quijerema http://quijerema.com/thenews.cfm Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:45:00 GMT http://bandzoogle.com Quijeremá benefit for Avotcja This Saturday Feb 18th http://quijerema.com/thenews.cfm?feature=1226880&postid=1779600 <a href="./calendario.cfm"><a href="./calendario.cfm">Click here for the Quijerema calendar&nbsp; As many of you know, Avotcja is a venerable institution in the Bay Area community of poetry and music. It is with great honor, respect and admiration that are hosting this benefit to help her fund the purchase of a wheelchair van. All of us artists who are blessed with the opportunity to perform with Avotcja want to ensure that she is able to safely get to the gigs! There was a great showing of support at the La Pe&ntilde;a show in January and this one will be no different, so be sure to get there early. Quijerem&aacute; will be performing selections from our new project with Avotcja, &quot;Al Son del Tunduki&quot; E.W. Wainwright says in the African Roots Of Jazz, &quot;When I think of Avotcja I think of an old saying, 'Doing the Necessary and the Impossible'. The passion and brutal honesty in her writing touches the depths of the hardest heart, while healing the damaged spirits of those gone astray. Her work is defined by an attention to detail and a professionalism that is undefined by her peers. She is truly an unsung hero.&quot; Tell everyone you know to bring everyone they know!!! SUGGESTED DONATION: $15-1,500 sliding scale Wheel Chair accessible &amp; all ages welcome Cafe Leila Saturday, Feb 18th 7pm Info or directions: (510)525-7544 <a href="http://www.cafeleila.com" target="_new">www.cafeleila.com If you cannot attend, but would like to donate, please write &ldquo;Avotcja&rsquo;s Wheelchair Van Project&rdquo; on an envelope &amp; send checks or Money Orders to: Avotcja Jiltonilro &ldquo;Avotcja&rsquo;s Wheelchair Van Project&rdquo; P.O. Box 8757 Emeryville, CA 94662-0757 <a target="_new" href="http://www.avotcja.org/">http://www.avotcja.org/ Avotcja quijeremaClick here for the Quijerema calendar  As many of you know, Avotcja is a venerable institution in the Bay Area community of poetry and music.

It is with great honor, respect and admiration that are hosting this benefit to help her fund the purchase of a wheelchair van. All of us artists who are blessed with the opportunity to perform with Avotcja want to ensure that she is able to safely get to the gigs!

There was a great showing of support at the La Peña show in January and this one will be no different, so be sure to get there early. Quijeremá will be performing selections from our new project with Avotcja, "Al Son del Tunduki"

E.W. Wainwright says in the African Roots Of Jazz, "When I think of Avotcja I think of an old saying, 'Doing the Necessary and the Impossible'. The passion and brutal honesty in her writing touches the depths of the hardest heart, while healing the damaged spirits of those gone astray. Her work is defined by an attention to detail and a professionalism that is undefined by her peers. She is truly an unsung hero."

Tell everyone you know to bring everyone they know!!!

SUGGESTED DONATION: $15-1,500 sliding scale

Wheel Chair accessible & all ages welcome

Cafe Leila
Saturday, Feb 18th 7pm
Info or directions: (510)525-7544
www.cafeleila.com

If you cannot attend, but would like to donate, please write “Avotcja’s Wheelchair Van Project” on an envelope & send checks or Money Orders to:

Avotcja Jiltonilro
“Avotcja’s Wheelchair Van Project”
P.O. Box 8757
Emeryville, CA 94662-0757

