Orquesta Bembe

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.