Search Results for: Latin Tribute

Veruska Verdú woman full of Barloventeña roots currently doing artistic work in Peru

On January 26, 1993 was born in the city of Caracas Venezuela, Cristina Veruska Verdú Mendoza, a woman full of Barloventeña roots.

Currently doing artistic work in Peru,

Veruska Verdú woman full of Barloventeñas

Premiering the songs “ME CANSE DE TI, LA NEGRITA, Y PASITO A PASITO” This is the first advance of “Caminando”, solo album that the Venezuelan artist plans to release this year and which will include songs of her authorship.

Third finalist of “LA VOZ PERU” season 2022, a program of great artistic relevance, where for the first time in the program a participant arrives as a foreign singer to the final.

Singer in Tonny Succar’s orchestra in Peru with Mimy Succar.

Special participation in the video clip, QUIMBARA of the producer Tonny Succar.

Participates hand in hand with the great musician and international producer Tito Manrique creator of the Salsa criolla, nominated to the Latin Grammy and winner of VIÑA DEL MAR. Participating in a solo track on his album Abriendo Caminos with the song and video of the song Taita Bilongo (Peruvian salsa/afro fusion).

From the production of Puerto Rican composer Eduardo Zayas and his project ¨EZ la Banda¨ sings with another legend of salsa singer Rafy Andino singer of the MULENZE Orchestra the song ¨Sabor y Sandunga¨, also recorded a song with Luchito Muños “Dos puntos de vista”.

Veruska fue invitada especial en dos temas de la producción llamada “Huerta de Soneros” con el tema ¨Yo soy la Rumba¨ y otro junto al legendario cantante Johnny Vega (cantante de Cortijo y su Combo) ¨Nació para cantar¨, igual del compositor Eduardo Zayas.

Veruska Verdú, a woman full of Barloventeño roots, is currently doing artistic work in Peru.

Also invited to the production of producer Gerson Zayas, performing the song “Cuando deje de amarte”.

Works with producer and pianist Kike Purizaga, Mario Cuba, singer Carlos Mosquera, with Juan Medrano “Cotito” known as the voice of the cajo of Peru and many more.

Along with producer Alberto Crespo and Daniel Espinoza, recording choirs for the film of Ricardo Rey and Bobby Cruz with Rodrigo Mendoza and Wilmer Lozano.

She is invited to work with international musician Alfredo Naranjo in his project “El Guageo” with singer Edgar Dolor Quijada.

Later they work together with the great Venezuelan musician Nene Quintero in the “Be Jazz Sessions” project also winner of the Pepsi Awards 2019 which sold out all their concerts during the framework of its activities which had international reach.

She sings as a special guest with the classic Sonero del Caribe.

She shares the stage as a duo with Rodrigo Mendoza, singer of Dimensión Latina and of great worldwide trajectory.

She is part of the project “Salsa Master” with the participation of Edgar dolor Quijada, Marcial Isturiz, Rodrigo Mendoza and percussionist Cheo Navarro.

Veruzska was also a special guest in the orchestra “RUMBEROS DEL CALLEJON” of Carlos Padron in which she participates in its production along with the staff of artists such as Wilmer Lozano, Rodrigo Mendoza, Gonzalo Diaz, Memo Arroyave, and international artists such as Tito Nieves, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Maelo Ruiz and Domingo Quiñonez.

He began his musical career when he was only eight years old in the Afro-Venezuelan genre (traditional Venezuelan Afro music). Where he participated in various festivals being in first place in each of them.

Later he joined the ranks of the prestigious “Orquesta Latino Caribeña” of the orchestra system which is directed at that time by the great maestro Alberto Vergara, orchestra with great projection and impact in the country (Venezuela), participating in major festivals in countries like the United States and Colombia captivating the public with his voice.

Pasito a Pasito · Veruska Verdú

All the power of her voice, the flavor and the feeling.

Songs from the album that she is recently finishing the recording of

La Negrita

Pasito a Pasito

Me Canse de ti

It is a great joy for me to share this event with you. My dear friend Veruska Verdu does not stop growing and now she is going all out with the help of Takina Records to make a Celia Cruz Tribute in style.
By: Alberto Valles Salazar.

