Yari More Latin Band is one of those groups whose history shows us that dreams do come true and that there is always the possibility to meet our greatest idols. Today, Yari More, with whom we were able to talk a little about his history as an artist and his band, is an example of what Latin artists in general have achieved over the past decades.   

How Yari More first became interested in music 

Juat like most musicians, he became interested in music when still a child. He remembers getting together with his friends from the block to play with makeshift instruments, moments that he keeps in memory and that marked the beginning of what would become his great adult vocation.    

Some time later, he joined the army in his native Colombia, specifically the navy, but that was not the only thing he devoted his time. It turns out that he found a great taste for several of the songs from acclaimed Spanish singer Raphael and started imitating his voice in musical events of the armed forces. He was so good that he began to be called as ”El Rafael de Colombia” by his acquaintances, but the event that would make him see music as a serious profession was yet to come. That came later.   

A night where he was celebrating a friend’s birthday in a night club, another boy in the group asked the orchestra director to let Yari sing with them. The audience liked his performance so much that he started going to the same place every weekend to continue delighting those present with his melodious voice, eventually leading the orchestra he was performing with to offer him the position of singer on an ongoing basis.    

Never in his wildest dreams did Yari imagine such an offer, but he accepted it, so he began to balance his activities in the orchestra with his daily work in a factory at that time. Since both jobs took up so much of his time, he eventually had to decide on just one, which was, of course, music. It can be said that this was the official beginning of his career.  

From then on, he was in several groups both in Colombia and in the neighboring country Ecuador until he was given a great job opportunity in the United States, more specifically in Los Angeles. After some time with the orchestra that hired him there, he decided it was time to pursue a solo career with romantic music.    

Yari More Latin Band 

In the 1990s. he decided to form his own orchestra which he named Yari More Latin Band. Since he already had plans about undertaking such a project, he visited universities and talked to many friends in the industry in order to hire the best musicians he could find for his band. 

His success earned him the possibility of signing with the company RMM Records & Video owned by the popular Latin music promoter Raphy Mercado. This label was the same one that signed ”La Guarachera de Cuba” Celia Cruz, with whom they shared the stage, since Yari More Latin Band was the orchestra that accompanied her in her performances on the West Coast.    

In addition to Celia Cruz, he has also accompanied other musical luminaries like Rubén Blades, Willie Colón, Eddy Santiago, Tony Vega, Tito Nieves, El Grupo Niche, El Gran Cobo de Puerto Rico, Oscar D’ León, Joan Sebastian, Las Chicas del Can and many others. 

Yari says he has learned a lot from each and every one of the aforementioned singers and groups, details that he has added to his own orchestra in order to improve it every day more and more.  

Private Events 

Yari More Latin Band offers its talent for all kinds of private events such as weddings, quinceañeras, corporate parties, charitable activities, award shows, festivals, Latin nights in clubs, among others.  

Yari told us that those interested in hiring the orchestra simply have to contact him through his official website, Instagram and Facebook. These are the channels he uses to agree with the client on the conditions, the place, the date and the economic arrangement.   

‘‘Fortunately, we have a lot of work here in the Bay Area and many events of all kinds for the rest of the year” said Yari on this subject.   

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We have had any number of Latin music artists of various nationalities in this section, but we are pleased to announce that, for the first time, we will tell the story of a Bolivian who brings pride to his flag with his great talent. 

We are talking about Bolivian producer, composer and guitarist Gabriel Navia, with whom we were fortunate enough to talk by Zoom about the most important details of his fruitful career. In the following lines, some of the most important issues addressed in the conversation.  

How Gabriel’s love for music began 

Gabriel tells us that the love he has always felt for music was instilled in him by his parents, especially his father, who was professionally dedicated to it to the point of having his own band. In the 70’s, Eddy Navia, Gabriel’s father, was in an iconic Bolivian band called Sal Y Andina that played instrumental music, much of which was composed by him at the time.   

In his mother’s case, she had a great sense of rhythm and a beautiful voice, so she did her best to make her son learn as much as possible about the fundamentals of music and how to play various instruments. This shows that she was also a key piece in his training as an artist. 

Gabriel also points out that, at home, he and his family listened to music of all kinds, but New York salsa was very important in the path the young man would later take.   

Gabriel and the charango 

When reading a little of Gabriel’s history, we found that he played with his father in the group Sukay, with which he experimented a lot with the charango that, as he explains, is a five-stringed instrument very similar to the banjo. It was the first instrument he played in his life and the one that would inspire him to play the guitar later on.   

After his parents split, his father went to live in the United States and met his second wife, with whom he runs Sukay. That is when Gabriel began to visit the country and, soon after, he was playing in a theater for more than 2000 people. Then, he knew that this was what he wanted to devote the rest of his life to.    

Multi-instrumentalist   

While it is true that the instrument for which Gabriel is best known today is the guitar, it is not the only one he is dedicated to.    

The artist can be defined as a multi-instrumentalist, that is, someone who plays a considerable number of musical instruments with excellence such as piano, saxophone, quena and many others. ”I have always been curious to learn how to play new instruments and learn new things every day. That’s how I’ve managed to specialize in so many at the same time” Gabriel said about this.   

He has become more dedicated to playing the guitar since, during his time with the group Sukay, he had to replace the guitarist who was not available at the time, which makes him feel a special affection for the instrument as he used it. 

Not to mention that some of his instruments were robbed in his native Bolivia and one of the stolen objects was his charango. This event left him so depressed that he put the charango aside for years and devoted himself fully to the guitar, during which time he studied it in detail at a theoretical and practical level. He also began to listen to jazz and flamenco records in which the guitar is widely used, making him experiment with new styles. In this sense, an artist who inspired him a lot was Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucia.   

Music education   

Gabriel has had the opportunity to study in several of the most important musical institutions in the world, which have been fundamental in the professional training of the artist.   

The first thought that came into his head was the Instituto Eduardo Laredo in Cochabamba. He described it as an arts school that has a very traditional style during the mornings, while the afternoons its teachers focus on the musical part. It is here where Gabriel learned all about theory, solfege, harmony, scores and many other important details.    

Some time later, in the United States, he entered the San Francisco Conservatory, where he studied with the famous classical guitarist Scott Tennant. In the same country, he won a scholarship to study some courses at Berklee College of Music.   

In Barcelona, he also received a scholarship to study a master’s degree in flamenco at the Conservatori del Liceu thanks to Fundación Carolina, whose main beneficiaries are Latin American applicants without the resources to study there.    

”I feel very fortunate to have been able to study in all these institutions which have been very important in my career, but I believe that a musician learns the most important things on stage. You can learn all the theory in the world, but if you haven’t had street experience and gone to practice, you will be an incomplete artist” Gabriel remarked on this subject.   

”In fact, I believe that many of the most prodigious musicians in the world have not been trained in academies, but in the streets, because they have had to make themselves from the beginning. Academic education is important, but the main place where music is born is in the heart” he continued.   

Navia Productions, LLC   

Gabriel had always worked as an independent artist, but there came a point in his career when he realized he needed something more to level up.   

Given that the best way to do business in the United States is through registered companies and brands, Gabriel created his own music company which he named NAVIA PRODUCTIONS, LLC, so that his project could be identified with a legally registered entity and avoid any legal problems.    

The company was basically created with the purpose of giving a legal basis to Gabriel’s work to stand on, but he still considers himself an artist as independent as the first day. 

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