One World
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One World

Los Angeles, California, United States | INDIE | AFM

Los Angeles, California, United States | INDIE | AFM
Band Jazz Latin

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"One World"

"A unique and exciting musical experience with an amazing future ahead" - Contemporary Jazz Review


"Mambo Mariachi Rock turned into One World on Share My Love"

Mambo Mariachi Rock turned into One World on Share My Love

By: Mark Kirby (Associate Writer)
2007-12-09



The term "one world," as it applies to music, makes one think of vapid New Age background sounds. This is where musicians take little exotic bits of music from Third World countries and turn rich cultural legacies into fast food sounds with no distinction and a wisp of the original flavor. It wasn't always this way. Back in your crazy Uncle's day - the 70's, the decade that will never die - bands like War, Mandrill, and Santana had no trouble mixing the music that they heard and loved with their own cultural roots. Mandrill in particular was consciously created, personnel-wise, to include members with Latin and Caribbean roots, to go with as black Americans, and one of their psychedelic white hippie friends. These artists took the beat of the streets, jazz, soul, Caribbean and Mexican music into their hearts, minds and souls, and came out as a nice hybrid that took the fire and guts of these different music strands and not just the surfaces.

One World lives up to this legacy, creating a Pan Latino music that leans heavily on the Mexican tradition, itself a creole melange of different styles: country swing and blues from Texas, Spanish flamenco, Cuban music. Best of all, they avoid the vapidity trap because band founder and leader Frank Unzetta has deep roots in this music, coming from a family with Mexican-born grandparents and a mother who played piano and loved classical, mambo and mariachi music. Authenticity, after all, doesn't come in a can.

The songs range from hybrids to rockers to straight traditional Latin numbers. The title track is based on classic mariachi music. A flamenco guitar intro sets up a fast waltzing tempo. The melody is echoed and stated by viola and violin, and propelled by drums, percussion and bass. Urzetta sings this song, an appeal to universal love, in the strident manner of a Mexican singer, despite singing in English. The next cut, "Got A Letter," takes a radical turn into Santana-land. The opening salvo features blazing electric guitar over a hard rock beat. It breaks suddenly into a rock Salsa mix, the signature sound of Woodstock-era Santana. The Latin groove and influence continues throughout the CD but in different forms and with different musical flavorings.

"Las Calles" starts out as a traditional Spanish language mambo, with sweetly passionate vocals and violin colorings. Then the drummer, Art Valdez, switches to a rock feel on the choruses giving the song more intensity. "Orale 5:02" is a blues infused rock cut featuring the sonorous vocals of percussionist Alandras Brown. The Latin element, present on every cut, comes through on the backing vocals. The biting, dueling electric guitars by Unzetta and Mitchell Chavez are stellar. "Tina Mas Fina," an instrumental tribute a fine, fine babe, is hard-hitting Latin jazz, with vocals and a saxophone melody that is a virtual tribute to Prez Prado. The one world idea and the overall theme of love are expressed, also: "Latin soul hip hop old school and anything you like to get your groove / now it's time to slow dance, there's that special girl so take a chance."

Virtually every song on Share Your Love is a love song, whether it's love lost ("My Love Where Are You"), and found ("Got A Letter" and, in "She Longed For His Love"), love offered (the title track and "Give Yourself to Me"), and yearned for ("If You Were Mine"). While many love songs in the worlds of R&B, pop, and indie emo rock tend to slide into the muck of maudlin sentimentality and emerge covered in sap and pap, here this is avoided by lyrics that are simple and real and music that expresses passion and energy. This is a result of Ursetta's excellent arrangements and the powerful playing of Valdez, the bass player, Larry Steen, and Unzetta and Brown's singing. All in all One World, while leaving much of the world out of its music, lives up to its name as far as the Latin diaspora is concerned, and Share Your Love es muy satisfacción.