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The Cuban pianist Chucho Váldes launched his new album “Jazz Batá 2”

East Coast – New York – New Jersey

Chucho Váldes. This virtuous pianist, composer and arranger brings to the music market the sequel of his album Jazz Batá after four decades

Musicians: Chucho Valdés (Piano), Yelsy Heredia (Double Bass) – Dreiser Durruthy (Voice and Superaron Batá) & Yaroldy Abreu Robles (Congas & Percussion) – and Guest artist: Regina Carter (Violin).

After (Forty Six) 46 years, Chucho Valdés returns to the musical arena with Jazz Batá 2, an album that once again shows the creativity of this imposing Cuban music artist.

Jazz Batá 2 of the Latin Jazz genre contains eight tracks recorded in two and a half days in the John Lee´s studio in New Jersey. This ten-handed CD is the mix of classical music from West Africa impregnated in the piano solos with the Jazz Batá (sacred drums, with the hourglass shape of the Yoruba religion in Cuba), Violin, Bass and Percussion that give a sound with personality, rhythmic and lyrical at the same time.

The band in small format for this record production has four supporting musicians: Yaroldy Abreu Robles, Dreiser Durruthy Bombalé, Yelsy Heredia and Regina Carter. The first three belong to the Guantánamo region and they have deep roots in the Cuban musical culture, in addition to having studied at the conservatory.

Likewise and it should also be noted that Chucho Valdés, influential star of the contemporary Afro-Cuban Jazz, established this experimental format to three instruments (Piano, Bass and Batá) for the first time in 1972 with his album Jazz Batá.

The Jazz Batá 2‘s first single, “100 Años de Bebo”, is an unpublished melody whose composition was by Bebo and it’s a tribute to his centenary. This Danzón-Mambo is played by Regina Carter with an introduction and a “Tumbao” final, added by Chucho Valdés.

The tracks: “Obatalá”, “Oshun” and “El Güije” are themes inspired by the Yoruba religion of Cuba (Santería). Oshun is a Haitian merengue with the incursion of the violin, while El Güije is based on a rhythm created by the percussionist Dreiser Durruthy, and he presents it by speaking the sacred language, derived from the Afro-Cuban religion known as “palo”.

“Son XXI” from this new studio album, is a song by the deceased Cuban composer, Enrique Ubieta, who played with rhythmic clusters of Jazz. The first time that Chucho Valdés interpreted this theme was in the Musical Theater of Havana at the beginning of the 60s.

“Luces” is the first Bolero that incorporates Congas and Batá, as well as the harmonies of increased chords. And the single seven: “Chucho Valdés humor” is a “Descarga”, built on a rhythmic three notes (G, B, and C). According to the Valdés’ Words, “It’s like a twister”.

Finally, the eighth track: “El Payaso” is a piano solo, dedicated to Maurice Ravel. This melody was composed by Chucho Valdés when he was a member of the Cuban Orchestra of Modern Music (Founder in 1967). “… I’m a bit avant-garde, I play Batá on the Piano …”, said Chucho Valdés .

With this record production, Chucho Valdés marks a new milestone in his career, a beginning with the record label: Mack Avenue Records, and a significant chapter of his past.

TRACKS:
Obatalá	5. El humor de chucho
Son XXI	6. 100 Años de Bebo
Luces	7. El Güije
Oshun	8. El payaso

Release: November 16^th 2018

Label Record: Mack Avenue Records

Available NOW to download in the entire world!

For more information, please visit:

Web Site: https://www.valdeschucho.com/

Or Follow him for his Social Channel: https://www.facebook.com/valdes.chucho

For more information visit this social medias:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valdes.chucho/?locale=es_LA

Instagram: @chuchovaldesmusic

X (Twitter): https://x.com/chuchovaldes?lang=en&mx=2

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/27mRThsZ9K1BYmz0rioxwp

Jimmy Bosch. The Creole Trombone of New York.

Norteamerica / USA / Nueva York

Jimmy Bosch was born on October 18, 1959 to a Puerto Rican family in the city of Hoboken in the state of New Jersey.

At the elementary school of his hometown, at the age of eleven Jimmy Bosch was offered a trombone which would give the starting point in his career. According to him, that metallic, valveless, long instrument (which was taller than him) was not necessarily what a child dreamed of; Perhaps, at that time, children dreamed of traveling to the moon, or with an electric guitar that would make them look like The Beatles or, failing that, the Rolling Stones. It didn’t take long for that 11-year-old boy to transform this instrument into an expression of his already visible creativity.

