Academy of Cuban Folklore and Dance
ORQUESTA BEMBE PRESENTS THEIR PREMIER CD ,
CARNAVALES. CONSISTING OF 20 MUSICIANS, 9 BRASS PlayerS, 3 SINGERS, AND A LARGE
LATIN RHYTHM SECTION. THEIR AIM IS TO PLAY ORIGINALS WITH MODERN BIG SALSA
DANCE BAND ARRANGEMENTS , THAT RECREATE THE NOSTALGIC NYC DANCE SALON
ATMOSPHERE OF THE 50'S AND 60'S.
The formation of twenty musicians playing
authentic salsa music, Orquesta Bembe started in 2001 in Amsterdam, the
Netherlands, as a jam session for professional musicians from mixed culteres,
with the purpose to play authentic salsa music on a high level. Travelling back
and forth from Puerto Rico to New York in the booming years of salsa music gave
the director and founder of Bembe, Fernando Luis Garcia, the experience to
recreate today the 'on fire' sound of those years and pass his knowledge and
flavour on to other musicians. Under his guidance the jam session grew out to be
a professional big band with a repertoire including all styles like rumba,
guaguancó, cha cha cha, bolero, bomba, merengue and latin jazz; songs from all
the great 'masters' of salsa from the fifties up till now and original tunes by
Fernando Luis Garcia. Being a 20 piece orchestra makes orquesta Bembe unique in
the salsa scene, its reminiscent sound and overwhelming rythms are garanteed to
make any audience dance. Their new cd, Carnavals portrays the different styles
of latin dance music.
The title track Carnavals celebrates the
foundations from which other styles have evolved. No band with the talent bembe
possesses would record without featuring the many jazz soloists that it is
blessed to have.
Track 8, Piden los bailadores ,brings back the charanga groove of the past combining the
big band sound with the violins. As we say in the caribs ( el que no baila es
porque no tiene zapatos).
The founder and director of the band, Fernando Luis Garcia, studied classical
trumpet at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey; and did his bachelors
degree at the conservatory of music in San Juan, Puerto Rico. There he became a
member of the famous symphony orchestra of Pablo Casal. He then played the first
trumpet with Rafael Cortijos' popular salsa band and with the Apollo sound
orchestra. During his masters studies at Tempble Universiy in Philadelphia, PA,
in classical trumpet he also played jazz trumpet with the Philly Joe Jones band.
Since 1985, he has been living in the Netherlands, where he studied both Jazz
and Baroque music at the Sweelinck Conservator. During that time he toured
Europe as a singer for the famous Platters. He did the Boney M show for one
year. Was the principal trumpet for the Amstelveen Symphony Orchestra since
1990. And is the founder and soloist of the 'Barocco Vivace' baroque
ensemble, since 1997.
The table can be sorted once it is fully loaded. |
|---|
| No |
Artist |
Album |
|
Track Name |
Genre |
|
|
Vote |
| 01 | Orquesta Bembe | Carnivales |  | Pide Los Bailadores | cha cha |  | | |
| 02 | Orquesta Bembe | Carnivales | | Carnivales | salsa Rumba | | | |
| 03 | Orquesta Bembe | Carnivales | | Reggaemonton | reggaeton | | | |
