"Prietos" Reviews And Summer 2001 Tour Schedule

Prietos Reviews and Summer **** Tour ScheduleCuban composer and pianist Omar Sosa released his new large-ensemble recording "Prietos" (OTA****) last month in the United States (May ****).Distributed by Harmonia Mundi USA (Los Angeles), Prietos is an explosive mix of sounds from Cuba, Morocco, Esmeraldas (Ecuador), Venezuela, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, and the United States.Writing for The Washington Post (May 20, ****), Fernando Gonzalez observes that Sosa's pan-African, pan-Latin sound has grown both more expansive and more sharply drawn.The results have not only musical coherence but also intellectual and emotional integrity.Prietos is a candidate for record of the year in Latin jazz.Billboard (June 9, ****) describes Prietos as a wild ride that careens through Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz, gnawa and Esmeraldeno chants, funk, and post-bop forms.Certainly one of the most passionate and eclectic world jazz titles in recent years.(Philip Van Vleck)Nils Jacobson of allaboutjazz.com (April ****) writes that Omar integrates an incredibly broad variety of styles without sounding forced or pretentious.When the music of Morocco collides with the music of Cuba, Sosa finds enough in common to unite them into a seamless whole.The secret is grounded respect for the African and post-African traditions.Prietos is more a recognition of common ground than any kind of post-modern pastiche.As Sosa puts it in his liner notes: "We are all children of the same Mother Africa".Prietos features over 30 musicians, including Omar's core ensemble: ELLIOT KAVEE (drums), GUSTAVO OVALLES (percussion), MARTHA GALARRAGA (Yoruba vocals), SHELDON BROWN (saxophones), and GEOFF BRENNAN (acoustic bass).On tour with the band this spring and summer is Washington, DC-based spoken word artist SUB -Z.Special guests include Yassir Chadly (Arabic vocals), Robbie Kwock (trumpet), John Santos (percussion), and Maria Marquez (vocals), et al.Distribution in continental Europe (EEU) except Germany, Austria, and Switzerland is by Night & Day Distribution, Paris (Karonte in Spain and Portugal).Distribution in GAS is by Skip Records/Edel Contraire, Hamburg.Distribution in Japan is by Music Camp, Inc. (Tokyo).Distribution in Canada is by Night & Day Canada (Montreal).The touring schedule for the Omar Sosa Septet this summer includes:July 10 Atlantic Jazz Festival, Halifax, CanadaJuly 14 Palatia Jazz, Landau, GermanyJuly 24 Les Fenals, Fitou, France (Duo with Gustavo Ovalles)July 29 Tempo Latino, Vic Fezensac, FranceAugust 5 Evora, PortugalAugust 8-12 Tempodrom, Berlin, GermanyAugust ***** TLG , Tokyo, JapanWatch for our next newsletter with an update on Omar's summer and fall touring schedules.Comments?Questions?Please reply by return email.You'll find more information on Omar Sosa and his recordings on our website, .Omar Sosa has just been named a finalist in the **** International Songwriting Competition Instrumental for his composition Mis TresNotas.1.4%... read moreOmar Sosa was recently nominated for a Latin Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album for his most recent recording, Sentir (OTA****)... read moreWe are pleased to announce that Omar Sosa has just received a Grammy nomination for Mulatos (OTA****) in the Best Latin Jazz... read moreWe are pleased to announce the release of Omar Sosa's new solo piano CD, Calma, set for worldwide release in... read moreTHE OMAR SOSA TRIO LATIN JAZZ WITH A TWIST Cuban pianist Omar Sosa made his Boston-area debut at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center... read moreOmar Sosa will perform this month in France as a Duo with Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles: January 19 MJC, Romans/IserJanuary 24 La...read_p>U.S. RELEASE DATE: February 24, **** Pre-Order on iTunes: February 10, **** Transparent Water is the new studio collaboration between with London-based Senegalese... read moreOmar Sosa Stands at the Head of this Piano Class January 19, **** By Don Heckman Special to The Los Angeles Times The relationship... read moreOmar Sosa has released a number of live, solo piano recordings and a number of live, piano-percussion duo recordings over... read moreRelease: January **** Alma is the new recording collaboration between six-time GRAMMY-nominated Cuban composer and pianist, Omar Sosa, and celebrated Italian trumpet...Omar Sosa received an orchestral commission from Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco and the Oakland Easy Bay Symphony, supported by grants from the Rockefeller Foundation and the MAP Fund (Multi-Arts Production Fund).During *********, Mr. Sosa composed a 45-minute work in three movements for symphony orchestra entitled From Our Mother, which received its world premiere in January **** by the Oakland East Bay Symphony under the direction of Michael Morgan.In ****, Mr. Sosa received an orchestral commission from the city of Girona, Spain and the Festival de Músicas Religiosas y del Mundo de Girona.The 20-minute work for symphony orchestra, entitled Oda Africana, received its world premiere in July **** by the Jove Orquesta Athenea, conducted by Lluis Caballeria.Also in ****, Mr. Sosa received a commission from the Barcelona Jazz Festival to present a tribute to Miles Davis Kind Of Blue recording, featuring Afro-Cuban interpretations of the seminal Davis work on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.The project was performed at L'Auditori in Barcelona