At the age of 13, the talented Jimmy was rehearsing with local bands and making his first foray onto the public stage a year or two later. His determination, the Latin blood that ran through his veins and the taste for the genre that had captivated him on so many occasions, led him to play with the most recognized band in the city: Manny Oquendo & Conjunto Libre. His dexterity and ingenuity in playing “moñas” (a section of trombone solos that enrich the melody) helped him to work with them since 1978, which is why it was alongside the Mythical Free Ensemble that Jimmy experienced the freedom to express himself musically with the trombone

On March 11, 1996, Jimmy Bosch debuted with his band at the internationally known S.O.B.’s nightclub. The result was immediate: Publications in the most prestigious newspapers in the Big Apple such as the “New York Times”, praising his excellence and a house full of loyal fans began to crown the dream of this tropical music worker. In this way he becomes a remarkably respected musician and an icon of Latin culture in New York.

His compositions reflect the creativity and depth of who Jimmy Bosch is. He takes his audience on a journey from Bronx-style “funk” to “hot” guajiras, melodious cha-cha-chás, and clearly poetic lyrics awash with feeling. Thus, Jimmy pays tribute to the other teachers who share their presentations generating remembrance and posterity in each one of them.

In 1998, under the Ryko Latino label, his first solo album, “Soneando trombone”, was released. Jimmy included a “Big Band” with renowned Latin virtuoso artists, such as trumpeter Alfredo “Chocolate” Armenteros, bassist Andy González, and singers like Jimmy Sabater and Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez. They played a mix of Latin styles, including “hard sauce,” of which Bosch is one of its greatest exponents. Bosch not only played a virtuoso trombone, but was also the musical director on that recording.

With his recording debut as a solo artist, Bosch scored a definite success on the international scene. In Europe critics welcomed his musical creations. And in the United States, newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times were full of praise for their brilliant performances.

At the beginning of 1999, the popular musician returns to the charts with a new production: “Salsa dura“. In this production, including musicians like Steve Turre and Chucho Valdés, it was as diverse, strong, and tough as his first production. The recording also included songs like I’m Still Changing. For the release of “Salsa dura” the Creole trombonist traveled to Europe and performed on countless stages of the Old Continent.

Persevering in his creativity, in 2004 Bosch received new applause in Puerto Rico, presenting his musical proposal at jazz festivals. His bows have accompanied such important figures in the salsa industry around the planet as the aforementioned Free Ensemble of Manny Oquendo and Andy González, Eddie Palmieri, Ray Barretto, Rubén Blades, India, the Lebron Brothers, La Combinación Perfecta, Cachao, Spanish Harlem Orchestra and Celia Cruz among others. He was the musical director of the outstanding Puerto Rican performer Marc Anthony.

The late creator of the Mambo, Israel “Cachao” López, composed for him the song “Lluvia, viento y caña”. The legendary trombone solo can be heard on the Grammy-winning recording, “Master Sessions Vol. 1” produced by Emilio Estefan and Andy García.

This talented musician stamps his signature with his particular way of playing the trombone, becoming his personal stamp in the music industry. Today, Jimmy Bosch is famous for his explosive solos, full of melody, vibration and funk.

Known by many as “El Trombón Criollo” for the strength of his improvisations, Jimmy radiates his energy to any musical challenge. Jimmy brings us El airplane de la salsa, his latest production, surrounded by high-voltage musicians and soneros.

The road to success for Venezuelan harpist and cultural entrepreneur Ángel Tolosa

Thousands of Venezuelan artists have left the name of the South American nation high in recent years and today we will talk about one of the best harpists of his generation. It is great Angel Tolosa, with whom we had the joy of having a very pleasant exchange in which we touched on certain issues related to his fruitful musical career.

Ángel playing the harp — Venezuelan harpist Ángel Tolosa playing the harp live

Tolosa’s taste for Venezuelan popular and traditional music

Something very important we have to mention about Angel is that he was born in the city of Caracas, Venezuela, so he managed to have a lot of contact with musical genres that were not only Venezuelan, but also from all over the world such as jazz, bossa nova, Cuban son and many others. This gave him a better understanding of music in general and a wider range of genres to choose from.

