives there. First, my uncle Carlos Enrique Orta, a choreographer-dancer with a long international career, went many years before, and then I wanted to “take him up on it” after a while”.

“Actually I wanted to study cello for 1 year in Paris and return to Venezuela, but when I finished my 1st year of study at the “Ècole Normale de Musique de Paris”, they offered me to stay and I didn’t refuse. The last year of studies in Paris I didn’t have much money to live and in Köln-Germany lived the musicians of COREOARTE (a Dance Company created by my uncle Carlos Enrique Orta with dancers and musicians from San Agustin), at that time I went every weekend, on Fridays after classes, from Paris to Köln and I returned on Mondays at 6 am and arrived directly to classes in the afternoon, I did that because we played; Renis Mendoza, Felipe “Mandingo” Rengifo, Charles Peñalver, Orlando “El Diablo” Blanco and me in the street to collect a little money and cheer up the streets and faces of the Germans, and with that I could buy food for the whole week in Paris until the following Friday when I returned to Köln. … and so on for many months until when I finished my studies, I decided to move to Köln and the first months I lived with Renis Mendoza who shared his apartment with another boy from Corporate and then I got my room sharing an apartment with a German girl”.

Part of his training was obtained through the "José Ángel Lamas" Conservatory of Music and the "Simón Bolívar" National and Youth Orchestra. — Part of his training was obtained through the “José Ángel Lamas” Conservatory of Music and the “Simón Bolívar” National and Youth Orchestra.

“I lived first in Paris from 1986 until 1990, 4 years and from 1990 until today in Köln, next year I will be 30 years based in Germany, I say “I have my bed in Köln”, because in reality I am almost never at home, thanks to music and life that has given me so much.”

“I never thought, nor have I ever imagined living in another Latin American country, I think that from here, I’m going home… To Venezuela!”.

How has the German public been receptive to Latin rhythms, has there been no resistance?

“At this moment there is a stagnation in the development of activities with Latin music, but in the same way there is more and more receptivity, I know we have done a good job, making known our music and Latin culture, there are several Salsa bands with German musicians, there are more and more dancers, more dance classes, many have understood the message and others interpret it to their wave but there is much atmosphere and places with Latin music, with Dj of Salsa-Merengue and the crap they call Reggaeton music”.

“I must say that some years ago there were more Salsa orchestras with German musicians and there were more Salsa Festivals that unfortunately has been reduced by the phenomenon “Salsa Dj” I think and I’m almost sure, because it is cheaper and people dance the same. That has done a lot of damage to live music”.

What memories do you have of being under the baton of these great maestros Abreu, Aldermaro Romero, Carlos Riazuelo and Yehudi Menuhin?

“I don’t really remember at the moment any particular experience or directly with them. Although I had more contact with maestro José Antonio Abreu, the experience was the same as with many of the members of the ONJV. But of all of them I was always struck by the confidence with which they could dominate and control the number of musicians that an orchestra has and above all that in classical style and pieces the feeling that is transmitted is that of the conductor and not that of the musician or the performer. Of course, they were wonderful experiences”.

How many compositions have you made?

“Honestly, not many, approximately 12 but that have been arranged, played and recorded, only 4.”

Your parents have been promoters of your career, what do you thank them for?

-Chacha!

“My parents are the reason for my profession, it is from them that this Yma America that you are interviewing for my work has come out. Thanks to their way of being, to their offspring, to their education, I thank them for what I am and what I have done… My life”.

Are you still constantly growing, what anecdotes do you have from your time at the “Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris” and the “Conservatoire de Musique du Monde”?

“In Paris, I think, having to change the mentality of learning everything little by little and without haste in Venezuela, to the need to put my batteries because here they do not wait, you have to give it hard and meet daily, plus that prompted me to learn French faster”. “And in Holland to go from being a student to being the singer of the Cubop City Big Band of the conservatory Prof. Martin Verdonk (percussion), Leslie Lopez (bassist) and directed by Prof. Lucas van Merkwijk drums that was strong, especially at the beginning that was to understand how they interpreted Latin music that is something other than Latin Jazz, then we started with Mambo de una, and as Leslie Lopez was the bassist of Puerto Rico there was a balance and there we were learning and getting experiences all equally”.