in November ****.In ****, Omar Sosa received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts in conjunction with Yerba Buena Gardens San Francisco and the San Francisco International Arts Festival to present a new Omar Sosa Quintet featuring American roots vocalist Tim Eriksen.This collaboration resulted in the **** CD release on Half Note Records Across The Divide, recorded live at the Blue Note Jazz Club in NYC.The project received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Contemporary World Music Album, and a Latin GRAMMY nomination for Best Instrumental Album, both in ****.For May ****, Mr. Sosa has received further funding from the National Endowment for the Arts in conjunction with the Jazz School in Berkeley, California and the San Francisco International Arts Festival, to present a series of workshops with noted Latin jazz percussionist, educator and historian, John Santos, as well as a Festival performance in San Francisco with his primary touring ensemble, Afreecanos Quartet.Mr. Sosa's recording career began in **** with the release of his first solo piano recording, Omar Omar on the Oakland, California-based record label, Otá Records, and has continued with the release of 22 CDs as a leader, resulting in five GRAMMY nominations.These include a **** GRAMMY nomination and Latin GRAMMY nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album for the CD Sentir; a **** GRAMMY nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album for the CD Mulatos, featuring Cuban saxophone and clarinet master, Paquito D'Rivera; and the two nominations for Across The Divide in ****.Another recent work is Tales From The Earth (Otá Records, ****), led by flute player Mark Weinstein.The recording presents a thoroughly cosmopolitan outlook rooted in the rhythmic intensity and improvisatory, call-and-response spirit of Africa writ large.It features artists of Cuban, Haitian, West African, European, African American, and Jewish American heritage, with a shared commitment to the communal, celebratory character that embodies the expressive riches of Mother Africa and features Omar on marimba and vibraphone, which he studied in Cuba's conservatories before switching to piano.A major new project bears the fruit of Omar's first big band collaboration, working with composer Jaques Morelenbaum and Hamburg's North German Radio Bigband.Recorded in **** and **** at the NDR studios in Hamburg, it features Jaques Morelenbaum arrangements of material from the Omar Sosa CDs Spirit Of The Roots, Bembón, and Afreecanos.Jaques Morelenbaum has arranged for Antonio Carlos Jobim, Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, and Cesária Evora, among many others.Omar Sosa-NDR Bigband performances were held at the Banlieues Bleues festival in Paris and the NDR studios in March ****; and will be presented again by the Barcelona Jazz Festival in November **** at that city's famous Palau Música Catalana, with Jaques Morelenbaum conducting.New performing pursuits include a trio with noted Italian trumpet player Paolo Fresu and master Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu.Notable video productions include Light In The Sky, filmed in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil and directed by Aitor Echeverria (from the **** CD release Afreecanos), and the recent DVD release of Omar Sosa's **** Java Jazz Festival performance in Jakarta, Indonesia.For film and television, Omar Sosa collaborated in **** on the soundtrack for the PBS documentary The Judge and the General; and completed the soundtrack for the **** film The Last Flight of the Flamingo, produced by Fado Filmes in Lisbon, Portugal, and based on Mia Couto's famous novel about Mozambique.Mr. Sosa also contributed a musical excerpt to the **** Andy Garcia film, The Lost City.In ****, Omar released his fifth solo piano recording, Calma, which received a Latin GRAMMY nomination.Featuring Omar's unique and original approach to the genre, the CD is comprised of 13 solo piano improvisations, fusing stylistic elements of jazz, classical new music, ambient, and electronica.In January ****, Omar collaborated with celebrated Italian trumpet and flugelhorn player, Paolo Fresu, on the release of Alma.The CD features guest cello contributions on four tracks by the masterful Brazilian conductor, arranger, producer, and cellist, Jaques Morelenbaum.Produced by Paolo Fresu and Omar Sosa for Mr. Fresu's label imprint, Tuk Music, the compositions are written by Omar Sosa and Paolo Fresu, except for Under African Skies, a gentle version of the popular track from the Paul Simon CD, Graceland.Omar Sosa's next studio album, Eggun: The Afri-Lectric Experience, is set for release worldwide in February ****.Eggun, in the West African spiritual practice of Ifa and its various expressions throughout the African Diaspora, are the spirits of those who have gone before us, both in our personal families and those who serve as our spiritual guides.The Omar Sosa Afri-Lectric Experience began as a commission from the Barcelona Jazz Festival in ****.The assignment: to compose and produce a tribute performance to Miles Davis classic Kind Of Blue recording on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.Inspired by various musical elements and motifs from Kind Of Blue, Omar wrote a suite of music honoring the spirit of freedom in Davis' seminal work.Featuring trumpet and two saxophones, Eggun provides a medium for musical elements from Africa to shape and develop the music, and the resulting