- Music Dish Industry eJournal


"One World Share My Love"


Here's a band that wears its heart on its sleeve. One World's new disc contains an hour of jazzy Latin adult contemporary tracks, touched by rock and funk and soft pop, most sung in English. It's all very smooth, but loaded with good cheer, and has plenty of melodic hooks and rhythmic bounce to keep you on your toes. There are sad moods (She Longed For His Love), but One World?s one world is one world without anger and meanness. Check out some sample tracks from this great party record.

- Jon Sobel.com The Bagel & The Rat


"One World Share My Love"

One World's Share My Love is a bit odd. I'm really not sure whether I like it or not. But I certainly appreciate the effort and originality of the lyrics and beats. The vocals and lyrics of lead singer Frank Unzueta, the group's co-founder, are richly beautiful, in a weird Peter Gabriel fashion. And his back-up singers and accompanying instruments all play nicely as well.
The title track, for example, is a lot of fun and has many inspiring moments. When a whole chorus belts out "Share My Love, as a listener you really feel the power of the music. But, the song never takes off and sounds like a weird amalgamation of Christian rock and folksy Latin vibes. This should sound like an interesting mix; and it is, for sure. But there is an overall feeling of never having the album come to fruition, as if Unzueta's vision was never fully realized.

But just when you're thinking one thing about a particular song on the album, you'll suddenly be enthralled in another song, like Got a Letter. The electric guitar work on this song is pitch perfect and the vocals are beautiful. It was in this song that I began to gain a deeper appreciation for Unzueta and his late mother, Elisa Maes, who he dedicates the album to.

I suppose my uncompromising notion about the album is because I want Unzueta and One World to fully embrace their Latin heritage and sound purely cultural. But what the band does is something better, though it takes some serious listening to appreciate it: they transcend their Latin roots, but using the rhythm and beats as a starting off point rather than an end goal. Be it a Spanish-language song like Las Calles or the wonderfully Americana Orale, One World takes off by refusing to be bogged down by any specific genre. Instead, they use their roots as a reason to be freed.

I loved that Orale only began after the sounds of a revving up fully loaded Chevy. It sets up nicely the take to the road quality of the song and really puts the song in an unstoppable motion. Unzueta can also slow it down nicely, especially for She Longed for His Love. The album?s strongest song is probably Give Yourself To Me, which is as good as any R&B crooning I've heard in a long time.

I suppose, in the end, I truly appreciated One World's efforts. Their refusal to go in one linear direction proved that they have resiliency and creative originality.



- Music Reviewer.com


"One World Brings Latin Gumbo To House of Blues"

One World's set last night at the House of Blues New Orleans was a blast of high energy, Los Angeles influenced, latin music that was quite extraordinary. Performing songs from their latest CD, Share My Love, their billing as being on the cutting edge latin music was on full display from the first downbeat. Led by singer/songwriter Frank Unzueta and his innovative and passionate guitar playing, their was no lack of strong material. Every song was delivered with the confidence of a well oiled rhythm section. The band's vocals and harmonies are first rate, and Unzueta's lyrics on songs Share My Love, Southern Girl, and She Longed For His Love delve deep into
an emotional depth most songwriters would envy. The band's violinist, Gail Mellert, added an authentic flavor to the music, giving Las Calles and Tina Mas Fina a show stopping highlight to the evening. Alandras Brown's vocals added a very soulful touch to Mambo , Tango and I Can't Let You Go. Overall, this band is definitely on the road to great things. Next time One World is in town, make it a point to catch them!
- Times-Picayune


"Share My Love Touches My Soul"

----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: The Music Writer Dude
Date: Dec 4, 2007 2:43 PM


ONE WORLD’S NEW RELEASE “SHARE MY LOVE”
Is a must buy for Christmas

One World’s “Share my Love” immediately reaches into my bones and touches my soul, my heart for the music of the world, being a native Californian and all that entails. I was brought up here in the harbor area of Los Angeles, in a community of relative affluence. I always related to the music of other culture’s and idea’s that would at times seem a non-sequitur in a white cookie cutter world of the late fifty’s and the sixties, which would translate and transmute into the turbulence of that decade, cresting like a wave somewhere in the mid seventy’s .

