| Spanish Harlem Orchestra | |||
We our proud to announce
that the SPANISH HARLEM ORCHESTRA's latest CD "UNITED
WE SWING",
recorded and mixed at Bennett Studios by Dave Kowalski, has
been nominated for 2008 Grammy in the category of The Last Album From Pianist Oscar Hernández’ Razor-Sharp Orchestra Featured Ruben Blades And Captured A GRAMMY For “Best Salsa Album,” Now These Veterans Of New York’s Most Legendary Salsa Outfits Again Bring Listeners Back To The Distinctive Sound Of Spanish Harlem With United We Swing – Featuring Special Guest PAUL SIMON Since their arrival in 2000, Spanish Harlem Orchestra (SHO) has established itself as a standard bearer of contemporary Latin music. Directed by world-renowned pianist, arranger, and producer Oscar Hernández, the thirteen-member all-star ensemble has reintroduced the classic sounds of New York City Salsa to music lovers worldwide. United We Swing, SHO’s third album, is a stunning follow-up to their 2004 Grammy award-winning album Across 110th St., and their 2002 Grammy nominated debut, Un Gran Día En El Barrio.
On Across 110th St., the
Spanish Harlem Orchestra was augmented by the roaring trombones
of Jimmy Bosch and Dan Reagan, singers Marco Bermudez, Willie Torres,
Ray De La Paz and special guest Ruben Blades, who Hernández worked
for in the 1990s as his musical director. It was slamming and garnered
the group its first Grammy Award in 2005 for “Best
Salsa Album.”On United We Swing, Spanish Harlem Orchestra continues in the
same classic-meets-contemporary sound, but with refreshing originality.
Nine of the songs are original compositions grounded in the unique identity the band has forged based on the musical legacy of El Barrio, a pulsating Eastside community in NYC located to the south of 125th St that gave rise to Boogaloo, Latin Soul, and Salsa.
"United We Swing" places Spanish Harlem Orchestra among Latin music’s greatest bands by paying due to a neighborhood romanticized in Leonard Bernstein’s “Westside Story” and Ben E. King’s, “A Rose in Spanish Harlem.” El Barrio is a hard urban incubator as described in Piri Thomas’ book, “Down These Mean Streets,” that in the midst of social despair has given the world unique Caribbean musical mixtures. “I’m from the Bronx,” concludes Oscar, “but if you’re a Latino in NYC you always have a connection to Spanish Harlem. It’s a place where a lot of stuff has happened that for me is kind of a microcosm for Latin New York. As a community it is an important part of the fabric that makes up the city, and we’re compelled to share the power of the music and culture with the world.”
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