http://www.avotcja.org/
]]> Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:45:00 GMT AD3CA195C0BE7D0489E7030040065438 More about the ITCH http://quijerema.com/thenews.cfm?feature=1226880&postid=1501653 Investing in the Creative Hunch Imagine an opportunity to have Quique make our ITCH team a batch of empanadas, enjoy vino tinto accompanied by a suppertime discussion of latin american music, then an opportunity to connect in person with the band and other like minded aficionados of the latin american diaspora. Learn about the music of Quijerem&aacute; or any of the other 11 projects and be a part of a real artistic socio-cultural revolution. Read below to find out more, or if this sounds interesting to you, email Jeremy at<a href="mailto:jeremy@quijerema.com"> jeremy@quijerema.com to become a part of the ITCH. <a href="http://www.facetheitch.com" target="_new">www.facetheitch.com The Creative Hunch Everyone gets a hunch from time to time, a recurring voice telling us something, but what supports a person to follow it? How can we find ways to support and nourish our own creative hunches? In fact, why not create a network that revolves around the development of creative hunches and the projects they inspire, one where people can participate in a myriad of ways and at varying levels? Investing in The Creative Hunch (aka The Itch) is a social-cultural network model designed to provide opportunities for people to participate in the realization of creative projects while building social networks in the process. in the case of the ITCH, these projects are based in the arts. The network helps to facilitate the formation of collaborative teams of skilled volunteers that each select a project to work with. The teams then work to meet project needs. The unique piece is that this &quot;work&quot; is infused with dinner parties and social mixers where different teams and collaborating artists gather to trade ideas and experiences. The network facilitates an ever-growing interlace of social circles, meet-ups, and cultural events - both private and public - out of which a multiplicity of relationships are born. The Dinners? Brilliant ideas tend to germinate in good company, and good company gets better when it gathers around good food and drink! The ITCH utilizes dinner gatherings as prime sites for brainstorming and organizing project needs. Each project selects a team and then calls together a dinner-meeting wherein the project is introduced, often including informal demonstrations and/or video. Each team member invites a friend to attend as well to meet and learn about the project, thereby increasing the social nature of the gathering. Relationships begin. Then comes the mixer. ?? The Mixers? Imagine 12 different projects, each hosting their own dinner gatherings with their team members and the guests of their team members. Now imagine the 12 projects and their teams, and guests, converging together for a bi-monthly social-cultural mixer. Here is where different team members meet members of other projects (friends included), discussing ideas and experiences in the work. This is social-cultural networking - passionate people involved in exciting cultural projects, gathering together to exchange creative ideas. Join a Team Scroll through our list of projects to determine which project most interests you. Then look below the project description to see a list of roles that the project is looking to fill. Decide which role best suits you and apply by contacting the project directly through though contact info provided. Projects will select their team members and then call a dinner-meeting for everyone to meet and learn about the project. Teams will be able to meet other teams via bi-monthly mixers. <a href="http://www.facetheitch.com" target="_new">www.facetheitch.com in partnership with the de Young fellows program Investing in the Creative Hunch

Imagine an opportunity to have Quique make our ITCH team a batch of empanadas, enjoy vino tinto accompanied by a suppertime discussion of latin american music, then an opportunity to connect in person with the band and other like minded aficionados of the latin american diaspora. Learn about the music of Quijeremá or any of the other 11 projects and be a part of a real artistic socio-cultural revolution.

Read below to find out more, or if this sounds interesting to you, email Jeremy at jeremy@quijerema.com to become a part of the ITCH. www.facetheitch.com


The Creative Hunch
Everyone gets a hunch from time to time, a recurring voice telling us something, but what supports a person to follow it? How can we find ways to support and nourish our own creative hunches? In fact, why not create a network that revolves around the development of creative hunches and the projects they inspire, one where people can participate in a myriad of ways and at varying levels?

Investing in The Creative Hunch (aka The Itch) is a social-cultural network model designed to provide opportunities for people to participate in the realization of creative projects while building social networks in the process. in the case of the ITCH, these projects are based in the arts. The network helps to facilitate the formation of collaborative teams of skilled volunteers that each select a project to work with. The teams then work to meet project needs. The unique piece is that this "work" is infused with dinner parties and social mixers where different teams and collaborating artists gather to trade ideas and experiences. The network facilitates an ever-growing interlace of social circles, meet-ups, and cultural events - both private and public - out of which a multiplicity of relationships are born.

