Search Results for: Salsa
Luis J. Cruz H. – Puerto Rican Trombonist
North America / USA / New York
Luis J. Cruz H. They recognize the Puerto Rican Trombonist
The sound of the trombone sings a seductive melody that fuses the Antillean archipelago into a single town united by strong historical-cultural ties.
The sons and daughters of the Caribbean have left their mark on universal culture, but the libertarian struggles established an umbilical cord that established the dream of an Antillean confederation that has resisted the divisionism that conquering partisans have sown for more than a century.
Luis J. Cruz H, an academic musician from Catañes based in New York with more than thirty-seven years of artistic life, recognized as the Steel Lips Trombone by legendary musicians such as Ángel ¨Papo¨Vazquez (Founder of the Manny Oquendo Free Group of New York, the Baracumbele Experimental Group of Puerto Rico).
Cruz got her start in music at the age of fourteen, when she took an optional music course in middle school. He discovered that he had talent, loved music and wanted to be a musician. The teachers advised him to enroll in the Escuela Libre de Música de Hato Rey in Puerto Rico.
¨I was privileged. I had excellent teachers at the Ramón B. López, Rafael Cordero and Onofre Carballeira schools. They encouraged me to study and listen to the call of my heart. My parents, Luis A. Cruz Vega and Carmen M. Huertas Santiago, were fundamental. My mother has been my greatest source of support and two educators, teacher Edgardo Correa and teacher Antonio Salcedo, are the people who have most influenced my professional development¨ recalls Cruz Huertas.
The love between the trombone and Cruz was one at first sight. ¨I heard the trombone and I fell in love with its sound. Then I petted him. I reach my soul. It’s been more than thirty seven years since I married my trombone and we became one.
He has participated in several orchestras such as José Alberto el Canario, Celia Cruz, Frankie Ruiz, Willie González, Eddie Santiago and is currently the first trombone of the legendary group Boricua Legends of Pedro Pocholo Segundo in New York.
In the coming days of the month of August, he will visit us in Caracas-Venezuela, to participate in a master class on techniques, use and execution of the slide trombone at the facilities of the National Center for Social Action for Music.
Europe – August 2018
Rubén Blades: What a magnificent way to celebrate 70 years of life and 50 of career!
North America / USA / Miami
Rubén Blades
The author of many of the most popular hits in the history of salsa, reached the seventh decade and music has not stopped playing for him.
The indisputable social sense of his songs made the difference in times when the themes of every other song were about love and unloved.
“The poet of salsa” was born on July 16, 1948 in a humble family, in Panama City, leaded by musicians, because his father was a percussionist and his mother was a pianist.
With an amazing multifaceted nature, Blades was the first in his family to go to college; so music was a hobby, like any other. Shortly after graduating as a lawyer, he arrived to Miami running away from Omar Torrijo’s dictatorship.
Since the time of Fania, he has walked through different currents of the same genre and composed the song Patria, which is still the second national anthem of his native Panama. In his last awarded albums, he returns to the company of great orchestras and to an intentional change in his voice to give nostalgia airs to the songs he sings. He has won 17 Grammy Awards and has been nominated 3 times for the Emmy Awards.
He has ventured into film, television and politics. His deeply critical nature does not allow him to ignore injustice and the abuse of power, and does not skimp on making his point of view known. Recently, he hinted his presidential aspirations in Panama for the 2019 elections, and this would not be his first time at the presidency’s run. In addition, he was Minister of Tourism between 2004 and 2009.
Blades has acted in 35 films and three series, and we must add the recently released documentary, “Yo no me llamo Rubén Blades” directed by Abner Benaim. Apart from his apparition in the popular TV series “Fear The Walking Dead”, he recently participated in the film “Hands of Stone” about the mythical Panamanian boxer Roberto “Manos de Piedra” Durán. There is no artistic space which Blades has not dabbled in.
How does he celebrate 70 years of life and 50 of career?
Singing! Although he has stated on several occasions that he wants to devote himself to other artistic facets and perhaps on purpose, he has allowed himself to think retired and then reappear with excellent albums like “Cantares del subdesarrollo” or, “Medoro Madera” the truth is that everybody is wondering, what will Rubén Blades do now, will he retire?
