Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Performing with Collab Choir @ the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, San Francisco, CA-May, 25, 2024



Last Saturday, May 25, 2024, I had the joy to perform with Collab-Choir, a group of multifaceted talented artists from Oakland, C.A. lead by Cava Menzies, at the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival.

The YBGF is a yearly festival presented during the summer in the Yerba Buena Gardens, in San Francisco, which showcase a great selection of local, national and international artists.

We were accompanied by Melodious, a band of incredibly talented local teenagers who are already great musicians.

We had the pleasure to mostly perform songs composed by the choir members themselves, and of guess artists like Pher, Rob Woods, Satya, and August Lee-Stevens, who also performed with us.

The lyrics of all the songs we performed talked to me directly, as relevant messages of healing and empowerment.

This has been one of the best experiences I have had since I moved to the Bay Area 3 years ago, as another moment to celebrate my love for music, the power of culture and community.

Bellow some pictures of the performance.

All picture credits: Yerba Buena Gardens Festival / Amal Bisharat Photography



Collab Choir with guess artists
Rozz Nash performing her son "Hell Heaven" with Collab Choir.






Rain Lacsamana performing "Dont Walk Away", by Jade
Candace Goodwin making a solo with Collab Choir
Zoe Boston performing her son "My everything" with Collab Choir
Melodious performing with Collab Choir
B. Deveaux performing her song "Dear B." with Collab Choir
Rob Woods performing his song "Cranes" with Collab Choir
Cava Menzies leading Collab Choir, performing Pher's song "Brainstorming"
Rodrael performing his song "Stay Here" with Collab Choir
Allison Jones & Terry Stanley performing with Collab Choir        
Melodious performing with Collab Choir
Pher performing his song "Brainstorming" with Collab Choir

Parris Love performing her song "Neverland" with Collab Choir.

Sarah Vela performing her song "Found Time" with Collab Choir.

Melodious
August Stevens performing her song "Better Places" with Collab Choir


Saturday, July 21, 2018

My company's webpage- Alafia Creative Entertainment.


My company’s website (first phase) is out.

 Please help me share the link & spread the word. Thanks. 🙏❤️🎶











La página web de mi compañía está lista en su primera parte. 
Ayúdame a compartir el link y regar la voz. Gracias.👌🏽


Friday, July 13, 2018

Lanzamiento de Alafia Creative Entertainment y del video "A CHI CHA RAO" de Sol + The Tribu. El Nuevo Herald

SoL + The Tribu

Lanzamiento de Alafia Creative Entertainment y del video “A CHI CHA RAO” de SoL + The Tribu

11 de julio de 2018 03:30 PM

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Student presentation about Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Paquito de Rivera, Arturo Sandoval and Ignacio Berroa-Migration-Spanish as a Second Language-Eva Silot Bravo, PhD.-University of Miami


This is a class presentation made by student Gabriella Victoria Kayal, in the class SPA 340 on Migration: Literature, Cultural Studies, Cuban Studies, Identity, Music, AfroCuban Jazz and Diaspora I'm teaching at the Modern Languages Department, University of Miami, Spring 2018.



Eva Silot Bravo, PhD. (All Rights Reserved)



Sunday, March 18, 2018

YUSA in Concert! Friday, March 23th. 9:30 pm. Fountain Terrace. Hialeah Park Racing and Casino. Alafia Creative Entertainment





Internationally acclaimed and Grammy nominated musician, composer, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist YUSA is hitting the stage again! 



YUSA is nowadays one of the most successful Cuban women musicians worldwide, specially in the world music and jazz scenes. She has an impressive career, including several nominations, awards, special collaborations and residencies in Europe, Japan, South America and the U.S.

This time YUSA will present an unforgettable concert with her quartet at the Fountain Terrace in Hialeah Park Racing and Casino, a unique architectural and historical jewel still to be discovered for many Miami residences. 

For this concert, YUSA will delight fans and live music lovers with a comprehensive musical journey across her best songs and recordings.



YUSA will be accompanied by great local talent: Armando Guerra ( drums) Jennifer Hernandez ( keyboard and vocal) Manuel Orza ( elect. Bass) Yusa ( Guit/ Bass/ Tres/ Lead Vocal) 



This Event is Free and Open to the Public!

Event FB page with more details.







Thursday, March 8, 2018

Where Jazz and World Music Become One, GroundUp Style. An article about GroundUp Music Festival.

BandShell, Miami Beach

Where Jazz and World Music Become One, GroundUp Style.

By Eva Silot Bravo, PhD. (All Rights Reserved)

GroundUp Festival Logo
The 2nd edition of GroundUp Music Festival took place at the North Beach Bandshell in Miami Beach, February 9-11, 2018. The festival was founded last year by the brilliant and talented Michael League, director of multi Grammy-winning band Snarky Puppy and the GroundUp music label. The three-day event took place each day within the Bandshell and surrounding oceanfront park from noon until 11pm – concerts alternating between two stages, as well as intimate artist-led workshops. After-concert jam sessions went late in the night at a nearby hotel.


Throughout the festival League played with numerous bands, mingling and integrating smoothly with any type of format and music performed by his invitees. After more than a decade of work including the days with Snarky Puppy at the University of Northern Texas, GroundUp feels like a vision come true for League. He has been touring all over the world and collaborating non-stop with some of the best young and established musicians from all artistic genres. At a time of critical shifting in the music industry, League is breaking ground on his own terms with an underground approach and a little help from some friends. He has put together an independent music label and this annual world-class music reunion in Miami, a city not usually part of jazz fest circuits. Addressing the audience, League repeatedly expressed his joy to hold this festival as a celebration and opportunity to collaborate and celebrate with friends whose music he truly enjoys. 
  
One of the festival’s highlights was Snarky Puppy’s daily performance to a packed, enthusiastic and educated crowd of music fans. You could easily feel a great vibe of collaboration among all musicians involved. Jazz was an important musical language at GroundUp fest. It was also the perfect excuse to promote a space for exchange and encounter among musicians and music lovers. In only two years, GroundUp fest has become an inspiring cultural enterprise that only seems to get better. 


The festival’s mind-blowing lineup created many memorable moments including a concert by Weedie Braimah and the Hands of Time. Weedie is a Ghanian-born, St. Louis- raised, world-class percussionist, who showcased an insane talent as a performer and bandleader. The music ensemble utilized handmade African instruments including Djembe drums, balafon, shekere and kora. The band unveiled a real passion, soul and musicianship in their electric fusion of jazz and funk with West African music. MonoNeon, Prince’s last bass player, added a colorful intervention to Weedie’s band. 

Weedie Braimah and the Hands of Time
After that, I thought it was going to be difficult to experience anything better. But my predictions were overruled. Most of the festival’s music acts were noteworthy, to the point of being difficult to choose a favorite. 

Roosevelt Collier
Roosevelt Collier offered another unforgettable experience. He put together an extremely powerful jazz/hip-hop/gospel/groovy music band. Closing your eyes during his band’s performance felt like being inside an African-American evangelist church in Harlem, Little Haiti, Miami, or elsewhere USA listening to the most exquisite gospel music crafted with a fulfilling organ sound. After a bridge, the music suddenly transported the audience to another mood. Collier’s band flawless and funky performance was matched by his soulful sound and great skills on a wood lap steel guitar, Nashville style. Roosevelt Collier gave an uplifting concert that could take the audience to unimaginable places.

Banda Magda workshop
Magda Giannikou’s appearances at the beach workshop and on stage were memorable. Born in Greece, she leads Magda Banda, a New York based multicultural band that engages with an array of genres from jazz, Greek folk, South-American music to French chanson.  She is also a multi talented musician, band conductor, composer and multilingual singer that speaks indistinctly in Greek, French, English and Spanish. For the workshop Magda was joined by a drum circle at the beach. In this interactive workshop the audience was divided into several groups. Madga acted as a conductor, providing different vocal lines to each group’s leader. The organized improvisation turned into a nice vocal adventure, creating another moment of connection and joy. Later that night, she played at the Bandshell stage, joined by other Snarky Puppy musicians as well as Emily Estefan on vocals, and legendary singer, guitar and tres guitar player Eliades Ochoa of Buena Vista Social Club fame.
Paris Monster
The Paris Monster concert was electrifying. Josh Dion, lead singer of this two-man band, sings like a rock star, jamming on keyboards with his right hand and the drums with his left hand and leg. You could say he is a percussionist for his incredible sense of rhythm and the beat driven feeling of his music, but that’s an understatement. Paris Monster’s music is an unexpected fusion of rock, pop, garage, and funk-infused with intriguing electronic and synthesizer effects. An attractive light show and fog enhanced Paris Monster’s concert.

Harold Lopez-Nussa Trio
Equally mesmerizing were the performances of recognized jazz musicians, like saxophonist Joshua Redmand, pianist Robert Glasper, percussionist Jojo Mayer, guitarist and artist at large Lionel Loueke, banjo master Bela Fleck, the Wood Brothers, and bassist Victor Wooten. The performance of C4 was a nice surprise. A virtuoso ensemble of cuatro guitars and electric bass brought out a Venezuelan folk flavor. West African rhythms and instruments were another important reference for some of the festival acts. Harold Lopez Nussa Trio was another delight. With a international career as a pianist and jazz musician, Harold has contributed an open-minded, renewed fusion between Cuban music and jazz taking place for the last 20 years on and off the island.

Becca Stevens 
Emily Estefan
The female lineup was robust and captivating, including artists like Concha Buika, Becca Stevens, Alina Ergibayan, Sirintip, Emily Estefan and Banda Magda, among others. Listening to Emily playing live was a lot of fun. She moves with ease between different music styles and displays great confidence on stage. Emily is a Berklee College of Music alum and a multitalented player of cymbals, drums, electric guitar, piano, and a serious singer. Moreover, her music is personal, unpretentious and solid, supported by a kickass band with Caribbean, American, Latin and Latin-American music backgrounds. Emily Estefan’s concert was testament to the richness and versatility of Miami’s alternative urban music scene. 

The festival workshop series was a plus. The audience and participants witnessed over- the-top master classes and music demonstrations. They were held by world-class music stars from the festival, like Victor Wooten, Michael League, Jojo Mayer, Béla Fleck, Lionel Loueke, the Wood Brothers, Joshua Redman and Robert Glasper. Intimate workshops at the beach were led by Weedie Braihma, Banda Magda, Becca Stevens, and Alan Hampton. 

Bela Fleck and Lionel Loueke

with Josh Dion (Paris Monster) and Michael League (Snarky Puppy)
with master bassplayer Victor Wooten
Legendary Banjo player Béla Fleck and African born- and currently Herbie Hancock’s guitarist- Lionel Loueke started their workshop improvising, and the conversation went from there. It was the first time they played together. On the surface it looks like they don’t have much in common, but that was not the case. The dialogue between the banjo, the electric guitar and their respective musical universes produced delightful rhythms, sounds, and conversations with the attentive crowd. Singer-songwriter Becca Stevens and bassist Alan Hampton created an intimate setting at the beach with the audience. They sang covers and songs accompanied by some little folk guitars. Between songs they held casual Q and A with the audience and shared anecdotes in an inviting and casual atmosphere.

Addressing a frequently-asked-question, Banda Magda’s director Magda Giannikou said it was difficult to define a name for the style of music acts at the festival. Instead, she found a simple and illustrative compromise: Music. On the same topic, internationally acclaimed and award-winning bassist, composer, singer Esperanza Spalding defined very eloquently what this festival’s music is all about. “…it’s people on the ground floor of music making, who said: ‘We want to create music and treat our fellow musicians with respect, love, and honor. There has to be a cross-pollination from the ground up, and that’s this festival. It’s so amazing.” 


The audience is resting in hammocks between sets.

African handmade instruments for sale
Festival's merchandise
The festival’s production delivered efficiently and with great organization different details including the schedule, merchandise, lounge areas and food options. The set up offered many enticing options to relax on-site throughout the day. Perfect Miami Beach weather, enhanced by a breeze coming the sea, clear skies and sunshine made the festival experience a dream come true for attendees, many of whom were visiting from across the US and beyond.

The audience is listening to a workshop
Casual conversations emerged in different instances. I spoke with a local family of two middle-school kids with their parents. They heard about the festival last year, after listening to a Magda Banda album. They fell in love with it, became Snarky Puppy fans, and decided to attend the fest. A Canadian couple and a guy from North Carolina told me they were greatly surprised about the positive environment created by the GroundUp experience as something they want to continue to explore in the future. Others expressed their preferences for the fest to keep as is, mainly in terms of size. Few times I remember feeling so great to be part of an audience like this one. 
GroundUp Music Festival poster
The GroundUp Music Festival is definitely breaking ground for the alternative music scene. The festival celebrates music beyond boundaries, and it’s a great addition to Miami’s cultural and entertainment options. GroundUp is an excellent occasion to experience great live music by the sea, and to gain appreciation for musicianship.

By Eva Silot B., PhD. (All Rights Reserved)



Wednesday, January 31, 2018

From NY, musician and artivist Samora Pinderhughes presents "The Transformations Suite." Light Box, Wynwood. Friday, February 2. 8:00 pm






Samora Pinderhughes: The Transformations Suite

Friday, February 2, 2018
8:00 PM - 9:30 PM

Miami Light Project at the Light Box at Goldman Warehouse
404 NW 26 Street, Miami FL


The Transformations Suite paints a musical picture of the current state of social inequality and injustice in the United States and beyond. Samora Pinderhughes has spent the past five years writing, recording, and producing this work, which combines music, theater, and poetry to examine the radical history of resistance within communities of the African diaspora. Within the compositions framework, the project connects contemporary issues, such as the prison-industrial complex and the Black Lives Matter movement, with the history of revolutionary movements of color. Centered in the belief that there is a soundtrack to every revolution, The Transformations Suite intends to foster dialogue on social-justice issues throughout the world, show how art can promote social change, contribute to the powerful growing movement on behalf of black lives around the country, and empower all people especially youth to make their voices heard. 

Samora Abayomi Pinderhughes is a world-renowned pianist and composer who has performed at the White House, the Blue Note, MoMA, the Sundance Film Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, and Carnegie Hall, and has toured internationally with Branford Marsalis, Christian Scott, Jose James, Harvey Mason, Emily King, and other artists. His projects include Im Still Here: Letters on Trauma & Healing, for the Institute for Arts and Civic Dialogue; The James Baldwin Essays: Examining the American Dream Narrative, commissioned by Harlem Stage; The Migration of Protest: Meditations on Jacob Lawrence, for the Museum of Modern Art; and Billy Strayhorn: The Music of the Sutherland Period, for the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art. Pinderhughes is also a member of Blackout for Human Rights, and was musical director for their 2016 #MLKNow and #JusticeForFlint events. The Transformations Suitehas been performed throughout South America and the U.S. at venues including the American Museum of Natural History, the Harlem Arts Festival, Juilliard, UC Irvine, NYU, Joes Pub, the Jazz Gallery, MoMA, and Columbia University. 

The Transformations Suite is part of Living Together, a cross-disciplinary series of performance art, film and video screenings, talks, and workshops held in venues across the greater Miami area and reflecting the cultural, social, and political realities of how we live now

$15 General Admission; $10 MDC Faculty and Staff ;$5 Non MDC Students with Student ID; free to MDC Students with Student ID. Must RSVP 





Monday, January 29, 2018

Video: "Women and the Afro-Caribbean Heritage," a conversation with The Garifuna Collective featuring Umalali" at the University of Miami



Please find enclosed the video of "Women and the Afro-Caribbean Heritage," a conversation that took place today, January 29, 2018, with The Garifuna Collective featuring Umalali" at the University of Miami.



This music group is mainly from Belize, and they did two presentations at the Miami Dade County Auditorium last weekend about the Garifuna culture, presented by FUNDarte.


This academic event was organized by the Modern Languages and Literatures Department, University of Miami. It was sponsored by FUNDarte, Africana Studies and the Institute of Advanced Studies of the Americas, University of Miami.


I have the pleasure to moderate this event, as part of a class on Latin-American Culture and Civilization I'm teaching this Spring 2018 at the University of Miami entitled “Contribuciones y Silencios: La perspectiva femenina en el imaginario cultural latinoamericano.”

You can take a look at pictures about this event by clicking here
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10156078797457480.1073741900.76377052479&type=1&l=b6cb7bbaa1

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

"Music and Women in the Afro-Caribbean Heritage"- A Conversation with The Garifuna Collective at the University of Miami. Monday January 29th, 12:30 pm.



On Monday January the 29th, 17 12:30 pm, I will have the pleasure to moderate a conversation with The Garifuna Collective, organized by the Modern Languages and Literatures Department at the University of Miami. 

The Garifuna Collective is an ensemble of female vocalists from the Caribbean coast of Central America that promotes the musical heritage of the Garifuna people, an Afro-Caribbean and Aborigen cultural community spread out througout coastals towns from Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. 


The event will take place at the Otto G. Ritcher Library, 3rd Conference Room and it will be streamlined on FB live.


 This conversation is also made in connection with a class I'm teaching in Spring 2018 at the University of Miami (SPA 303),  on the Female Perspective in the Latin-American and Caribbean cultural imaginaries, through literary, music, film and visual art texts.


The Garifuna Collective will make two presentations at the On. Stage. Black. box, Miami DAde County Auditorium, on January 27th, 8:30 pm and January 28th, 3:00 pm, brought by FUNDarte. 


Please check the flyer for more details about these events.




El próximo lunes 29 de enero, a las 12:30 pm, tendré el placer de moderar una conversación con el grupo vocal de mujeres The Garifuna Collective, organizada por el Departamento de Lenguas Modernas y Literaturas de la Universidad de Miami. 

The Garifuna Collective es un grupo de mujeres vocalistas provenientes de la costa caribeña centroamericana que promueve la herencia musical de los garífunas, una comunidad cultural afrocaribeña y aborigen localizada en pueblos costeros de países como Belice, Guatemala, Honduras y Nicaragua. 

Este evento tendrá lugar en un salón de conferencias de la biblioteca Otto G. Ritcher (3er piso) y se transmitirá en vivo via FB Live. 

Esta conversación está relacionada con una clase que estaré enseñando en la primavera del 2018 en la Universidad de Miami, sobre la perspectiva femenina en los imaginarios culturales sobre Latinoamérica y el Caribe desde la literatura, la música, el cine y las artes visuales.

The Garifuna Collective hará dos presentaciones en On. Stage. Black. box, del Miami Dade County Auditorium, el 27 de enero a las 8:30 pm y el 28 de enero a las 3:00 pm, organizadas por FUNDarte. 

Los detalles sobre estos eventos pueden encontrarse en el poster.