Oriente
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Oriente

Hollywood, Florida, United States | SELF

Hollywood, Florida, United States | SELF
Band World Jazz

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

Press


"Oriente serves salsa with verve"

"I knew the band was going to be good when the guitar player (Eddy Balzola) warmed up by playing the clave - the 3-2 percussive beat that underlies much of Latin music - on his strings, adding a few notes of jazz legend John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" then switched to a blues rift. Minutes later I was listening to Oriente, a Latin jazz fusion group that performs Fridays at The Grind....

Oriente's music is intriguing because it is truly world music - a blend of Afro-Cuban music, jazz, Brazilian influences, blues and zydeco.....In an era where too much of modern Latin music is repetitive and ordinary, or sugarized expressions of puppy love played with a salsa beat, it's heartwarming to liten to a band whose sound is serious but lively....

The group's versatility also comes from a variety of influences including band favorites Florencio Baro', the late (Cuban) percussionist; Irakere, the Cuban jazz fusion group; and the musicians from Fania Records... - David Cazares, Latin/World Beat - Sun Sentinel, Broward County, FL


Discography

ORIENTE Debut CD
Searching For A Blue Unseen
Ten Spaces In Time
NOW

Photos

Bio

Cuban-born guitarist/poet/composer, Eddy Balzola, created Oriente after years of touring with show bands, reggae and Latin bands, Las Vegas club gigs etc. The bandÂ’s signature sound features funk-filled, soulful guitar- driven tumbaos, blazing harmonic brass, and explosive Afro-Latin percussion - fusing passionate Cuban roots with Blues, Jazz, Caribbean and Brazilian influences. Their debut at New Orleans world famous Snug Harbor Jazz Club created a major buzz in town, attracting local musicians and world class audiences excited by their new Cuban roots fusion. That organic New Orleans scene - drenched in roots music torn from the soul of the streets - in combination with the Oriente's deep Cuban heritage, thoroughly impacted Balzola and continues to influence the group's creative, hard-driving and soulful sound.

Oriente's latest recording is titled NOW and clearly and powerfully represents Balzola's vision, soaring with the tight and cohesive sound of Oriente's talented lineup. The band features Balzola (guitars/voc/perc) w/ veteran Pepe Aparicio (bass/voc), Yoel Del Sol (multi-perc/voc), William Paredes (trombone/voc), Stuart King (trumpet/perc) and Orlando Machado (drums/perc/voc).

ORIENTE LIVE @ THE VAN DYKE: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/17789785

All full time artists, Oriente's band members have played, recorded and toured with a wide range of stylists and legends including Mongo Santamaria, Celia Cruz, Jaco Pastorius, Willy Nelson, Babatunde Olatunji, "Cachao" Lopez, Yanni, Candido Camero, Luis Enrique, Isaac Delgado, Mandrill, Yma Sumac, Anders Osborne, Big Chief Monk Boudreau, Jimmy Riley, Willie Stewart (Third World), Kirk Joseph, Patrice Fisher and many more.

Influences incl: Ruben Blades, Eddie Palmieri, Mongo Santamaria, Fort Apache Band, Allman Brothers, Taj Mahal, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Beny More, Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Bonerama, Robert Johnson, Israel Cachao Lopez, Eric Susoeff, James Taylor, Jobim ...

SOME PAST GIG HISTORY
St. Lucia International Jazz Festival
JVC Jazz Festival, Miami, Fl
Sunny Isles Beach Jazz Festival, FL
Bele Chere Arts & Music Fest (Asheville, NC)
Piccolo Spoleto World Music & Arts Fest (Charleston, SC)
MOJA African Arts Festival (Charleston,, SC)
South Florida Jazz & Heritage Festival
Live with Chef Bobby Flay - The Food Network
Key West Cuban-American Heritage Fest
Hon-Dah Casino, Apache Nation, AZ
Atlantis Casino, Nassau, Bahamas
Calder Casino & Race Course, Miami
Jeff Fest, Metairie, La
Snug Harbor, New Orleans
Tulane & Loyola Univ., New Orleans
Cafe Brasil, Blue Nile, Mermaid Lounge - New Orleans
Carnival On The Mile Latin Festival
Gainesville Jazz & Blues Festival
The Florida Fair, w/ Albita
Clambake Festival w/ Poncho Sanchez
Festival Miami & Miami Jazz Festival
Miami-Dade County Youth Fair
Arturo Sandoval's Jazz Club
Tobacco Road
Fiesta Tropical Mardi Gras Festival
Viva Broward Latin Fest w/ Dave Valentin, Paquito D'Rivera
Calle Ocho Festival
and many more...