"Voices from Latin America," will be one of the focal points of proceedings at Carnegie Hall this time of year. The month long event has already kicked off on Nov. 8 and will carry on to Dec. 11.
Acts like Brazilian cultural ambassador Gilberto Gil have already performed with the likes of the highly regarded Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel and Cuban Latin Jazz musician Chucho Valdes still to come.
Gilberto Gil performed on the opening night on Thursday and had this insight for audiences of this Latin show and his style.
"The first real influence that led me to decide to be a musician was forró, the northeastern pop/folk music, and especially Luiz Gonzaga, the creator of that style. I was four years old when his first record came out in 1946. Later, when I first heard João Gilberto and the bossa nova songs of Tom Jobim and others, I decided, 'OK, with baiao/forró, Luiz Gonzaga, and now bossa nova, I'm going to be a pop musician."
An act that will soon hit the stage will be that of Gustavo Dudamel and he will bring with him the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela in December. Dudamel who has received numerous awards and is the main conductor to the Los Angeles Philharmonic will be joined by a slew of musician ages 16 to 30 in his Venezuelan ensemble.
Cuban Chucho Valdes brings his Afro-Cuban style to Carnegie Hall on Dec. 1 along with his quintet which comprises of Valdes himself on piano, Yaroldy Abreu Robles on percussion, Dreiser Durruthy Bombale on bata drum and vocals, Rodney Yllarza Barreto on drums and Angel Gaston Joya Perellada on Bass.
Grammy award winning Valdes said about "Voices of Latin America."
"The festival is a tribute to the whole story of a style of music. It's all about identity. You evolve in different directions, and then there are the roots. A man returns to his roots. It's something American, something Cuban. The result is the history of the music and history of Cuba."
Chucho Valdes
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