Working with Lucas and with those wonderful musicians, people with an extraordinary musical level, is very relaxed, zero stress, we have all learned there, the failures and successes have gone hand in hand with everyone. — She works alongside Dutch percussionist and producer Lucas Van Merwijk and is the lead singer of the successful “Cubop City Bing Band”.

How does it feel to work alongside Dutch percussionist and producer Lucas Van Merwijk and to be the lead singer of the successful “Cubop City Bing Band”?

-It’s great!

“Working with Lucas and those wonderful musicians, people with an extraordinary musical level, is very relaxed, zero stress, we have all learned there, the failures and successes have gone hand in hand with everyone. Next year (2020), with CUBOP CITY Big Band we will celebrate 25 years together and for sure something good will be done, something wonderful is being cooked, with the maestro Edy Martinez -pianist, composer and Colombian arranger-, of course, also thanks to Lucas’ wife, Roosje who does a great job, she is the organizer/manager of that crowd and of all the tours”.

Have you surrounded yourself and trained with musicians that due to their quality and trajectory are considered the best, what do you think you have yet to do?

“I have done and learned many things in life, both personally and musically, I think and I know that I still have a lot to do and to learn”.

Hasn’t the language been an obstacle?

“No, musically speaking, no, the language of music is the same all over the planet.” “The French language I had to learn quickly because I came from Venezuela directly to the Conservatory of music, in Holland the classes are in English and I did not have to learn Dutch and the German language has been strong in other daily situations or life in general.”

In which festivals have you participated both in Europe and Venezuela?

-I can’t tell you exactly how many, but in these 30 years living in Germany and making music professionally there have been many, in almost all of Europe”.

You have a project with deaf people in Germany, which we hope can also be realized in Venezuela. Tell us about this musical project and why did you decide to make this the theme?

“TO FEEL – SOUNDS, but as a proper name I named it “FEEL SOUNDS” in view of the fact that the sense of touch is much more developed in deaf people and my work is based on making music with percussion, so the vibration of the sound is what they feel.”

Gestern abend war sehr schön !!! Yma America and Marco Antonio Sanchez Ramirez

“It is a project that I have had in mind for many, many years, exactly 1980, when I was studying “Hotel and Tourism Administration” at the University College of Caracas and doing field work in San Jose de Rio Chico, at the end of my activity and visiting people, they made me a party, drums and fulias until dawn, they were 5 drummers, the father and 4 children and at the end the father tells me that one of them was deaf. And the young man played very well, I never imagined that he could be deaf, he played perfectly and we even danced salsa. And from there I had the idea of working and teaching percussion to the deaf.”

“After all that time, in one of those twists and turns of life, I had courage and started to study “German Sign Language” and planned my workshops, I went to the deaf schools in Köln, many percussionist friends helped me, Renis lent me his drums and plays with us every presentation at the end of the workshops, other friends lent me their rehearsal room to give the classes, my Sign Language teacher supported me looking for money to keep going. … and so, this year I celebrate 10 years of having developed it here in Germany and the experience has been wonderful, every day I learn more and more of this world that I can not imagine, but to see the face of everyone when they feel the vibration of the sound when playing a drum, even hearing people, people without hearing problems, that feeling is unique, fascinating!

Working with children and adults with special conditions is a great challenge, how does it feel to see this experience become a reality?

“I have already been invited to several cities in Germany, Holland and Poland and I want to continue doing it, take it to my country and fulfill my desire to develop it there, carry it out, execute it and make it known in my Venezuela. Although several years ago I attended a conference held by FEVENSOR Federation of the Deaf of Venezuela, with the assistance of several Latin American countries, Spain and Australia, I made an exhibition and presentation of several young deaf people who attended, with the participation and collaboration of Naifer Hernandez and Juan Carlos “El Indio” Betancourt percussionists of San Agustin / Marin, but everything stayed there. Of course I must always be present to be able to move forward, that’s how it is. I lack the economic support because the program, the project, the subjects, the desire, the yearning and the yearnings are already there, but I keep moving and insisting, searching and “curucuteando” until I find the proper support”.

