ARN 64594
VENEZUELA - BULENGA - NELSON ROJAS
Born in Caracas in 1953, Nelson took up music at the age of seven. For many years, he hesitated between Venezuelan classical music and the rock-funk he played with his brothers. At the age of seventeen, Nelson left Venezuela for Switzerland. While studying, he played in clubs and joined the first Swiss groups performing Latin American music. Interested in writing, he channelled his inspiration and filled out the characters that haunted him...
In 1985, Nelson formed his own group, Bulenga, an urban-music group whose repertoire consists largely of his own compositions. Bulenga's music differs from salsa, Nelson explains, in the importance of the texts and in the influence of jazz. It also has a typically
Venezuelan flavour, with reminiscences of the Afro-Venezuelan rhythms, and with words full of double entendre, puns and hidden meaning. Nelson is an adventurer whose curiosity pushed him to leave everything behind, a migrant musician, torn between mambo and funk, between
respect for his cultural roots and a desire to get away from them.
Bolero, mambo, lamento, cumbia, rumba, guaracha, merengue and even the choro of Rio de Janeiro… are to be found on this rich recording, concocted for us by Nelson; in sound, it reminds us of the heyday of New York salsa.
This seventh volume marks the beginning of a year full of discovery for Ethnomad, the migrant music label.
ARTISTES : Nelson Rojas (Chant, tiple, guitare, compositions et arrangements) - Carlos Rojas (Basse, choeur) - Violeta Motta (Flûte, choeur) - Emilie Bugnion (saxophone ténor) - Yves Massy (trombone) - Mathieu Rossignelly (Piano) - Hugo Zegarra (Percussions, choeur) - Carlos Kort (Percussions).
TITRES : 1 - Bulenga (mambo) 2 - El capacho y el güiro (guaracha) 3 - La vieja vereda (choro) 4 - Maria monitos (merengue) 5 - Lo importante es hoy (bolero) 6 - Tomame (guaracha) 7 - Bebé bandolero (cancion de cuna) 8 - Arsemio el maraquero (cancion) 9 - Tu silencio (mambo) 10 - Marchita (cancion) 11 - Albahaca (guaguanco) 12 - La Colombiana (cumbia) 13 - Velero (cancion) 14 - Pensando en ti (mambo).
Other Discs : Nastaran, Dengo, Zoura, Négra, Hapi Syté, Satsuma-Biwa, Sueno Gitano, Radha Bhava, Raighinas
New release : Varanasie Ras, Sarefi
