This Friday, April 27 – Pianist/Composer ARUÁN ORTIZ & Camerata Urbana Ensemble CD Release Party @ IBeam

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Anthony Morris, Aruán Ortiz, Brian Sanders, Francisco Salazar, Katya Mihailova, Luis Casals, Machiko Ozawa, Mauricio Herrera, Pedro Giraudo, Piano, Samuel Marchan, Zoe Hillengas

Pianist/Composer ARUÁN ORTIZ & CAMERATA URBANA ENSEMBLE CD RELEASE PARTY

“This record by a very special artist will go down as one of the most significant works of music. Its power, significance and beauty will forever linger in the soul, where all musical art is enjoyed to the fullest.“- Latin Jazz Corner

Aruán-Ortiz, Santiarican Blues Suite

Presenting Music From Their New CD
“SANTIARICAN BLUES SUITE”
(Sunnyside Records)
IBEAM MUSIC This Friday, April 27th @ 8:30PM

Aruán Ortiz, piano, compositions
Zoe Hillengas, flute
Machiko Ozawa, violin
Lynn Bechtold, violin
Edmundo Ramirez, viola
Brian Sanders, cello
Pedro Giraudo, bass
Enildo Rasúa, percussion
Fransua Sayas, percussion
Paulo Stagnaro, percussion

“The world premier, Pagano y No (Pagan or Not), is choreographed to the music of Aruán Ortiz, which is a compelling combination of the modernistic classical and Afro-Cuban jazz genres.” – World Music Boston

Latin Jazz Musician Alex Garcia Wins Emmy Award

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Alex Garcia, Composer, Drummer

Alex Garcia

The Chilean-born, Cuban-raised drummer, composer, and bandleader Alejandro “Alex” García has won an Emmy® for best Single Spot/Campaign from the New York Chapter of the 55th National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

In a phone conversation from Santiago, Chile, where he was vacationing with his family, García expressed his gratitude to the Academy for the award and talked about the process of finishing his next CD—the fourth with his New York–based Latin jazz-fusion ensemble AfroMantra. The group’s critically acclaimed third CD, Uplifting Spirit (AfroMantra Records, 2007), was pre-nominated for Best Latin Jazz Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards and the Latin Grammy Awards of 2007.

Lettuce To Release New Studio Album ‘Fly’

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Adam "Shmeeans" Smirnoff, Adam Deitch, Brian "BT" Thomas, Catfish Collins/Hearlon "Cheese" Martin, Cochemea "Cheme" Gastelum, Eric Krasno, Erick "Jesus" Coomes, Lettuce, Neal "The Hawk" Evans

LETTUCE Brings The Funk On New Studio Album FLY Due JUNE 5 From VELOUR MUSIC GROUP

Lettuce-by-Shervin

Brooklyn, NY — Celebrating their 20th anniversary as modern day purveyors of old school funk, the seven-piece Brooklyn-based juggernaut Lettuce drops their third studio album Fly on June 5 via Velour Music Group. Having blown up stages from coast to coast last year, ranging from The Fillmore in SF to Terminal 5 in NYC, Bear Creek Music Festival to Camp Bisco and all points in-between, Lettuce entered the studio this winter with a fresh batch of road-tested material and a revitalized sound honed razor sharp by a year spent on the road. The results are a decidedly raging slab of relentless groove, hyper-charged syncopation and psychedelicized soul anthems.

Lakecia Benjamin -][- RETOX – [Motéma Music, 2012 | Review] –

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African American, Arranger, Chris Rob, Composer, Jesse Fischer, Lakecia Benjamin, Saxophone, Shelton Gardner, Solomon Dorsey, The Hotspot Horns

Lakecia Benjamin, RETOX

Lakecia Benjamin -][- RETOX –Mp3– [Motéma Music, 2012 | Review] –

Upon receiving the debut album “RETOX” by the gifted, intriguing, talented and emerging young voice on alto and soprano saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin I was temporarily perplex by her creative yet abstract blend of shapes, tones and flavors not realizing the true depth, quality and tangible sounds this record encompasses.

After a couple of days I decided to revisit “RETOX.” With my second listen, somewhere around the third song I was drawn deeper into the talented Lakecia Benjamin’s affluent, lyrical and composed approach to her attractive arrangements and vigilant song structure on Motéma Music. Lakecia’s voice spawns with impelling force not only as a player, her compositions are fueled with excitement and boldly expressed by her self-assurance artistically.