September
5, 2003
Cuban
Jazz Great to Grace Chapin
Composer
and pianist Omar Sosa brings his unique style of joyful Cuban
jazz and world music to Chapin Auditorium on Wednesday, September
10 at 8 pm.
While Sosa’s music is rooted in the folkloric traditions
of the African diaspora, he always takes an exploratory approach,
never letting orthodoxy stand in the way of his pursuit of freedom.
Sosa offers a lively mix of jazz and Afro-Caribbean rhythms, combining
percussive forays inside the piano with various electronic effects
he manipulates through a series of pedals at his feet. His tempos
are fluid, and his moods change freely. Sosa revels in fun and
funky grooves of Latin jazz, while adding experimental touches
to keep his listeners on their toes.
Sosa’s octet
includes Martha Galarraga (Cuba) on vocals; Gustavo Ovalles (Venezuela)
on percussion; Luis Depestre (Cuba) on saxophones; Geoff Brennan
(U.S.) on acoustic bass; Yassir Chadly (Morocco) on vocals; Josh
Jones (U.S.) on drums; and Brutha Los (U.S.) as hip-hop lyricist/rapper.
The band will bring a mostly new repertoire to MHC, developed
during their European tour this summer. Sosa’s 2002 CD release,
Sentir, received both Grammy and Latin-Grammy nominations for
Best Latin Jazz Album, as well as the Afro-Caribbean Jazz Album
of the Year award from the Jazz Journalists Association in New
York. In March this year, Sosa released his tenth CD, Ayaguna,
a live duo recording with Ovalles. Sosa’s third solo piano
recording, A New Life, will be released this month and is dedicated
to his son Lonious Said Sosa, born in July 2002.
Sosa’s fall tour in the U.S. includes concerts at Carnegie
Hall’s new Zankel Hall, the Equinox Music Festival in Boston,
the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian Institution
in Washington, D.C.
Born and raised in
Camaguey, Cuba, Sosa studied percussion at the prestigious Escuela
Nacional de Musica, before completing his studies in piano at
the Instituto Superior de Arte, both in Havana. After living in
Ecuador, where he learned the music of the African-rooted Esmeraldas,
in 1995 Sosa settled in Oakland, California, where he invigorated
the Bay Area Latin music scene. In 1999, Sosa relocated to Barcelona,
Spain, his point of departure for more than 150 international
concert appearances annually.
This event is presented by the Massachusetts International Festival
of the Arts (MIFA) and is sponsored by the Mount Holyoke College
Office of Student Programs and the Department of Music. Tickets,
which are free for MHC students, are $20 for the general public.
For more information, call 1-800-224-MIFA or go to www.mifafestival.org.
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