| Omar Sosa | |
|---|---|
 Omar Sosa in concert |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | April 10, 1965 |
| Origin | Camagüey, Cuba |
| Genres | Afro-Cuban, Jazz |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Instruments | Marimba, piano, Rhodes piano |
| Associated acts | John Santos, Greg Landau, Afreecanos |
| Website | https://www.omarsosa.com |
| Members | |
| Childo Tomas, Marque Gilmore, Leandro Saint-Hill | |
| Notable instruments | |
| Marimba, piano, Rhodes piano | |
Omar Sosa (born April 10, 1965, in Camagüey, Cuba) is a composer, bandleader, and jazz pianist.
Contents |
Biography [link]
Sosa began studying marimba at age eight, then switched to piano at the Escuela Nacional de Musica in Havana, where he studied jazz. Sosa moved to Quito, Ecuador, in 1993, then San Francisco, California, in 1995. In San Francisco he became deeply involved in the local Latin jazz scene and began a long collaboration with percussionist John Santos. He also made a series of recordings with producer Greg Landau, including the ground-breaking Oaktown Irawo, featuring Tower of Power drummer Dave Garibaldi, Cuban saxophonist Yosvany Terry and Cuban percussionist Jesus Diaz. Sosa and Landau recorded with Carlos "Patato" Valdes and Pancho Quinto and worked on several film scores. Around 1999 Sosa moved to Barcelona, Spain.
In January 2011, Omar Sosa won The 10th Annual Independent Music Awards in the Jazz Album category for Ceremony.[1]
Musical style [link]
He has played with a number of world musicians all around the globe, and often collaborates with those outside the jazz and Afro-Cuban traditions. Sosa mixes jazz influences alongside Latin rhythms, North African percussions and spoken word/rap lyrics. He also references classical music. Political and spiritual, he describes his music as an expression of humanism and Santería. On various projects his sounds have ranged from pleasant and melodic, big Latin band, piano improvization, world music, to free jazz and avant-garde.
Current projects [link]
Omar recently collaborated once again with Greg Landau for a CD with Peruvian singer Susana Baca, deconstructing the music of Cuban legend Bola de Nieve. His newest band, Afreecanos, explores African traditions in a mixture that breaks many conventions of jazz and world music.[citation needed] The band, which includes musicians from Africa, Cuba, Brazil, and France, released a CD in 2009 and went on a world tour in early 2010.
References [link]
External links [link]
- omarsosa.com - Official Website
- 3d Family biography
- Melodia biography
- Calabash music page
| 25px | This Cuban biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
https://wn.com/Omar_Sosa
Podcasts:
Omar Sosa
ALBUMS
- Eggūn: The Afri-Lectric Experience released: 2013
- Alma released: 2012
- Calma released: 2011
- Omar Sosa: Across the Divide: A Tale of Rhythm & Ancestry released: 2009
- AFreeCanos released: 2008
- Promise released: 2007
- Live à FIP released: 2006
- Ballads released: 2005
- Pictures of Soul released: 2004
- Mulatos released: 2004
- A New Life released: 2003
- Sentir released: 2002
- Mulatos Remix released: 2001
- Prietos released: 2001
- Bembon released: 2000
- Inside released: 1999
- Spirit of the Roots released: 1999
- Free Roots (Raices Libres) released: 1997
- Ayaguna released:
Free Roots (Raices Libres)
Released 1997- Travieso (Wild Boy)
- Fue mentira (It Was a Lie)
- Buscando la clave (Finding the Key)
- Raya (The Line)
- Cha Cha Du Nord
- Pero no lo leí (But I Didn't Read It)
- Mis tres notas (My Three Notes)
- AfroCuEs a Dada
- Shirma
- Guajira de capital (Country Girl in the Big City)
- Ponlo debajo mierda (Put It Down, Man, Shit)
- Para dos (For Two)