The Dinners?
Brilliant ideas tend to germinate in good company, and good company gets better when it gathers around good food and drink! The ITCH utilizes dinner gatherings as prime sites for brainstorming and organizing project needs. Each project selects a team and then calls together a dinner-meeting wherein the project is introduced, often including informal demonstrations and/or video. Each team member invites a friend to attend as well to meet and learn about the project, thereby increasing the social nature of the gathering. Relationships begin. Then comes the mixer. ??

The Mixers?
Imagine 12 different projects, each hosting their own dinner gatherings with their team members and the guests of their team members. Now imagine the 12 projects and their teams, and guests, converging together for a bi-monthly social-cultural mixer. Here is where different team members meet members of other projects (friends included), discussing ideas and experiences in the work. This is social-cultural networking - passionate people involved in exciting cultural projects, gathering together to exchange creative ideas.

Join a Team
Scroll through our list of projects to determine which project most interests you. Then look below the project description to see a list of roles that the project is looking to fill. Decide which role best suits you and apply by contacting the project directly through though contact info provided.

Projects will select their team members and then call a dinner-meeting for everyone to meet and learn about the project. Teams will be able to meet other teams via bi-monthly mixers.

www.facetheitch.com
in partnership with the de Young fellows program

]]> Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:46:22 GMT 80D012452D3A52E21BC7BFBFFE9C253E The ITCH: Investing in the Creative Hunch http://quijerema.com/thenews.cfm?feature=1226880&postid=1477413 <a href="http://facetheitch.com/">SOCIAL-CULTURAL NETWORKING at large!. . . This week marks the official launch of <a href="http://facetheitch.com/" target="_new">The ITCH: &ldquo;Investing in the Creative Hunch,&rdquo; the pilot initiative of a new form of social-cultural networking. Connecting projects in theater, dance, music, literature, and visual art, the ITCH creates opportunities for the general public to participate in the behind the scenes of artistic production while increasing social networking opportunities in real time and space.&nbsp; Participating projects include: Imagery, Meklit Hadero, The Embodiment Project, Push Dance Company, Musical Art Quintet, Adrian Arias, Darren Johnson, Teobi&rsquo;s Dream, Deep Waters Dance, Classical Revolution, Nowruz, RassaNova Theater, Prasant Radhakrishna and of course Quijerema. Meet some new folks and eat some great food all the while helping further the artisic cause! This is new and dynamic form of participation in the arts, one where the public becomes part of the actual infrastructure of artistic projects. <a href="http://facetheitch.com/" target="_new">Click here to find out more or email Jeremy at <a href="mailto:jeremy@quijerema.com">jeremy@quijerema.com to become a part of the ITCH. the itch investing in the creative hunch todd brown meklit hadero red poppy art house quijerema SOCIAL-CULTURAL NETWORKING at large!. . . This week marks the official launch of The ITCH: “Investing in the Creative Hunch,” the pilot initiative of a new form of social-cultural networking.

Connecting projects in theater, dance, music, literature, and visual art, the ITCH creates opportunities for the general public to participate in the behind the scenes of artistic production while increasing social networking opportunities in real time and space.  Participating projects include: Imagery, Meklit Hadero, The Embodiment Project, Push Dance Company, Musical Art Quintet, Adrian Arias, Darren Johnson, Teobi’s Dream, Deep Waters Dance, Classical Revolution, Nowruz, RassaNova Theater, Prasant Radhakrishna and of course Quijerema. Meet some new folks and eat some great food all the while helping further the artisic cause!

This is new and dynamic form of participation in the arts, one where the public becomes part of the actual infrastructure of artistic projects. Click here to find out more or email Jeremy at jeremy@quijerema.com to become a part of the ITCH.