There are many genres he likes, but without a doubt, Venezuelan music captivated him from the first time he heard it and, as he studied and analyzed it, he became much more aware of everything it had to offer at an artistic level. Ángel claims that ”no one can love what they don’t know”, so he has always been careful to learn as much as he could about Venezuelan music, so his is a knowledge-based love.

Angel and the harp

One advantage that Angel had is that he grew up in a profoundly musical environment, since music was always very important in his home. This led him to get started in folk singing when he was only four years old, which in turn, interested him in the piano and the Venezuelan cuatro. However, what definitely most caught his attention at so early an age until today was the harp, which according to Angel, was part of the life plan that God has for him.

The musician even laughing says he believes that ”instruments are like their owners” since the harp interested him for being peculiar, versatile, elegant and demanding in terms of discipline to be played. These are characteristics that the artist perceives in himself when playing any piece, so he affirms that this is the instrument that most closely resembles his personality and style.

Ángel posing with the harp — Ángel Tolosa posing for the camera with his main instrument, the harp

Ensamble A Contratiempo

When Ángel and his brother José Luis noticed the talent they both had for music and the fabulous combination of what they made in this field, they decided they had to create something together and took the risk of creating Ensamble A Contratiempo, with which they sought to establish a platform on which they could share their musical interests with total freedom and without any restrictions. Angel defines it in short as ”a band with a universal sound, but with well-defined Venezuelan roots”.

Ensamble A Contratiempo’s specialty is the so-called Afro-Venezuelan jazz and blends genres such as jazz, universal music, electronic elements and Afro-Venezuelan roots, resulting in a fresh and original urban sound that leaves no one who might listen to it indifferent.

Something that characterizes this group is that it uses conventional instruments to play in unconventional ways. Ensamble A Contratiempo usually plays the harp, the cuatro, the violin, the bass and Afro-Venezuelan percussion.

Both Ángel and his brother José Luis have enormous prestige and are seen as two of the most prolific art entrepreneurs of their generation and pioneers in the genres in which they perform, so this musical initiative was very well received in all sectors in which it has been heard.

Together, the Tolosa brothers have even been able to design an essential vocabulary for learning to play the Latin harp and even contributed to the redesign of the Venezuelan harp as it was known before them.

Within their extensive discography, we can mention some important titles such as ”Venezuelan Sounds”, ”Katuketi” and ”Ancien Roots”.

Ángel and José Luis — Ángel Tolosa next to his brother, guitarrist José Luis Tolosa

Teaching and Agrupación Oficial de Cultura de la Zona Educativa del Estado Táchira

As if this were not enough, Angel has also worked as a teacher and an important member of the Agrupación Oficial de Cultura de la Zona Educativa del Estado Táchira.

In this regard, Angel explained that he worked for the Venezuelan Education Ministry for more than four years, an experience that helped him to design the educational services he currently offers in his cultural company, which also creates projects for various cultural institutions, universities and art centers around the world.

On the subject of music education, the artist also emphasized that ”this is essential for the cognitive development of each person, the benefits that music has on those who not only have contact with it, but also play it have been demonstrated. Music is so demanding that it drives to have a structured life ruled by profound ethical principles and spirituality”.

Bachelor of arts and ethnomusicology

Angel has said that his Bachelor of Arts has been extremely important for his career as a musician, since from his point of view, ”music is a profession in which all disciplines of the world converge”. Everything he learned during his degree has allowed him to build diverse musical and business concepts under a much more orderly system. This career has offered him the necessary structure for the projects he has started with music, which he appreciates.

In addition to this, Angel has also studied ethnomusicology, which can be defined as an academic area that involves various approaches to the study of music, but with special emphasis on social, cultural, identity aspects and more of this kind. This way of studying and perceiving music combines details that come from folklore, psychology, cultural anthropology and musicology at their most conventional.

On the above, the harpist pointed out that ”Venezuela has a very deep sense of identity” and that the identity of a country is like the face and fingerprint that allows us its distinguishing features and what makes its inhabitants part of a whole. Of course, the typical music of the place is an essential part of what we have said.

Since Angel is a lover of everything about Venezuela, he takes as a starting point his own profession to understand his own country in a much broader and rational sense, which he thinks Venezuelan society should do as a whole. It is necessary to know the concept of nation and of what we are and I don’t see any other road but culture” said the artist on the subject.

It is clear that for the entrepreneur, studying music and its genres from its purest roots is a way to pay homage to the culture which we come from, an example that we should all replicate, even those who are not dedicated to music.