What new projects are on the way?

“We recently started a new Latin American Music Trio project, let’s say from Mexico to Argentina, with Prof. Thomas Böttcher, German pianist, Renis Mendoza, Venezuelan percussionist, also from San Agustín/Marín and me singing and playing Violoncello, we are in the preparations, making videos, propaganda, looking for a program and composing, also in conversations and looking for an agency to sell it and take it forward. The 25th anniversary of Cubop City Big band next year, finish looking for the musical program for those celebration concerts.”

“Continue with my musical project “FEEL SOUNDS”, giving my classes and music workshops to groups of deaf children, youth and adults and from January I start to give talks about this new proposal to students of “Special Education and Pedagogy” to continue moving forward with this and take it forward until I get to Venezuela and the whole world.”

What does St. Augustine Parish mean to you?

“It is the neighborhood where I was born, there is all my childhood and adolescence, I love and respect its inhabitants very much, besides my family whom I love with all my being, there have always been many valuable people there and that multiplies more and more, thanks to the work that artists have been doing and all that educated and fighting generation that lives and has always maintained that contact of training and information with the new generations. San Agustín is the good people who live there, the rest is everywhere on the planet”.

Venezuela in one word?

“-MUSIC-” in capital letters.

Facebook: Yma América

By: Eiling Blanco Correspondent in Venezuela

Article of Interest: Renis Mendoza “San Agustín is like a continent and Marín is its capital”.

Meet The Amazing Fasching Jazz Club In Sweden

The Home Of The Best Live Jazz Since 1977

Group of musicians playing in Fasching — Fasching offers an intimate setting where you get a good view of the stage regardless of where you are sitting

Located in the heart of the Swedish capital (Stockholm), the Fasching Jazz club has been the residence of lovers of this genre for 44 years. Thousands of people certify and endorse it as the protagonist of the numerous presentations of renowned artists or future stars of the national and international music scene.

Fasching has hosted 350 events per year of which more than 70% have been live concerts, obtaining an astronomical total of approximately 80,000 guest artists. In this club, bar, performance area, and restaurant in the Venice of the North, you can also go on stage on Monday afternoons because the upstarts also have their space here.

In Fashing, the art of improvisation thrives!

This home of jazz entertainment can host 360 people, distributed in 110 seated and 250 standing. Some nights they offer live music in the lobby bar with free admission and annually, during the fall, it is the main venue for the city’s Jazz Festival.

In the discotheque there are age limits: only those over 23 years old can stay inside the facilities on Fridays, while people 20 years and older on Saturdays. At concerts, the minimum age to witness them is 18 years old, and most of the time these live performances start at 8 PM and end at 10 PM with a short break between the two sets.

Fasching currently follows the guidelines of the Public Health Agency regarding the number of people in the audience and the respective distance meter between the groups. Likewise, they maintain sanitary measures such as dew on tables and public spaces between concerts at night to keep the risk of contagion low and at the same time keep you safe within the areas of the premises.

History Of Fasching Jazz Club In Stockholm

Melissa Aldana with hat — Melissa Aldana (Chilean Saxophonist)

One of the oldest jazz clubs in Europe is Fasching. The only one that is the principal owner is the Swedish Jazz Musicians Association (FSJ its Swedish acronym) and the Friends of Fasching Association (as co-owner) with almost 2,000 members.

FSJ managed to acquire the current premises located at Kungsgatan 63 in 1977 with state support, thus achieving its highest aspiration of having a meeting place for musicians and the public to help improve the conditions of professionals of this genre and to publicizing Swedish Jazz and its interpreters.

Since 2004, Fasching has been given the task of ensuring the artistic content, initiating and executing several musical and educational activities from the Ministry of Culture, politicians, and even city officials.

