(¡VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑAL ABAJO!)Yea, yea, I know: “Where have you been, Sal? Ages without a blog entry!” And, yes, I kinda got distracted again. I’ve been accused of being easily distracted. And there is some truth to that. But, like my compatriotas say: “It’s all good”. (I really hate that saying, actually. Nothing is ever “all good”. And, as far as distractions go, sometimes I get distracted feo and tumble deep inside my head and I miss the good stuff going on outside it.) But there are also times when I get wonderfully distracted. And this is one of them.
I’ve just finished singing on and co-producing a new album by
Colombian vibraphonist, arranger and bandleader Jorge Emilio Fadul. Xumapaz also appears on one of the
tracks (La brecha), performing Jorge’s
amazing big-as-hell big band arrangement of our tune.
Xumapaz first contacted Jorge Emilio in 2007 while recording our first Colombian release "Xumapaz". Thanks to a recommendation from percussionist Luis Pacheco, who has collaborated with Jorge Emilio over the years, he agreed to record the vibes on Battle Hymn. Later that year, Jorge surprised me with an invitation to sing with his Caribbean Paradise Orchestra at the 2007 edition of Bogotá’s emblematic Jazz al Parque festival. I somehow managed to override the voice inside me screaming, “He’s either joking or trying to get in your pants! You can’t sing that stuff!” and accepted his offer on the off-chance he was serious and prepared as best I could for the first rehearsal, after which, I figured I’d know for sure. Both Jorge and his band of (24!) merry men behaved like the gentlemen they are and I was hooked. Many of you will never know the thrill of singing in front of a wall of brass and copper and goatskin and vibes, but let me assure you, it’s addictive. Thus began the adventure.
We’ve never looked back. (Actually, I’ve looked back almost the whole time, over my shoulder, for the real singer that should have this dream gig and who could probably do it way better then I could, etc. etc.). The same Caribbean Paradise Orchestra reappeared for the Teatro Libre’s 2009 Jazz Fest, sharing the bill that week with Brad Mehldau, Habana Report, Kenny Garrett and Ronald Carter, and that same year traveled to Sincelejo to record a live album in the Plaza de Majagual. On a number of occasions Jorge has invited me to perform arrangements he wrote for me with other big bands around the country. On each of these occasions I’ve had an opportunity to learn from and perform in this new musical idiom. (One of the best and most frightening experiences in a singer’s career.) So when the idea arose to record the repertoire we’d been performing live, and to add to that repertoire some new tunes, enlisting the talents of the great players who have collaborated with Jorge in recent years, I felt honored.
The result is “Alegre encuentro”. Please give it a listen and let us know what you think. And, if you like it, buy a copy and tell a friend. MAKES A GREAT STOCKING STUFFER AND REALLY BREAKS THE ICE AT PARTIES! You can download singles or the whole album at www.jorgeemiliofadul.com, where you'll also find pictures, news, videos and all that good stuff. And, if you're in Bogotá, you can get your "hard" copy at Almacenes Soluciones. Thanks for listening!
Xumapaz first contacted Jorge Emilio in 2007 while recording our first Colombian release "Xumapaz". Thanks to a recommendation from percussionist Luis Pacheco, who has collaborated with Jorge Emilio over the years, he agreed to record the vibes on Battle Hymn. Later that year, Jorge surprised me with an invitation to sing with his Caribbean Paradise Orchestra at the 2007 edition of Bogotá’s emblematic Jazz al Parque festival. I somehow managed to override the voice inside me screaming, “He’s either joking or trying to get in your pants! You can’t sing that stuff!” and accepted his offer on the off-chance he was serious and prepared as best I could for the first rehearsal, after which, I figured I’d know for sure. Both Jorge and his band of (24!) merry men behaved like the gentlemen they are and I was hooked. Many of you will never know the thrill of singing in front of a wall of brass and copper and goatskin and vibes, but let me assure you, it’s addictive. Thus began the adventure.
We’ve never looked back. (Actually, I’ve looked back almost the whole time, over my shoulder, for the real singer that should have this dream gig and who could probably do it way better then I could, etc. etc.). The same Caribbean Paradise Orchestra reappeared for the Teatro Libre’s 2009 Jazz Fest, sharing the bill that week with Brad Mehldau, Habana Report, Kenny Garrett and Ronald Carter, and that same year traveled to Sincelejo to record a live album in the Plaza de Majagual. On a number of occasions Jorge has invited me to perform arrangements he wrote for me with other big bands around the country. On each of these occasions I’ve had an opportunity to learn from and perform in this new musical idiom. (One of the best and most frightening experiences in a singer’s career.) So when the idea arose to record the repertoire we’d been performing live, and to add to that repertoire some new tunes, enlisting the talents of the great players who have collaborated with Jorge in recent years, I felt honored.
