Rhythms and sounds of Cuban music, born from the traditional tempo of
danza criolla and contradanza - music that emerged from habaneras and
guajira.
Miguel and Paul Armstrong co-founded
Ochún in 2003. the two began to
work closely with the well known arranger/tres player, Pablo Moya on
both Cuban classics and original tunes. Together with Octavio Ponce on
flute and sax, Gabriel 'Chinchilita' Machado and Nestor Villar on
percussion, classically trained bassist Victor Sanchez, John Hines and
Tomer Levy on Trumpet, they fine tuned the unique rythm that has become
synonymous with 'Ochún'. The groups first CD simply named "Ochún" is now
available to be downloaded below.
MIGUEL GARCIA - VOCALS
MIGUEL WAS BORN IN 1947 IN PANAMA CITY TO A CUBAN MOTHER AND A
COLOMBIAN FATHER.....AT THE AGE OF 2, HIS FAMILY RETURNED TO HAVANA
WHERE THEY LIVED UNTIL MIGUEL WAS 14 YEARS OLD.
IN 1961, MIGUEL CAME TO THE UNITED STATES AND PURSUED HIS AMBITION TO
BE A MUSICIAN AND SINGER BY TEACHING HIMSELF THE GUITAR AND STARTING
HIS FIRST POP MUSIC BAND.
DURING THE EARLY 70'S, MIGUEL CO-FOUNDED HIS FIRST LATIN ROCK BAND,
`MACAU', WITH GUITARIST JAIME VILLA AND BASSIST NINO TORRENTE...THEY
PERFORMED WITH MUCH SUCCESS IN THE TRI-STATE AREA FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
DURING THIS TIME, `MACAU' OPENED FOR TITO PUENTE AND `ORQUESTA YAMBU',
AMONG OTHER WELL KNOWN LATIN PERFORMERS.
IN THE MID 70'S, MIGUEL JOINED FORCES WITH A CUBAN GUITARIST, ALFONSO
OSUNA, WHO SHARED HIS LOVE OF TRADITIONAL CUBAN MUSIC. TOGETHER, THEY
ASSEMBLED AN OUTSTANDING GROUP OF 7 MUSICIANS ( AMONG THEM RAUL OSUNA
ON BASS, JESUS FERNANDEZ ON CONGAS, AND A TIMBALERO NAMED ALBERTO
GARCIA) ...THEY PERFORMED THE SON MONTUNO, CHARANGA, AND RUMBAS THAT
SO INFLUENCED THEIR LIVES WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG.....DURING THIS PERIOD,
`OSUNA SON' FREQUENTLY OPENED FOR CHARLIE PALMIERI, TITO PUENTE, AND
OTHERS.
` SON DE HOY' CAME INTO BEING IN EARLY 2002. ONCE AGAIN, MIGUEL JOINED
WITH ALFONSO OSUNA AND NINO TORRENTE TO EXPLORE THEIR NATIVE CUBAN
RHYTHMS...THIS TIME, THEY WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO FIND PAUL
ARMSTRONG, A TEXAS BORN PIANIST WITH A CUBAN HEART. THE REKNOWNED
FLUTIST MAURICIO SMITH AND PERCUSSIONIST RENATO THOMS SOON FOLLOWED.
MIGUEL AND PAUL ARMSTRONG CO-FOUNDED `OCHUN' IN 2003...THE TWO BEGAN
TO WORK CLOSELY WITH THE WELL KNOWN ARRANGER/ TRES Player, PABLO MOYA
ON BOTH CUBAN CLASSICS AND ORIGINAL TUNES..TOGETHER WITH OCTAVIO PONCE
ON FLUTE AND SAX, GABRIEL `CHINCHILITA' MACHADO AND NESTOR VILLAR ON
PERCUSSION, CLASSICALLY TRAINED BASSIST VICTOR SANCHEZ, JOHN HINES AND
TOMER LEVY ON TRUMPET, THEY FINE TUNED THE UNIQUE RHYTHM THAT HAS
BECOME SYNONOMOUS WITH `OCHUN'. THE GROUPS FIRST CD, "OCHUN" IS SOON
TO BE RELEASED.
OCTAVIO MARIO PONCE RUIZ - SAXOPHONE & FLUTE
OCTAVIO WAS BORN IN THE TOWN OF PROVINCIA DE LAS VILLA, CUBA IN
JANUARY OF 1949. AT 8 YEARS OLD, OCTAVIO RECEIVED HIS FIRST MUSIC
LESSONS FROM THE DIRECTOR DE LA BANDA MUNICIPAL, LEONARDO CASTELLANOS....IT
WAS WITH THIS BAND THAT OCTAVIO FIRST PERFORMED PUBLICLY AT THE AGE OF
12.