At the end of the 80s, this incredible club through the Jazz Musician Association decided to award an annual scholarship to a young virtuoso of this musical style. By 2019, this financial aid had reached the figure of 40,000 SEK due to the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Association and although this year the distribution of this scholarship was not made due to the pandemic, the possibility that be reactivated shortly.

Discover The Alternative To Dance Latin Music In Israel

However, the events in Fasching continue and Chilean saxophonist Melissa Aldana will participate in the Stockholm Jazz Festival which will be organized in the club’s concert hall.

Saxophonist Melissa is credited with exceptional talent and an unmistakable sound. From a very young age, she occupied a privileged place in the Jazz scene of Santiago de Chile. She has performed with Randy Brecker (Spring 2006) and was accepted to Berklee College of Music in Boston (USA) as a researcher and student of composition and improvisation. She graduated and changed her residence to New York in 2009. This same year Melissa was nominated for a Grammy for best solo improvisation and two years later her biggest dream came true when she signed with the Legendary record company Blue Note.

Melissa Aldana, moreover showing her music in countless clubs and concerts in New York City, has shared the stage with figures such as George Coleman, Antonio Sánchez, Marc Copland, Kendrick Scott, and the female group Artemis.

Date: Saturday, October 23^rd

Address: Kungsgatan 63, 111 22 Stockholm, Sweden

Tickets: Tickster

Fasching also broadcasts its concerts live through Facebook free of charge. You have to like their official page, and they will send you a notice when they have a performance live on the doorstep.

By doing so, you will receive a link to the event hours before its start. When the link is active, an image of the Fasching stage will appear, exactly at the time, the concert will be broadcast. Therefore, you will not be able to enter in advance but be prepared for when the clock strikes 8 PM.

Book: Fasching

Lina Nyberg (1996) black & white — Lina Nyberg (1996) Photo: Paul Deker

For more than 40 years, this jazz club has offered nearly 10,000 concerts. World stars such as Chet Baker, Chick Corea, and Wayne Shorter, as well as all the great names of Swedish Jazz have set foot in its concert hall. Fasching is one of the few venues in the world that pays tribute to this genre, thus maintaining its position as one of the major organizers of events in this musical style that has been operating uninterruptedly for decades.

Besides Jazz, here you can listen to related genres such as Blues, Funk, Hip-Hop, and Soul.

But running this club has been a fight for survival on multiple occasions. In the eponymous book, you can go back in time and learn about the success and difficult stages in the history of Fasching including the greatest challenge for Swedish cultural life: the prevailing corona pandemic. All this information is contained in 256 pages with more than 200 illustrations and images in black & white.

The book entitled Fasching is written by journalist and author, Carlsson Bokförlag.

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Mike Arroyo the guitarist Using Jazz to praise God

Mike Arroyo 40/20 The Concert (The past July 19, 2021, San Juan, Puerto Rico)

Using Jazz to praise God, guitarist Mike Arroyo performed yesterday, Sunday, July 18, 2021 at the René Marqués Hall of the Centro de Bellas Artes in Santurce. As Mike himself said in front of a packed hall, yesterday’s concert became a dream come true.

At 4:50 p.m. the first call was heard over the loudspeaker. Seven minutes later, the second call was heard at full volume, which interrupted the public’s excitement as they began to settle into their seats. Five minutes after the scheduled time, the third and last call was heard; which immediately gave way to the greeting of the moderator already on stage, but not before opening the show with the usual invocation. It became clear that although the concert honored Mike Arroyo’s career, during that time the guitarist has dedicated himself body and soul to praise God.

The title 40/20 originates from the 40 years since Mike Arroyo acquired his first electric guitar, an Ovation Thunderhead® that had belonged to the tres player Nelson Gonzalez.

At 4:50 p.m. the first call was heard over the loudspeaker. Seven minutes later, the second call, which interrupted the public's excitement as they began to settle into their seats, was heard at full volume. — Mike Arroyo 40/20 The Concert

The acquisition of the guitar is still an enigma difficult to explain in earthly terms. Thus life, this shocking story, which in 1981 transformed the lives of Mike Arroyo and Nelson Gonzalez paved a path that 20 years later would see Mike’s first Jazz album, Straigth To Heaven (2001) see the light of day. It would be good to bring up the guitar transaction for discussion, but not before exposing the provenance of the guitar.