]]> Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:43:36 GMT C205BFB02093E17037215959D0299F1A Quijeremá performs house concert at Villiage Homes in Davis, CA http://quijerema.com/thenews.cfm?feature=1226880&postid=1368712 Join Quijerem&aacute; for an intimate performance in a unique house concert venue. Village Homes is a 70 acre environmentally sustainable community with beautiful communal gardens. if you missed Yoshi's this last week, catch the new show of Afro-Andino Al Son del Tunduki in the tranquility of the Northern Central Valley of California. Come early and take a stroll through the beuatiful gardens. <a target="_new" href="http://www.villagehomesdavis.org/">http://www.villagehomesdavis.org/ Quique Cruz (Chile: strings, Andean wind instruments &amp; percussion) Jeremy Allen (USA: bass &amp; percussion) Maria Fernanda Acu&ntilde;a (Venezuela: percussion &amp; Venezuelan cuatro) Henry Hung (USA: trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion) Guest artist: Jordan Samuels (USA: guitar) For information and reservations: 530-305 7084 Tickets: $13 in advance, $15 at the door Mail check to 2538 Westernesse Rd. Davis, Ca 95616 <a href="./calendario.cfm">For directions and additional information click here
if you missed Yoshi's this last week, catch the new show of Afro-Andino Al Son del Tunduki in the tranquility of the Northern Central Valley of California.

Come early and take a stroll through the beuatiful gardens. http://www.villagehomesdavis.org/

Quique Cruz (Chile: strings, Andean wind instruments & percussion)
Jeremy Allen (USA: bass & percussion)
Maria Fernanda Acuña (Venezuela: percussion & Venezuelan cuatro)
Henry Hung (USA: trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion)

Guest artist: Jordan Samuels (USA: guitar)

For information and reservations: 530-305 7084
Tickets: $13 in advance, $15 at the door

Mail check to 2538 Westernesse Rd. Davis, Ca 95616

For directions and additional information click here

]]> Thu, 06 Oct 2011 09:00:00 GMT CA8F6E54B190D5C91B6B7AA27D3EA773 Quijeremá with Classical Revolution at Yoshi's SF http://quijerema.com/thenews.cfm?feature=1226880&postid=1189170 Quijerem&aacute; with Classical Revolution Al Son del Tunduki - the African roots of Andean music with Special Guests, Poets Michael Warr and Avotcja Jiltonilro <a href="./calendario.cfm"> World jazz ensemble Quijerem&aacute;, and Classical Revolution&rsquo;s Musical Art Quintet join forces to re-orchestrate the notions of jazz, Latin American and classical musics. Rooted in the African Diaspora of South America, Al Son del Tunduki melds the sounds of bombos, kenas and violins to reveal an unsung history. Quijerem&aacute; and Classical Revolution&rsquo;s unique relationship was born in 2009 as part of their artist residencies at the Red Poppy Art House, a hot bed of creativity in San Francisco&rsquo;s own Mission District. Their collaborations produced a series of fiery performances that had audiences craving more. The Musical Art Quintet and Quijerem&aacute; both share a place in the vanguard of their respective genres, bringing chamber music and Latin American folk music into into the 21st century. While steeped in tradition, both groups transcend their genres, performing music that is truly modern and unique. Quijerem&aacute;&rsquo;s Al Son del Tunduki debuts a new repertoire of Afro-Andino material and features the performance of the Musical Art Quintet&rsquo;s stellar string ensemble. Quijerem&aacute; and Classical Revolution&rsquo;s Musical Art Quintet will also celebrate the release of their respective CDs: &ldquo;Kakri: Variations for the Venezuelan Bandola Llanera&rdquo; and &ldquo;Nuevo Chamber&rdquo;. <a href="http://www.yoshis.com/sanfrancisco/jazzclub/artist/show/2110" target="_new">Purchase Tickets &nbsp; QUIJEREM&Aacute; WITH CLASSICAL REVOLUTION: Al Son del Tunduki October 03, 20118pm - $10 Advance; $14 Door Yoshi's San Francisco Quijeremá with Classical Revolution
Al Son del Tunduki - the African roots of Andean music
with Special Guests, Poets Michael Warr and Avotcja Jiltonilro
quijerema yoshi's san francisco musical art quintet World jazz ensemble Quijeremá, and Classical Revolution’s Musical Art Quintet join forces to re-orchestrate the notions of jazz, Latin American and classical musics. Rooted in the African Diaspora of South America, Al Son del Tunduki melds the sounds of bombos, kenas and violins to reveal an unsung history.