Currently, Blades writes opinion articles and publishes them on his website www.rubenblades.com, while on tour with the Panamanian group Roberto Delgado & Orquesta, until September. As if that was not enough, he prepares a book of poems, two scripts for cinema, is considering a couple of offers for the big screen, and will continue promoting the documentary “Yo no me llamo Rubén Blades” that although HBO has not revealed when it will be released on TV, will continues its journey in film festivals, and on cinema until August 30th in Panama, and 31th in Mexico to start the next premieres.
As a cherry pie will keep us in suspense about his possible presidential candidacy, because ” “antes necesito saber lo que el país quiere y si está dispuesto a abandonar el clientelismo a cambio de un plan nacional a largo plazo” Likewise, Blades clarified that ” no es algo que esté ya decidido “, it is a possibility, which requires society’s “apoyo masivo”.
This year near his 70th birthday, he affirmed without doubts: ” No me despido de los escenarios, sino de las giras de salsa. En este momento tengo muchos otros planes y proyectos y, a mi edad, tengo que priorizarlos”.
Anyway, Rubén Blades is that salsero that integrated action and politics into his social struggle. What else can we ask of him?
The Djembe is a percussion instrument belonging to the family of membranophone instruments
It originated in the ancient Mandinga Empire, approximately between the towns of Bamako (Mali) and Kankan (Guinea), from where it later migrated to Senegal, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso, forming an integral part of the music and traditions of the area.
It is believed that this migration was due to the Numu, who were (and still are) blacksmiths [[professionals considered guardians of certain powers.
They were in charge of making the Komo masks, performing circumcision and ablation of adolescents to mark their passage to adulthood, as well as sculpting and playing the yembes.
As a result of differences in shape, wood density, internal engravings and skin, there is a wide range of tones that can be emitted by the yembe.
Striking the skin near the center produces lower notes, striking it near the edge.
It is struck with the fingers together and stretched, but without leaving them glued to the drumhead, so that the sound comes out.
On the other hand, to produce the highest pitched sound, the slap is used.
The palm of the hand is slightly curved and the membrane is hit with the fingertips.
It is estimated that the djembe was invented approximately 3000 years ago by the African Maninka tribe, who used it as a ceremonial instrument.
The word yembé comes from the Bambara language and means together in peace.
Membranophones are musical instruments that produce sound through the vibration of a taut membrane or drumhead.
The membranes can be made of animal skin or synthetic material and the instruments can be mounted on wooden cylinders, ceramic vessels or gourds.
Membranophones can be played by percussion or rubbing and can have one or two membranes, closed or open bottoms.
Some examples of membranophones are:
– Bombo: A direct hit membranophone whose sound is extracted by striking it with a wooden striker.
– Snare: A membranophone instrument
– Drum: A percussion instrument with a resonance box, which is usually cylindrical, and a membrane called a drumhead that covers the opening of the box.
– Zambomba: A friction drum.
– Cuica: A friction drum
– Juque: A Costa Rican instrument that is a friction drum
– Mirlitón: A blown membranophone instrument.
Membranophone Africa This percussion instrument is of African origin, but its antecedents are Asian (Japan and China) places where it is widely spread and is known with the names “Kelontonga” and also known as “Den-Den Daiko”.
Membranophones. The membranophones produce the sound by means of the vibration of a tensed membrane. The vibration of this membrane can be provoked by hitting it, rubbing it or by voice (humming).
The castanets or “palillos” are a percussion instrument created by the Phoenicians three thousand years ago.
The oldest instrument is the flute, invented by Homo habilis in the Paleolithic and made of bird bone and mammoth ivory, this instrument is about 42 000 years old.
The Divje Babe flute is the oldest instrument in the world and is currently in the National Museum of Slovenia.
Alex Acuna Special Edition Djembe.
The combination of Asian Oak shell, Remo Skyndeep Natural head and premium Gon Bops hardware produces massive bass and impressive volume on Alex Acuna’s Signature 14″ Djembe.
Source: Gon Bops
Also Read: Orestes Vilató es una de las figuras más influyentes en el mundo de la percusión Latina