Shortly before the transaction described here, Nelson Gonzalez lost his house with all the belongings in it due to a fire. To Nelson’s surprise, the guitar, which later passed into Mike’s hands, was not only the only item to survive the fire, but remained intact. That fact alone is incredible, but in the face of a structure that was totally destroyed it looks even more dramatic. Nelson took the surviving item – his guitar – into storage. However, the custodian of the guitar decided to dispose of it as payment in exchange for a service. That third person who received the guitar as payment for that service, must have understood that the guitar had not been acquired in a lawful manner, so he sold it for $140.00 to a young Mike; who had to commit himself to pay small amounts until the agreed amount was paid off.

Shortly thereafter, already in the process of normalizing his life after that same fire that had spared the guitar, Nelson returned to reclaim the guitar from whoever had deposited it. Since the custodian of the guitar no longer had it with him, Nelson set about the task of locating it. Nelson received information about the whereabouts of the guitar itself, which at that moment became – unsuspectingly – the link between the two musicians. Nelson went to Mike Arroyo’s home where he saw with his own eyes the effort the young man had made to get his hands on that guitar.

The respectable Arroyo family explained, the young musician pleaded and Nelson Gonzalez decided to part with the guitar, the only material object that had survived the destruction of the Gonzalez home, to give it to Mike. At that moment, Nelson became Mike’s musical godfather and the guitar became the divine plan that made Mike a pioneer in Sacred Jazz, a Latin rhythm of light and spiritual tonalities. The surprise of the night was the presentation of Nelson Gonzalez with Mike Arroyo, eternally united by the musical instrument that was also the instrument of that divine plan that remains intact.

At that time, Nelson became Mike's musical godfather and the guitar became the divine plan that made Mike a pioneer in Sacred Jazz. — Nelson González y Mike Arroyo

Mike is recognized in the music scene as a pioneer and precursor of “Christian Jazz” with 6 record productions and two video DVD productions. In 2017 he innovated the stages by performing a concert in the traditional format of “Jazz Organ Trio” being Brian Charette and Vince Ector the international guest musicians of that event that took place at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico.

Aware of the need to strengthen us as a people, through his “Jazz with a spiritual touch”; just as 40 years ago Nelson gave Mike that magical instrument, yesterday Mike gave the public a masterful concert, presented by BCC (Breñas Community Church). It should be noted that BCC is the church where Mike has been pastor for 15 years.

The select group of accompanying musicians included the Puerto Rican piano: Luis Marín, Gabriel Rodríguez, Jimmy Rivera, Héctor Matos on drums, José Nelson Ramírez, Tommy Lee on tumbadoras and Giovanny Rodríguez. — Piano of Puerto Rico: Luis Marín, Gabriel Rodríguez, Jimmy Rivera, Héctor Matos on drums, José Nelson Ramírez, Tommy Lee on tumbadoras and Giovanny Rodríguez.

The select group of accompanying musicians included the piano of Puerto Rico: Luis Marín, Gabriel Rodríguez, Jimmy Rivera, Héctor Matos on drums, José Nelson Ramírez, Tommy Lee on tumbadoras and Giovanny Rodríguez in his first performance with his former teacher -Luis Marín-. I imagine that no one will be surprised if it is stated that Luis Marín’s chords were gravitating towards salsa, while Tommy Lee prophesied in correspondence on the leather of the tumbadoras. Also singing were: Yanira Torres, Gilda González, Janet Hernández, Alma Galarza and Vanessa Rosado.