OCTAVIO MADE HIS PROFESSIONAL DEBUT IN 1963 WITH THE ORCHESTRA THAT
ACCOMPANIED MANY ARTISTS FEATURED AT THE HOTEL `LAS CUEVAS DE
TRINIDAD'.
LATER, IN 1967, OCTAVIO PLAYED THE BARITONE SAX FOR THE SHOWBAND
`MONTE CASINO' IN THE CITY OF SANCTI-SPIRITUS. HE ALSO FOUND TIME TO
EXPAND HIS MUSICAL REPETOIRE BY STUDYING CLARINET AT THE ESCUELA
NACIONAL DE ARTE.
IN 1976, HE PLAYED FLUTE FOR `LA ORQUESTA ESTRELLAS DE TRINIDAD'.....
UPON HEARING HIM PLAY, THE BAND `EL GRUPO YAYABO DE SANTI-SPIRITUS'
INVITED HIM TO PLAY FLUTE AND TENOR SAX WITH THEM....HE PERFORMED
REGULARLY WITH THIS GROUP UNTIL HE LEFT CUBA FOR THE UNITED STATES IN
1991.
ONCE RELOCATED IN NEW YORK, OCTAVIO HAD LITTLE TROUBLE FINDING WORK
WITH SEVERAL LOCAL ORQUESTAS...AMONG THEM `CARIBE BAND', `ORO SOLIDO',
AND `AFRO CARIBE HASTA LA ACTUALIDAD'.... HE HAS ALSO PERFORMED WITH
JOHNNY GALAN AND CHICO ALVEREZ.
NESTOR VILLAR - PERCUSSION
NESTOR WAS BORN INTO A MUSICAL FAMILY IN BOLIVAR, VENEZUELA IN 1973.
NESTOR STARTED HIS MUSICAL CAREER VERY YOUNG - HE PLAYED PERCUSSION
WITH HIS BROTHER'S BAND, `CONJUNTO HERMANOS VILLAR'. THEY PERFORMED IN
VARIOUS CITIES AROUND VENEZUELA.
NESTOR BEGAN HIS FORMAL MUSICAL TRAINING WHEN HE ENROLLED IN `ESCUELA
MODERNA DE MUSICA' IN HIS HOMETOWN OF BOLIVAR. IT WAS HERE HE EXPANDED
HIS KNOWLEDGE OF PERCUSSION IN ALL IT'S VARIOUS FORMS.
HIS TALENT FINE TUNED, NESTOR WAS SORT AFTER BY MANY WELL-KNOWN
MUSICIANS TO COLLABORATE ON VARIOUS PRODUCTIONS.
AFTER RELOCATING TO THE U.S., NESTOR WORKED WITH SEVERAL LATIN
MUSICIANS....AMONG THEM: VIOLINIST ALFREDO DE LA FE, HECTOR MARTINON,
JOHN BENITEZ AND TRECERO ENRIQUE LOPEZ.
PAUL ARMSTONG - PIANO
TEXAS BORN AND BRED, PAUL PERFORMED PROFESSIONALLY IN COLORADO AND
TOURED EUROPE EARLY IN HIS CAREER.
FROM 1993 THROUGH 2000 PAUL RAN THE SKY TRAIL RECORDING STUDIO WHERE
HE PRODUCED MUSIC FOR ORIGINAL ARTISTS, CARTOONS AND COMMERCIALS.
AFTER RELOCATING TO NEW YORK CITY IN 2001, PAUL WORKED AS SOUND EDITOR
AND/OR COMPOSER FOR SEVERAL PROJECTS, AMONG THEM, "THE FIGHTING
FOODONS", A JAPANESE ANIMATED SERIES THAT AIRED ON WARNER BROTHERS
NETWORK AND THE MA-YI THEATRE PRODUCTION OF "SALAD DAYS'.
PAUL JOINED MIGUEL GARCIA AND NINO TORRENTE IN EARLY 2002 TO FOUND THE
CUBAN BAND "SON DE HOY'.....THEY BECAME FAVORITES WITH LOCAL
RESTAURANTS AND WHEN NOT PLAYING IN RESTAURANTS, WERE KEPT BUSY WITH
FUND RAISERS AND PRIVATE PARTIES.