Quijeremá and Classical Revolution’s unique relationship was born in 2009 as part of their artist residencies at the Red Poppy Art House, a hot bed of creativity in San Francisco’s own Mission District. Their collaborations produced a series of fiery performances that had audiences craving more. The Musical Art Quintet and Quijeremá both share a place in the vanguard of their respective genres, bringing chamber music and Latin American folk music into into the 21st century. While steeped in tradition, both groups transcend their genres, performing music that is truly modern and unique.
Quijeremá’s Al Son del Tunduki debuts a new repertoire of Afro-Andino material and features the performance of the Musical Art Quintet’s stellar string ensemble.

Quijeremá and Classical Revolution’s Musical Art Quintet will also celebrate the release of their respective CDs: “Kakri: Variations for the Venezuelan Bandola Llanera” and “Nuevo Chamber”. Purchase Tickets
 
QUIJEREMÁ WITH CLASSICAL REVOLUTION: Al Son del Tunduki
October 03, 20118pm - $10 Advance; $14 Door Yoshi's San Francisco



]]> Sun, 14 Aug 2011 01:00:00 GMT BC0ECD6ECC6ABA883FE5027FA2638716 QUIJEREMA AT THE DeYoung MUSEUM IN SAN FRANCISCO http://quijerema.com/thenews.cfm?feature=1226880&postid=1169137 <a href="http://quijerema.bandzoogle.com/calendario.cfm">De Guerra, Gitanos y el Corazon - Picasso, Lorca &amp; Neruda DeYoung Museum San Francisco CA Friday, August 12 6:30pm - FREE Quijerem&aacute; evokes the music of Spain with works rooted in Picasso, Lorca and Neruda&rsquo;s connection through the vanguard group la Generaci&oacute;n del 27 in conjunction with 2011 Piccasso exhibition. Featuring poet Michael Warr. As a result of being in residency at the Red Poppy Art House, Quijerem&aacute; was invited to celebrate with their music and poetry, the current Picasso exhibit. Invite friends, it is a free event. Try to come early. De Guerra, Gitanos y el Corazon - Picasso, Lorca & Neruda DeYoung Museum San Francisco CA Friday, August 12 6:30pm - FREE

Quijeremá evokes the music of Spain with works rooted in Picasso, Lorca and Neruda’s connection through the vanguard group la Generación del 27 in conjunction with 2011 Piccasso exhibition. Featuring poet Michael Warr.

As a result of being in residency at the Red Poppy Art House, Quijeremá was invited to celebrate with their music and poetry, the current Picasso exhibit. Invite friends, it is a free event. Try to come early.
]]> Mon, 08 Aug 2011 07:33:32 GMT 80B97FF480EB7F5146D5C8E62F669BBB Wanda Sabir's Radio Interview about Quijeremá y la Cueca Brava: the drums and verse of Neftali http://quijerema.com/thenews.cfm?feature=1226880&postid=1132658 <a target="_new" href="http://wandaspicks.com/home/index.php?option=com_wrapper&amp;Itemid=32">Click here to listen to Maria Acuna and Avotcja in Wanda's Picks, Wanda Sabir's radio show. &nbsp; Click here to listen to Maria Acuna and Avotcja in Wanda's Picks, Wanda Sabir's radio show.  