Unstoppable Hollywood Salsa Fest focuses on the importance of Salsa

In the midst of the release of the single in which she collaborated with Edwin “El Calvito” Reyes ‘Dos pa’ lante’, on April 13, 2024; Melina Almodovar performed at the most important salsa festival in South Florida in the U.S. Melina also serves as an entrepreneur, along with her partner Cristina Moinelo, for the past nine years.

“La muñeca de la salsa”, Melina Almodóvar

Each year, the Hollywood Salsa Fest focuses on the importance of salsa music, recognizing that Afro-Latin music fuses us into a culture that draws from diverse roots. This year’s festival – sponsored by the city in a public-private partnership with various businesses – was held at the Artspark at Young Circle.

As masters of ceremony, the festival featured the winning team of “Meca” from Salseo Radio and “El Cacique” from Zeta 93 FM, Puerto Rico’s leading salsa radio station. On the decks was DJ “Boricua loco” with a tremendous selection of salsa, in addition to coordinating from his musical corner the dance exhibitions by the salsa dancers of YC Dance Studios.

The first orchestra in charge of starting the concert, Latin All Stars, counted with the vocal and scenic mastery of Marlon Mendioroz, Yorman Clay, Adrián Marchant, Yomil Rivas and Frank Cróquer, backed by a musical team that did not fall short of the expectations of those who waited patiently for the stage to light up with good salsa. Latin All Stars was followed by “Juano, tu cantante” from Cali, Colombia. The team of musicians of the orchestra with the second shift shined accompanying who for 16 years was part of Orquesta Guayacán.

The trumpet player also performed in the mid-afternoon block, preceding the arrival of the Hollywood Salsa Fest Orchestra in a segment in which they accompanied Hilda Naranjo from Cuba, Fabián Rosales from Chile and Joey Hernández from Puerto Rico.

At around 6:00 p.m., it was the turn of the Cuban sound known as timba, with the Julio Montalvo Orchestra and Miami’s Huracán. Once the hurricane winds that accompanied Julio Montalvo ceased, tribute was paid to the late Venezuelan percussionist Robert Vilera thanks to the staging of Vilera Son. The tribute to Vilera’s legacy featured the talents of Los Gaitanes from Panama, Avelino Romero from Venezuela, El Mola and Braidsman from Cuba, as well as Robert Vilera’s first singer, Felix Argenis.

“La muñeca de la salsa”, Melina Almodovar, was backed by Luigi Flores from Costa Rica on piano and musical direction, Johnny Fortunato from Dominican Republic on bass, Pablo Molina from Venezuela on timbales, Juan Pablo Camacho from Venezuela on tumbadoras, Carlos Molina from Venezuela on bongo, Carlos Perez from Cuba on first trombone, Ramon Benitez from Colombia on second trombone, Carlos Frank from Cuba on first trumpet and Julian Cifuentes from Colombia on second trumpet.

On backing vocals, Melina was backed by: Joe Arroyo from Puerto Rico and Freddy Lugo from Cuba. Melina gave us a first class show. As part of Melina’s performance, “El Calvito Reyes” joined her for the first time to perform the recently released single ‘Dos pa`lante’ as a live duet.

During the afternoon, the festival took place under a beautiful blue sky that kept the crowd’s enthusiasm positive. During the night, the clear Floridian skies kept the attendees dancing at full steam. Of course, to that end, the aforementioned talents kept the stage in salsa.

The festival closed with the always remembered for the classic ‘De barrio obrero a la 15’, Chamaco Rivera, who with a stellar salsa career to his credit, not only kept the audience engrossed in his impeccable staging, but also introduced us to his guest artist, his son: Christian Ray.

Melina contó con el respaldo vocal de Joe Arroyo de Puerto Rico y Freddy Lugo de Cuba

Christian delighted us with his repertoire shortly before inviting us to listen to his recently released CD entitled El legado continúa. To bid farewell to the musical day, which lasted nearly ten hours, the grand finale invited the group of singers who had paraded on stage during the day and part of the night to come in and jam with the “papa de los pollitos” (father of the chicks).

We are waiting to enjoy the next ‘Hollywood Salsa Fest’, for which the businesswomen in charge promise to throw the house out of the window. Melina and Cristina have delivered nine festivals in a row. So see you in April 2025 to dance in the tenth edition of the same.

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