On */Momentos Cubanos/*
- Luis Mario Ochoa’s 4th album and first with his new quintet – the
Havana-born, Toronto-based guitarist, vocalist, composer, arranger,
bandleader and producer, showcases his virtuosity and versatility with
authority. A nominee in 2007 for Canadian Latin Jazz Artist of the Year,
Ochoa is joined here by acclaimed Cuban pianist Hilario Durán and a
dynamic rhythm section of bass, drums and percussion. The program of
four originals and five classic Latin American songs ranges from
/rumba/ to /samba/, /bolero/ to /waltz/, /son/ to
/cha/ and one is unlikely to find a vocal interpretation of Ernesto
Lecuona’s timeless ballad “Canto Siboney” more impassioned than the one
here. */Momentos Cubanos/* clearly demonstrates why Ochoa has
been hailed for his “…fire, finesse and authenticity” (/JazzTimes/)
and for creating “…high caliber Latin jazz [that] cooks” (/Descarga/).**
*Luis Mario Ochoa* was born in
Havana, Cuba, in 1963. His first musical influence was his father, the
guitarist and vocalist Luis Mario Ochoa Sr., who started his son out on
the guitar at the age of 8. The younger Ochoa enrolled in a Havana
conservatory to study music full time and in 1987 graduated with a BA in
classical guitar from ISA, the University of Havana's Instituto Superior
of Arts. In 1990 he moved to Toronto, embracing Canada as his new home.
There Ochoa founded his 9-piece band *Cimarrón*,
(see-mah-rron), meaning "free spirit". The band has recorded the
critically acclaimed CDs */A La Cubana/* (1995), */La
Fiesta/*/ /(2000) and */Cimarrón - Luis Mario Ochoa & Friends/*
(2006).
Formed in 2007, the
*Luis Mario Ochoa Quintet* is
an acoustic ensemble that enables more intimate communication with his
audience.