During these 40 years Mike has stood out musically with Christian groups and singers such as Renovación Cristiana, Abba Padre, Manuel Román among others and several recordings. He has participated with the Symphony Orchestra of PR, a Symphony Orchestra in the Dominican Republic, The Quique Talavera Orchestra in the Chucho Avellanet Show accompanying other singers such as Ismael Miranda, Braulio, Tito Rojas among others, The Pijuán Orchestra, where besides the Sextet, he also accompanied Danny Rivera and Wilkins. Mike also had the joy of dedicating a piece with his guitar to his favorite artist Jose Feliciano when he came to celebrate his 50th artistic anniversary in Puerto Rico. With his guitar he has participated in International Jazz Concerts and Festivals (PR, NY, Chicago, Curacao, among others) and has also performed in Germany.

Mike is also a musician/pastor of the Breñas Community Church (BCC) IDDPM.I. in Vega Alta for 15 years and Chaplain of the Police of PR. He is also a Music Teacher in his academy “Mike Arroyo Music” in his hometown of Vega Baja and is a Biomedical Engineer in Clinical Laboratories and Hospitals.

“Mike Arroyo 40/20 El Concierto” was dedicated to his graduating class of Lino Padrón Rivera High School of Vega Baja 1983 and to his “Padrino Musical” Nelson González.

Article of Interest: Tito Rodríguez, Jr. “The Palladium legacy lives on”

By: Bella Martinez “La Escritora Irreverente de La Salsa”

Puerto Rico

The best jazz and cuts of meat at Willie’s Steak House

What is Willie’s Steak House

Willie’s Steak House is one of those places where The Bronx visitors have to go, whether tourists or local residents. This spectacular restaurant with live music has absolutely everything anyone may need to have a nice and lovely time in the company of friends and relatives. The best of cuts of steak mixed with live jazz result in a heady combination that is hard to ignore.

This restaurant specializing in meat offers an impressive menu to be enjoyed by all those who visit at its facility to take their minds off of the routine and the health situation in the world during the last year and a half. In its wide catalogue of options, we can find pork leg, crispy chicken, flame-broiled, pork chop, among many other dishes. As for the side dishes, there are also various options that can be included such as rice with pigeon peas, fried yucca, hash browns, potato chips and much more.

Although the food is wonderful and one of the biggest attractions of the place, we cannot ignore the fact that this space also includes the best jazz that can be found across the Bronx and its surroundings. In addition, it is also very common to invite groups from Puerto Rico to play the guitar, mostly on Saturday. However, the place is not only limited to these musical styles to harmonize the environment for diners, but further has been responsible for bringing artists linked to all kinds of genres and instruments that can make an evening a great opportunity to enjoy the best Latin music.

Image of the ar and the tables at Willie's Steak House — Bar and tables at Willie’s Steak House

The best music and food in the same place

The owners and those responsible for handling the advertising side are always announcing new events and shows suitable for the whole family, primarily related to music. In fact, last month the return of Live Salsa Wednesdays was announced with a different live singer or orchestra each week. This had been suspended indefinitely after the pandemic broke out in New York and other American cities. This was big news for regular customers of the restaurant, who cannot wait to see a live show again after all this time.

Against that background, it is safe to assume that the place provides facilities for private parties, banquets and all kinds of meetings and social events just by contacting the staff of the restaurant to make the necessary reservations. If that is the case, all one has to go into the web portal www.williessteakhousebronx.com, go to the Contact section, leave a comment with the required information or call (718) 822-9697.

As far as open hours are concerned, the place runs on Mondays between 4 p.m. and 12 midnight, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 12 noon to 2 a.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 12 noon to 3 a.m. and Sundays from 12 noon to 12 midnight.

So any of our readers who want to enjoy an exquisite cut of meat with the side dishes from the Island of Enchantment and listen to the best Latin music bands and orchestras, they only have go to Willie’s Steak House to spend a time they will never forget.

Imagen of some tables at Willie's Steak House — Some tables at Willie’s Steak House

Website: www.williessteakhousebronx.com

Phone: (718) 822-9697

Opening hours:

Monday and Tuesday: from 4:00 p.m. to 12 midnight.

Wednesday and Thursday: from 12:00 noon to 2:00 a.m.

Friday and Saturday: from 12 noon to 3:00 a.m.

Sunday: from 12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight