Gabriel Espinosa -Bossas & Boleros -Mvd CD Grooves.land/Playthek

Details / Tracklist:

1.1 New Year

1.2 Amelia

1.3 Mi Jarana

1.4 Aqui Estoy Yo

1.5 Sing

1.6 First Responders

1.7 Pa Eugenio

1.8 Nosotros

1.9 22

1.10 No Me Platiques Mas

Number of discs:

Description:

On his fourth ZOHO solo CD, composer/singer/bassist Gabriel Espinosa celebrates the Bossa and Bolero styles he grew up with in Yucatan, Mexico in the 60s. Recorded mostly in Brooklyn, it features Grammy-nominated artists Kim Nazarian, Fred Hersch, and Anat Cohen. The CD includes six Espinosa originals, three Mexican song classics and Gabriel's take of a 1973 hit by The Carpenters. -

On his fourth ZOHO solo release, composer/singer/bassist Gabriel Espinosa celebrates the Bossa and Bolero styles he grew up with in Yucatan

Bossas and Boleros- the title of this album honors the music I grew up with as a teenager in Yucatan, Mexico in the 60s. I was very influenced by the music of Yucatecan composer Armando Manzanero as well as the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim and Burt Bacharach. The music I write today is inspired by those styles of music which led to the title Bossas and Boleros.

New Year is a Bossa Nova composition that features the beautiful colors of the trumpet of Jim Seeley and the trombone of Jay Ashby with the voices sharing the melody. I wrote this in honor of the year 2021 and the opportunity it brought of a new beginning after the difficult year 2020 around the world.

Amelia- my niece Cecilia had twins in 2019, tragically lost one of the babies, Amelia, at 27 weeks. I was inspired to write this composition shortly thereafter. Kim Nazarian wrote the lyrics to this composition inspired by and dedicated to the memory of Amelia. Kim also does a beautiful job singing the song.

Mi Jarana- the Jarana is a traditional dance and musical style of Yucatan, Mexico. The Jarana meter can be in 6/8 or in 3/4. I invited the brilliant clarinet player Anat Cohen to join me on this track as well as Cris Alcocer, a percussion player from Yucatan who brought together the magical feeling of the Jarana to life. This is our interpretation of the Jarana.

Aquí Estoy Yo- I first heard this beautiful song performed by Mexican singer Jose Jose with an incredible arrangement by Clare Fischer. I always envisioned recording this song only with piano & voice. I was fortunate enough to have the amazing pianist Fred Hersch along with my vocals. This song was written by a friend of mine, Memo Ruiz.

Sing- I was twenty years old when I first heard the classic 1973 recording by the Carpenters. I wrote an instrumental arrangement & my friend Jeremy Fox wrote an arrangement for vocal jazz quartet. Jeremy's arrangement was so amazing I had to ask my friends, The New York Voices, to record it.