Search Results for: Latin Music
José Alberto “The Nightingale” Several genres one style, composer and singer of Cuban music
Cuban Cultural with José Alberto “El Ruiseñor” Nominated for Best Latin Tropical Album “Mi Tumbao”For the 63rd Grammy®Awards.
Hollywood, CA. The 63rd Grammy Nominations were announced on November 24, 2020.
The astonishing surprise was the Nomination of Cuban born José Alberto “El Ruiseñor”, Nominated for Best Tropical Latin Album “Mi Tumbao”.
The excitement is building and it could not have happened to a better man.
José Alberto Tamayo Diaz, aka The Nightingale. Born into a musical family, José’s parents played a key role in his musical journey; his father was a tres player and his mother was a singer.
At fourteen years young José flourished as the leader of the Cuban based band, Grupo Rock Lasser; his charisma and popularity spurred his passion, and the rest is history.
José Alberto has dedicated his love of Cuba through his music. A win for José Alberto on Jan 31, 2021 would make him the first solo Cuban male vocalist to win a Grammy in 21 years, since Chucho Valdez in 1999.
El Ruiseñor confesses, “The Grammy Awards are way up there, it is the Oscars for music, winning a Grammy award would mean a lot to my country.”
Hailing from Bayamo, the capital city of the Granma Province of Eastern Cuba, “Bayamo is my life”, Alberto admits proudly in reflection of his group BNM, Bayamo National Movement.
For over 30 years, Jose has thrived as a prominent citizen of Cuba, and has constantly worked hard for his city, his music and his valuable culture. As the most internationally awarded solo artist of Granma, José Alberto El Ruiseñor has dedicated many songs to his fellow countrymen.
With the pandemic numbers growing, he curated an online philanthropic concert, to recognize the efforts of doctors and nurses titled, “Cuba Saves”, broadcasted from his own backyard. Before the pandemic he was keeping up with his hometown roots by performing every Saturday in the main street of Bayamo.
The album title, “Mi Tumbao” translated to “swag” or “grace to move,” transcends the listener into the origins of Cuban music, and the raw roots of his Cuban nation.
The album breathes three decades of artistic life, composed of Guaracha, Son, Salsa, Cumbia, and Merengue. Homage is vibrantly paid to his influencers and godfathers of Cuban music; Sindo Garay, Ñico Saquito and Miguel Matamoros, all who were introduced to him by his father.
The album has 10 illuminating, action packed tracks, some unpublished and others adaptations of known Cuban classics.
In the feature track “Emigrante” (Immigrant), José narrates the overlooked struggles of migrant life with pure vulnerability, through lyrics such as “This has to change, down ambitions, there is only one heaven in this world, why so many divisions”.
A timely song meant for acknowledging all the current problems brought on by controversial governments. In contrast, José transforms the internationally known anthem, “Lagrimas Negras” (Black Tears), to more of an inspired traditional salsa.
The project is backed by English label Tumi Music. With legendary A&R director Mo Fini at the helm, the UK based label specializes in authentic and original music from all corners of Latin America.
José Alberto’s innate vocal techniques, and the ability to relate to the common man through his music, will captivate and inspire any and all of its listeners.. Miracles do happen and this time it’s all rolled up in a profoundly talented troubadour, José Alberto; he is a force to be reckoned with. If you’ve never heard his music before, now is the time to listen; make yourself a cubano and a cafecito, take the old Victrola for a spin, your feet will do all the work. José Alberto’s contagious rhythmic vocals will get you going!
José Alberto
Tumi Records
www.tumimusic.com
Media Inquiries
Jodi Jackson
JJ Entertainment
323-356-0797
Ayumi “Azucar” Suzuki, she plays Latin percussion, Classic percussion, Marimba & Vibraphone
Ayumi was born in Japan She graduated from the Faculty of Percussion, Tokyo College of Music.
Ayumi was born in Japan. She plays Latin percussion, Classic percussion, Marimba & Vibraphone.
At the college; she began to study percussion in earnest mainly with classic music and gained experience of ensemble in orchestras, brass bands, musicals, operas, etc.
Ayumi “Azucar” Suzuki She plays Latin percussion.
At the same time, she started to organize concerts and participate as percussionist, keyboard percussionist or drummer.
She has been also teaching eurythmics at a nursery school.
In 2015, she started her own band, “Ayumania” that features mostly her original compositions and arrangements, where she fuses Japanese atmosphere into Latin rhythm.
Inviting both Japanese and foreign guests, she has been organizing live concerts in various places in Tokyo.
In July 2017, she released her first album “Oukagekka” in Japan. It has been promoted in overseas radio programs in Colombia, Puerto Rico and New York.
The Japanese vibraphonist, timbalera, composer and arranger Ayumi Suzuki launches her Ayumania debut, a musical production recorded between Tokyo and Los Angeles that includes 7 original numbers – composed and arranged by Suzuki herself – and two covers: Maria Cervantes de Noro Morales and Mi Amore by Naoya Matzuoka. In this album, Ayumi’s speech establishes a bridge between classical and contemporary Cuban music, with different rhythmic touches and influences that have marked his background as an instrumentalist.
Sakura, a beautiful instrumental melody composed by Suzuki herself, highlights Chiho “Isabel” Saito on the violin, as well as Hiromishi “Yan” Tsugaki on the keyboards, and of course, Suzuki on the marimba and the vibraphone.
Ring Loop is a cadenciosa are montuno with outstanding participation of Takashi Nakazato in the congas; La Lluvia, vocalized by the Cuban Julian “El Pillo” Tapia, presents the solos of Mitsuru Tanaka and Ayumi on the trumpet and vibraphone, respectively.
Knock Knock Knock is a festive cut that builds bridges with Caribbean music, particularly calypso, and salsa and in which Ayumi herself punches the timpani and a mind-blowing one in the marimba.
Saredo Danzon, as the name implies, is a danzon that opens with a solo by Hiromichi Tsugaki on the piano while Umihotaru, with vocals by Julian “El Pillo” Tapia, is an afro rhythm in 6/8 with the intervention of Hiromichi Tsugaki (fender rhodes) and Ludwig Esteban Nuñez (drums).
Suzuki offers a tribute to Noro Morales in his legendary composition of Maria Cervantes. In this piece we hear the participation of Jimmy Branly in the drums and an overwhelming solo of Ayumi in his vibraphone, with that way of playing that only she has.
Branly himself performs the drums in the last two pieces;Suzuki achieves a premium opera that honors her at the rumberos school.
With sophisticaded arrangements. with the elegance and the street necessary to position it is as one of the most
outstanding salseras of the international level. It wil surely be one of the best productions of this 2017.
Ayumania
A modern and contemporary material, original and unusual, is the one that establishes this Japanese multi-instrumentalist Ayumi Suzuki, establishing different arrangements and touches to each theme, this Japanese vibraphonist, timbalera player, composer and arranger establishes a thin line between Cuban music and modern, going through bold and effective rhythmic domains.
A material that consists of 7 original songs, two covers and all under the baton of Ayumi.
Sakura emerges with a flow of wind sounds with minor percussions that make the environment conducive to an eclectic and harmonious journey, one of the fundamental pieces to understand the musical transculturation of this talented woman, the violin solo by Chiho “Isabel” Saito and the keyboards by Hiromishi “Yan” Tsugaki and the marimba and vibraphone by the emblematic Ayumi stand out.
A son montuno can not be missing in this material, Anillo De Lazo where a congas solo by Takashi Nakazato stands out, La Lluvia, a song that already rolls through the wide world of the networks in which the voice of Julián Tapia can be appreciated, the trumpet of Mitsuru Tanaka and the vibraphone of the great Ayumi, undoubtedly a 5 star material, a musical base and instrumentalist of first line that give the incomparable recognition to the musical talent of this great artist and in conjunction with the band.
Latin America – FEB 2021
Did you know that the popular, traditional or folk musical manifestations in Dominican Republic came up thanks to Spanish and African music with regards to the rhythmic, tonal and harmonic aspects many years ago? [Read more]
It was founded on February 19th, 1932 by Concepción Castro Zaldarriaga and her sisters, being the first son female Sextet and expanded to the jazz band and typical charanga format… [Read more]
Many Latin American rhythms have been present in different countries worldwide, especially in Latin America because of its culture and customs through time, and in Colombia music has its own history… [Read more]
Did you know that … Carnival is a party that is celebrated all over the world: Carnival has many characteristics and with slight variations in the type of celebrations that depends a lot… [Read more]
Hello there, regular Salsa Escrita readers, here is your ever friend, Professor Carlos Colmenárez MSc, greets you from Barquisimeto, the musical city of Venezuela… [Read more]
“¿What have we achieved?” winner at the Global Music Awards
The Global Music Awards
The Global Music Awards gave a silver medal to the Fahed Miter and Rubén Blades’s video “¿Qué hemos logrado?” The event took place on January 21 in the city of San Diego, California. The announcement was made as usual through the Global Music Awards’ website, an organization that in 2021 will have 10 years since they started with the awards.
The work behind the video
The video is different from the ones we all frequently watch and instead offers something more experimental. The video’s director was Luis Safa, who used around 800 drawings made with Chinese ink and animated all of them, a task that took months to complete. On the other hand, Safa’s direction it’s not the only remarkable achievement, since the person in charge of the video production was the Latin Grammy nominee and winner of a bronze medal this year at the Global Music Awards, Jorge Castro.
The video production and direction are phenomenal, as are the touching lyrics of the song, which was composed by Fahed Miter. These lyrics intrinsically invite everyone to reflect, while they transmit a clear message in all their verses. In this song, Fahed Miter’s voice sounds soft, with a slight tone that perfectly matches the melody that accompanies it, but as if was not enough, the recognizable voice of the incredibly talented Panamanian musician, Rubén Blades, adds an even more sentimental touch.
Focusing on the music, it also has various merits that are worth mentioning, one of them is the outstanding talent of the musicians that participated in the song, such as bassist John Patitucci and pianist Lito Vitale, both world-class musicians. The arrangements of the song were made by Edín Solís together with Vitale himself, by working together they managed to create the perfect melody for the song. In Fahed’s words, the video is “a perfect marriage between music and images, and it was made thanks to the creative freedom of an excellent team”.
In regards to the video, the author of “piel adentro, corazón afuera”, has expressed that his intentions were doing something different from what is usually seen every day, and by watching the video, we can say that the objective was fulfilled; the result of all the work done is a very original video, one where the tone of the music, the animation of the handmade drawings and the lyrics of the song, manage to create a piece of art worthy of at least a silver medal at the Global Music Awards.
Using his Instagram account, Jorge Castro talked about the video too, while also highlighting how complicated 2020 was: “It is almost a prophetic video since although it was carried out before the global Covid-19 emergency, it fits perfectly for the times that we are living in right now. We must celebrate all the good things we have, but we cannot help but show empathy for the global suffering that this pandemic continues to cause.” I’m sure we will move forward with all of this.”