IN 2003, `OCHUN' CAME INTO BEING THRU THE COMBINED EFFORTS OF PAUL AND
MIGUEL GARCIA.....ALTHOUGH HE WAS KEPT BUSY WITH `OCHUN', PAUL
CONTINUED TO WORK ON SOLO PROJECTS....HE PLAYED WITH THE CUBAN BAND
`LA MACHINA AMARILLA' AND THE BRAZILIAN GROUP `ART TROPICALIA'.........IN
2004, HE COMPOSED AND RECORDED THE ENTIRE 15 SONG SOUNDTRACK FOR THE
FILM `MAKING GRACE', AN AUBIN PICTURES RELEASE.
PABLO MOYA - TRES
PABLO WAS BORN IN CENTRAL SOLEDAD, GUANTANAMO, CUBA. HIS FATHER, PABLO
MOYA TELLEZ, LEAD A LOCAL CHANGUI GROUP, AND IT WAS HE WHO GAVE YOUNG
PABLO HIS FIRST TRES LESSONS.
PABLO TRAVELED TO SANTIAGO DE CUBA TO JOIN FAMILY FRIEND ELIADES OCHOA
( OF `BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB' FAME) TO PLAY IN BARS, RESTAURANTS, AND
BROTHELS. KNOWING HE NEEDED TO FURTHER HIS STUDIES, PABLO SOON LEFT
FOR HAVANA, WHERE HE ATTENDED THE SALESIANO COLLEGE, `DON BOSCO' AT
GUANABACOA....HIS MAJOR, NATURALLY, WAS MUSIC.
PABLO RETURNED TO SANTIAGO DE CUBA AS A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN....HE
QUICKLY FOUND WORK AS A GUITARIST WITH THE `MODERN MUSIC CUBAN
ORQUESTA' AND ANOTHER POPULAR ORQUESTA, `THE TAINOS'.
IN 1974, PABLO FORMED HIS OWN BAND, `LOS KARACHI', WHICH ENJOYED MUCH
SUCCESS. THE GROUP WON SEVERAL PRIZES...AMONG THEM FIRST PRIZE IN THE
1979 NATIONAL SON FESTIVAL AND THE 1984 VARADERO 84 FESTIVAL. `LOS
KARACHI' BECAME WELL-KNOWN IN SEVERAL CONTINENTS (EUROPE, MIDDLE AND
SOUTH AMERICA AND THE UNITED STATES) THROUGH THEIR PARTICIPATION IN
MANY INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVALS.
IN 1976, PABLO ENTERED THE UNIVERSITY `GUILLERMON MONCADA'...HE
GRADUATED IN 1978 WITH DEGREES IN ARRANGING AND COMPOSING ...NOT YET
SATISFIED WITH HIS MUSICAL EDUCATION, PABLO CONTINUED TO STUDY AND
TEACH BASS AT THE MUSIC CONSERVATORY, `ESTABAN SALAS'.
WHEN PABLO CAME TO THE UNITED STATES, HE QUICKLY FOUND WORK AS A
TRECERO WITH LOCAL CUBAN BANDS. CURRENTLY, PABLO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR
PLAYING HIS AMAZING TRES AND ARRANGING THE RYTHMIC SOUNDS OF `OCHUN'.
GABRIEL " CHINCHILITA" MACHADO - PERCUSSION
GABRIEL IS THE COMPLETE LATIN PERCUSSIONIST. HE WAS BORN IN THE
RHYTHM -RICH DANCE-CRAZED ATMOSPHERE OF ORIENTE , CUBA. SINCE HIS
ARRIVAL TO THIS COUNTRY, HE HAS PERFORMED HERE AND AROUND THE WORLD
WITH MAJOR LATIN JAZZ MUSIC STARS, AMONG THEM: DIZZY GILLESPIE, LIONEL
HAMPTON, PAQUITO D'RIVERA, DUKE ELLINGTON'S ORCHESTRA, ARTURO SANDAVAL,
JOHN FADDIS, BRANFORD MARSALIS, TIPICA NOVEL, ORQUESTA
BROADWAY, CHARANGA 76 AND ORQUESTA FAJARDO.
JOHN HINES - TRUMPET
JOHN IS A BUSY FREELANCE TRUMPET Player IN THE NEW YORK AREA. JOHN HAS
BEEN PERFORMING WITH SALSA AND LATIN JAZZ GROUPS FOR OVER 25 YEARS. IN
ADDITION TO `OCHUN', JOHN HAS PERFORMED WITH OTHER IMPORTANT SALSA
GROUPS, INCLUDING `SALSA PICANTE' AND `CONJUNTO CHANEY'. HE HAS PLAYED
LEAD TRUMPET FOR MANY ON AND OFF BROADWAY SHOWS AND POPULAR
SINGERS/COMPOSERS - INCLUDING THE TEMPTATIONS, BURT BACHARACH, AND
ARETHA FRANKLIN.