]]> Wed, 27 Jul 2011 01:40:00 GMT 82833E83DF51DA29D114C98BB4E6AEDF Quijeremá y la Cueca Brava: the drums and verse of Neftali http://quijerema.com/thenews.cfm?feature=1226880&postid=1099158 Celebrate a unique gathering of poetry and Latin American music to commemorate of the birthday of Nobel laureate Chilean poet Pablo Neruda! One night only! Enjoy the charged, political and surrealist poems of Neruda read by renowned bay area poet Avotcja (puerto rico | ny) accompanied by acclaimed Latin American musical ensemble Quijerem&aacute;. Featuring special guest singer song writer Mario Rojas (direct from chile) accompanied by Rafael Manriquez. Cafe Leila 1724 San Pablo Ave Berkeley CA Wednesday July 27th 7pm <a target="_new" href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&amp;bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&amp;biw=1920&amp;bih=904&amp;um=1&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;q=cafe+leila+map&amp;fb=1&amp;gl=us&amp;hq=cafe+leila&amp;hnear=0x80857d8b28aaed03:0x71b415d535759367,Oakland,+CA&amp;cid=8552214667977144007&amp;ei=qHkcTraTDJPEsAOomOW4BQ&amp;sa=X&amp;oi=local_result&amp;ct=placepage-link&amp;resnum=1&amp;ved=0CB8Q4gkwAA">MAP About Mario Rojas &amp; Rafael Manriquez Guitarist, singer and composer Mario Rojas has recorded several CDs of Chilean traditional songs. Some of them are focused in the cueca, the most popular Chilean folk dance. He has also produced a documentary about the legendary cueca group Los Chileneros. They perform a style of cueca called the cueca brava, which is a modern version danced and performed mostly in Chile&rsquo;s urban centers. Mario is a singer and composer of songs rooted in the folk tradition whose work has contributed to maintain Chilean traditional music alive, giving a chance to new generations to be in contact with this music. Performing traditional and contemporary songs of Latin America, Rafael Manriquez, also from Chile, brings us his wonderful voice and guitar. He also plays charango, cuatro, tiple, etc. He moves with his music mostly between Chile and California where he has been living for the past thirty years. Rafael works as a guitar teacher at Berkeley&rsquo;s La Pe&ntilde;a Cultural Center. He has recorded over ten albums, which include songs of Victor Jara, Atahualpa Yupanqui, Violeta Parra and many others. He is an accomplished songwriter who has also used the poetry of Neruda and Mistral as lyrics for his songs. Manriquez was the musical director of the well-known Chilean music ensemble Grupo Raiz. With them he recorded three LPs, today published in CDs by Smithsonian Folkways. <a target="_new" href="http://mariorojas.scd.cl">http://mariorojas.scd.cl <a target="_new" href="http://RafaelManriquez.com">http://RafaelManriquez.com About Avotcja Poet/Playwright/Multi-Percussionist/Photographer/Teacher Avotcja has been published in English &amp; Spanish in the USA, Mexico &amp; Europe, and in more Anthologies than she remembers. She is an award winning Poet &amp; multi-instrumentalist who has opened for Betty Carter in New York City, Peru's Susana Baca at San Francisco&rsquo;s Encuentro Popular &amp; Cuba&rsquo;s Gema y P&aacute;vel, played with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Bobi &amp; Luis Cespedes, John Handy, Sonido Afro Latina, Dimensions Dance Theater, Black Poets With Attitudes, Bombarengue, Nikki Giovanni, Los Angeles' Build An Ark, Dwight Trible, Diamano Coura West African Dance Co., Terry Garthwaite, Big Black, The Bay Area Blues Society &amp; Caribeana Etc. Shared stages with Sonia Sanchez, Piri Thomas, Janice Mirikitani, Diane DiPrima, Michael Franti, Jayne Cortez, &amp; with Jose Montoya's Royal Chicano Air Force &amp; is a Bay Area icon with her group Avotcja &amp; Mod&uacute;pue.&nbsp; She Avotcja was the opening act for the legendary Poet Pat Parker the last three years of her life. both composed &amp; performed the film score for the Danish documentary MuNu. Her Poetry &amp;/or music has been recorded by Piri Thomas, Famadou Don Moye (of The Art Ensemble Of Chicago), Bobby Matos Latin Jazz Ensemble, &amp; performed by The Purple Moon Dance Project, and was the 1st Poetry performed by New York's Dance Mobile. She's appeared at The Lorraine Hansberry Theater in S. F., The Asian-American Jazz Festival in Chicago, as well as The Asian-American Jazz Festival in San Francisco. She's been featured 5 times at Afro-Solo, twice at San Francisco's Carnival, The Scottish Rite Temple &amp; Yoshi's in Oakland &amp; San Francisco, Jose Castellar's play &quot;Man From San Juan&quot;, Club Le Monmartre in Copenhagen Denmark, Stanford University, at San Francisco&rsquo;s Brava Theater For The Arts with Cine Acci&oacute;n, New York's Henry Street Settlement Theater and The Women On The Way Festival in San Francisco. Avotcja a is popular Bay Area DJ &amp; Radio Personality, and the founder/Director of &quot;The Clean Scene Theater Project (AKA) Proyecto Teatral De La Escena Sobria&quot;. She continues to teach Creative Writing, Storytelling &amp; Drama in Public Schools &amp; thanks to the California Arts Council she was also an Artist in Residence at the Milestones Project &amp; S.F. Penal System. Avotcja is a proud member of DAMO (Disability Advocates Of Minorities Organization), PEN Oakland, California Poets In The Schools, NARAS, IWWG &amp; is an ASCAP recording artist. <a target="_new" href="http://www.Avotcja.org">www.Avotcja.org
Celebrate a unique gathering of poetry and Latin American music to commemorate of the birthday of Nobel laureate Chilean poet Pablo Neruda! One night only!