jazz textures are further enriched by the subtle and expressive use of electronic elements.At the heart of the recording is the spirit of Mother Africa.Following the success of the Kind Of Blue commission, Omar began to include the new arrangements into the repertoire of his regular touring ensemble, resulting in the creation of the The Afri-Lectric Experience.The featured horn players are Joo Kraus on trumpet, Leandro Saint-Hill on saxophones and flute, and Peter Apfelbaum on saxophones and percussion.Omar's longtime rhythm section of Marque Gilmore on drums and Childo Tomas on electric bass create the foundation.Special guests on the project include Lionel Loueke on guitars, Marvin Sewell on guitars, Pedro Martinez on Afro-Cuban percussion, John Santos on percussion and Gustavo Ovalles on Afro-Venezuelan percussion.The CD was recorded primarily in Brooklyn, NY.In January ****, Omar released his 5th solo piano recording, Senses.It was created at EMPAC, the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.Omar was invited to an artist residency at EMPAC in **** by Zimbabwean dancer choreographer Nora Chipaumire to compose music for Nora's dance-theater piece Miriam.The sound score for Miriam received a BESSIE Nomination for a New York Dance and Performance Award for Outstanding Musical Composition / Sound Design.In March ****, Omar released a CD with his Quarteto AfroCubano, entitled Ilé.This recording marked a homecoming for Omar to his formative years in late 80s and early 90s Havana.Ilé means home, or earth, in the Lucumi tradition to his of Cuba, derived from the Yoruba language of West Africa, and it is to the Latin Jazz roots of his native Cuba that Omar returns for inspiration on this new CD.Joining him on the project are three musicians with whom Omar shares a close connection: fellow Camagüeyanos, Ernesto Simpson on drums, and Leandro Saint-Hill on alto saxophone, flute and clarinet, and Mozambican electric bassist Childo Tomas – collectively known as Quarteto AfroCubano.These musicians speak the same musical language, using their Cuban and African traditions as a springboard for creative freedom.Special guests on the recording include Cuban percussionist Pedro Martinez, American guitarist Marvin Sewell, Cuban saxophonist Yosvany Terry, and maestro Eladio Don Pancho Terry on chekere.Featured on vocals is spoken word artist Kokayi.And, reflecting the influence of his extended residency in Barcelona, Omar showcases Flamenco vocalist José El Salao Martín on several tracks, including a version of Cuban trova composer Sindo Garay's La Tarde.Upcoming recording projects for Omar Sosa include a unique collaboration with Senegalese kora player Seckou Keita and Chinese sheng player Wu Tong, entitled Transparent Water, which was released in February ****; a second CD production with Italian trumpet player Paolo Fresu, following their **** release, Alma, featuring Brazilian cellist Jaques Morelenbaum, entitled Eros, and set for release in May ****; and a follow-up CD with the NDR Bigband, featuring arrangements again by Jaques Morelenbaum, entitled Es sensual, was released in Germany in early ****.New touring projects for Omar Sosa include JOG Trio, featuring award-winning German trumpet player Joo Kraus, and folkloric Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles.Their CD, entitled JOG, was released in GAS, Poland, Benelux and Scandinavia in October **** by Hamburg-based SKIP Records.A co-leader project with tenor saxophonist Jacques Schwarz-Bart from Guadeloupe, entitled Creole Spirits, was launched in April **** with a creation residency in Guadeloupe.This gathering resulted in an EPK video produced by noted French filmmaker Frank Cassenti.Omar s second CD with the NDR Bigband Es sensual was released in the U.S. and Japan, et al, in January ****, with arrangements again by noted Brazilian master, Jaques Morelenbaum, and featuring a number of Omar's signature compositions, Cha Cha du Nord, and My Three Notes.In October ****, Omar and violinist-vocalist Yilian Cañizares released Aguas, a very beautiful and personal album.Featuring their compatriot, percussionist Inor Sotolongo, Aguas reflects the perspectives of two generations of Cuban artists living outside their homeland, interpreting their roots and traditions in subtle and unique ways.Songs range from the poignant to the exuberant, and are expressive of the exceptional musical chemistry, poetic sensibilities, and originality of the artists.The material on Aguas is an inventive and engaging mix of the artists' Afro-Cuban roots, Western classical music, and jazz.The album is dedicated to Water, and especially to Oshun, the Goddess of Love and Mistress of Rivers in the Lucumi tradition of Yoruba ancestry known in Cuba as Santería – a spiritual practice important to both artists.As water is synonymous with life, and energy, and strength, and space, the music of the album is inspired by the important influences of water – its hidden powers, its infinite transmutations, and its relentless creation.There is a sense, as well, for Omar and Yilian, of how water represents both separation from, and nostalgia for, the land of their birth.Omar and Yilian will be doing a CD release tour in the Fall of ****, in trio with folkloric Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles.Highlights include a London Jazz Festival show at the Barbican, an NDR 60th Anniversary concert at Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, and two nights at Bal Blomet in Paris.#J-*****-Ljbffr