.For most, this would lead people to whatever they felt, that life had dealt them. I know I have gone the long way around in the telling of this fine CD.
However, this is the culmination of a life decision to build a better future by not compromising one’s integrity. Fulfilling a life, complete with music and love of that which enriches the human spirit, to keep the dream of that love alive and not compromise.
“Share my Love” is the work of another, like me, but who came up in another neighborhood, with the mindset to play music of the heart and succeed.
The title track takes me to the idealized California, the way that I would look at the world through rose-colored glasses. Starting with simple Spanish guitar, and hands clapping, augmented with sound of mariachi strings, and then building with piano and drums blending the old with the new.
This seamlessly carry’s forward into the next two tracks “Got a Letter.” and “Los Calles”

Then the abrupt left turn, the sound of a car door opening and closing in ” Fully Loaded Chevy” a premium cruiser with glass pack muffler, turning over, kicking into super charged Latin blues groove. The song “Orale” moves into the next cut “Tina Mas Fina”.
We switch back to the more organic acoustic sound with electric overlays of guitar and strings, punctuated with harmony in” She Longed for his Love”

“Give Your Self To Me” is intro’d in an almost European flavored violin riff over a lush background, and then goes into this funky brown-eyed soul number. Tasty guitar, sax, and piano interplay.
“Kongo” Exciting drums groove with congoleros, timbales and some hard rockin’ guitar & bass, way too short! However, it leads nicely into “My love Where Are You?”

Here is an Afro - Cuban number called “If you were mine” sung in English. A super jazz violin solo in this song just ice’s the cake. The next two songs are presented here with the love that seems to permeate this entire disc. And ending on the elegantly sung and beautifully arranged “Julia”, simple and to the point.
You can get this CD wherever fine music is sold. Mainly Frank Unzueta wrote all music on this CD

You can purchase Their new album, Share My Love, on all of the major download sites like iTunes, Music Match, Napster, etc., and the retail sites like Best Buy, Amazon, Tower, etc., and any record store can order the album if it is not in stock
You can reach one world through myspace.com/oneworldband www.sunstonerecords.com

Musica Con Sabor Latino’s!

B. Noel Barr, The Music Writer Dude
L.A. Times
San Pedro, Ca,
- B. Noel Barr, L.A. Times


Discography

Spirits Beckon You
L.A. Mambo
Share My Love

Photos

Bio

One World

Jazz from the Third World is how composer/founder Frank Unzueta describes the original sound of his band One World. The music of One World is heavy influenced by Caribbean and African rhythms, as well as jazz harmonies which give their sound its distinctive color. Since the bands inception, Unzuetas goal has been simple: communicate feelings and emotions through their music to as wide an audience as possible while breaking down stylistic boundaries. Tracks such as Johannesburg, East of Java, and Soul Forest from Spirits Beckon You are perfect examples of One Worlds musical philosophy and direction.
One Worlds three albums, Spirits Beckon You, L.A. Mambo, and Share My Love have been well received critically well as being favorites of radio programmers internationally. The band has attracted a very loyal fan base that continues to grow.
2011 will be an exciting year for One World, with plans for a new album and tour. Weve been chomping at the bit to record our new material. The guys have been a bit impatient, but I knew that picking the right songs for the album would take time. With forays into Latin rhythms and vocals on L.A. Mambo and Share My Love and some personnel additions with those albums, Unzueta felt is was time to return to the bands original musical style and direction. I am not one to sit in one place musically for too long, adds Unzueta, the whole point of composing for me is to grow and evolve. Thats how I will always approach my music.
The new album will feature the original line up, Frank Unzueta, Alandras Oogie Brown, Mitchell Chavez, Rocco Presutti, Island Al Salas, and Tom Pugliese.
Jazz from the Third World is what One World and their new album will be about. It will be worth the wait.

Band Members