Enjoy the charged, political and surrealist poems of Neruda read by renowned bay area poet Avotcja (puerto rico | ny) accompanied by acclaimed Latin American musical ensemble Quijeremá.

Featuring special guest singer song writer Mario Rojas (direct from chile) accompanied by Rafael Manriquez.		 quijerema mario rojas
Cafe Leila
1724 San Pablo Ave Berkeley CA
Wednesday July 27th 7pm
MAP

About Mario Rojas & Rafael Manriquez

Guitarist, singer and composer Mario Rojas has recorded several CDs of Chilean traditional songs. Some of them are focused in the cueca, the most popular Chilean folk dance. He has also produced a documentary about the legendary cueca group Los Chileneros.

They perform a style of cueca called the cueca brava, which is a modern version danced and performed mostly in Chile’s urban centers. Mario is a singer and composer of songs rooted in the folk tradition whose work has contributed to maintain Chilean traditional music alive, giving a chance to new generations to be in contact with this music.
Performing traditional and contemporary songs of Latin America, Rafael Manriquez, also from Chile, brings us his wonderful voice and guitar. He also plays charango, cuatro, tiple, etc. He moves with his music mostly between Chile and California where he has been living for the past thirty years. Rafael works as a guitar teacher at Berkeley’s La Peña Cultural Center.

He has recorded over ten albums, which include songs of Victor Jara, Atahualpa Yupanqui, Violeta Parra and many others. He is an accomplished songwriter who has also used the poetry of Neruda and Mistral as lyrics for his songs. Manriquez was the musical director of the well-known Chilean music ensemble Grupo Raiz. With them he recorded three LPs, today published in CDs by Smithsonian Folkways.

http://mariorojas.scd.cl
http://RafaelManriquez.com

About Avotcja

Poet/Playwright/Multi-Percussionist/Photographer/Teacher

Avotcja has been published in English & Spanish in the USA, Mexico & Europe, and in more Anthologies than she remembers. She is an award winning Poet & multi-instrumentalist who has opened for Betty Carter in New York City, Peru's Susana Baca at San Francisco’s Encuentro Popular & Cuba’s Gema y Pável, played with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Bobi & Luis Cespedes, John Handy, Sonido Afro Latina, Dimensions Dance Theater, Black Poets With Attitudes, Bombarengue, Nikki Giovanni, Los Angeles' Build An Ark, Dwight Trible, Diamano Coura West African Dance Co., Terry Garthwaite, Big Black, The Bay Area Blues Society & Caribeana Etc.
Shared stages with Sonia Sanchez, Piri Thomas, Janice Mirikitani, Diane DiPrima, Michael Franti, Jayne Cortez, & with Jose Montoya's Royal Chicano Air Force & is a Bay Area icon with her group Avotcja & Modúpue.  She Avotcja was the opening act for the legendary Poet Pat Parker the last three years of her life. both composed & performed the film score for the Danish documentary MuNu. Her Poetry &/or music has been recorded by Piri Thomas, Famadou Don Moye (of The Art Ensemble Of Chicago), Bobby Matos Latin Jazz Ensemble, & performed by The Purple Moon Dance Project, and was the 1st Poetry performed by New York's Dance Mobile. She's appeared at The Lorraine Hansberry Theater in S. F., The Asian-American Jazz Festival in Chicago, as well as The Asian-American Jazz Festival in San Francisco.