The result is “Alegre encuentro”. Please give it a listen and let us know what you think. And, if you like it, buy a copy and tell a friend. MAKES A GREAT STOCKING STUFFER AND REALLY BREAKS THE ICE AT PARTIES! You can download singles or the whole album at www.jorgeemiliofadul.com, where you'll also find pictures, news, videos and all that good stuff. And, if you're in Bogotá, you can get your "hard" copy at Almacenes Soluciones. Thanks for listening!
¡Sí,
sí, ya sé! Dónde has estado, Sallicita?
¡Hace tiempos que no escribes nada! Y, sí, como que muchas distracciones. A
mí me han acusado más de una vez de ser fácilmente distraída, y es verdad. Pero
como dicen mis compatriotas: “Todo bien, todo bien…” (De hecho, odio esa “It’s
all good.” Nunca nada es “todo bien”. Y en cuanto a las distracciones, muchas
veces me distraigo FEO y quedo dando vueltas dentro de mi propia cabeza y
pierdo contacto con las cosas BUENAS que pasan afuera…) Pero a veces me
distraigo RICO, y esta es una de aquellas.
Acabo
de terminar de cantar y co-producir el nuevo disco del vibrafonista/arreglista
colombiano, Jorge Emilio Fadul. Y Xumapaz
aparece en uno de los tracks también (La brecha), tocando el arreglo maravillosamente inmenso que hizo Jorge de
nuestra canción.
Xumapaz
contrató por primera vez a Jorge Emilio en 2007, cuando grabábamos nuestro
primer CD hecho en Colombia "Xumapaz". Percusionista Luis Pacheco había
colaborado durante años con Jorge Emilio y logró traerlo al estudio para que
grabara el vibráfono en Battle Hymn. Luego
Jorge me sorprendió con una invitación para cantar con su Caribbean Paradise
Orchestra en Jazz al Parque (2007). No sé cómo, pero logré callar la voz en mi
cabeza que gritaba “O el hombre te está tomando el pelo o te quiere “comer”…
¡tú no cantas en ese estilo!” y acepté la oferta, con la esperanza de que
hablara en serio… y me preparé lo más que pude para el primer ensayo, durante
el cual Jorge y su banda de (24!) hombres alegres se portaron como los
caballeros que son. Y quedé enganchadísima. Muchos de Uds. jamás conocerán la
emoción que causa cantar en frente de un muro eléctrico de cobres, caña, cuero,
y vibráfono, pero les aseguro que es adictivo. Así empezó esta aventura.
Desde
entonces, jamás hemos mirado pa’tras. (Bueno, yo sí, a cada rato, encima de mi
hombro, buscando a la verdadera
cantante que debía estar en mi lugar, que seguro cantaría mejor que yo, etc.) La
misma orquesta reapareció para el Fesitval de Jazz del Teatro Libre en 2009, compartiendo
el escenario esa semana con Brad Mehldau, Habana Report, Kenny Garrett, y Ronald
Carter, y luego viajamos a Sincelejo para grabar un disco en vivo en la
emblemática Plaza de Majagual. Cada rato me llama Jorge para invitarme a cantar
los arreglos que me ha hecho con otras Big Band en otras partes. Y en cada una
de estas ocasiones he tenido la oportunidad de aprender y gozar de este nuevo
(para mí) idioma. Así que cuando surgió la idea de grabar el repertorio que
veníamos presentando en vivo, y de agregarle algunos temas nuevos, en compañía
de los maestros que llevan años colaborando con Jorge Emilio, me pareció un
gran honor. El resultado es “Alegre encuentro”. Por favor, escúchenlo y
envíen sus comentarios. Y si les gusta, CÓMPRENLO y compártalo con los amigos.
¡ES UN SUPER REGALO NAVIDEÑO! Pueden descargar las canciones, o el album
entero, en (www.jorgeemiliofadul.com)
donde también encontrarán fotos, noticias, videos, etc. El disco físico se puede
comprar en CDBaby (link) o, en Bogotá, en Almacen Soluciones. ¡Gracias
por escuchar!