She's been featured 5 times at Afro-Solo, twice at San Francisco's Carnival, The Scottish Rite Temple & Yoshi's in Oakland & San Francisco, Jose Castellar's play "Man From San Juan", Club Le Monmartre in Copenhagen Denmark, Stanford University, at San Francisco’s Brava Theater For The Arts with Cine Acción, New York's Henry Street Settlement Theater and The Women On The Way Festival in San Francisco. Avotcja a is popular Bay Area DJ & Radio Personality, and the founder/Director of "The Clean Scene Theater Project (AKA) Proyecto Teatral De La Escena Sobria". She continues to teach Creative Writing, Storytelling & Drama in Public Schools & thanks to the California Arts Council she was also an Artist in Residence at the Milestones Project & S.F. Penal System. Avotcja is a proud member of DAMO (Disability Advocates Of Minorities Organization), PEN Oakland, California Poets In The Schools, NARAS, IWWG & is an ASCAP recording artist.

www.Avotcja.org
]]> Tue, 12 Jul 2011 19:40:00 GMT DA61E33DBE7C66550251F9DA7D174015 Al Son del Tunduki - the African Roots of Andean Music http://quijerema.com/thenews.cfm?feature=1226880&postid=903358 Quijerem&aacute;&rsquo;s music has always drawn from the rhythms and songs of the African diaspora in Latin America, infusing original contemporary Latin American compositions with a unique sense of these ancient musical traditions. Al Son del Tunduki debuts a new repertoire of afro-andino material including Taquirari &amp; Saya (Bolivia), Festejo (Peru), Cumbia (Colombia) and Candombe (Uruguay). Featuring performances from award winning poet <a href="https://www.spokenwordredux.com/index.php?option=com_poet&amp;task=detail&amp;id=PDB884&amp;Itemid=68" target="_new">Michael Warr and introducing Quijerem&aacute;&rsquo;s newest member, acclaimed guitarist <a href="http://www.brianmoranmusic.com/" target="_new">Brian Moran (<a href="http://grupofalsobaiano.com/" target="_new">Falso Baiano) See the show Saturday, April 23 at the <a href="http://www.redpoppyarthouse.org" target="_new">Red Poppy Art House&nbsp; 2698 Folsom Street San Francisco, CA
Featuring performances from award winning poet Michael Warr and introducing Quijeremá’s newest member, acclaimed guitarist Brian Moran (Falso Baiano)

See the show Saturday, April 23 at the Red Poppy Art House  2698 Folsom Street San Francisco, CA

]]> Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:45:00 GMT 425DD2244EC59EA9B7101D6727934439 henry hung on trumpet http://quijerema.com/thenews.cfm?feature=1226880&postid=501145 This summer has been a bit of a transition for Quijerem&aacute;. We sadly and reluctantly said goodbye to to our wonderful saxophonist Elijah Samuels, who left the Bay Area earlier this year for Nueva York to pursue a Masters degree in composition at the Manhattan School of Music. We will miss his unique musical voice and wish him the best of luck! With every setback though comes an opportunity and it is with great pleasure that we would like to introduce to you the newest member of Quijerema, Henry Hung on trumpet. Henry is a veteran of the music scene in the San Francisco Bay Area. Originally from New York, Henry studied trumpet at Manhattan School of Music. He most recently returned from a summer tour of Europe with Rupa and the April Fishes and has performed locally with Jesus Diaz y su QBA, Pyeng Threadgill, and Aphrodesia as well as with jazz greats Stanley Clarke and Jimmy Cobb. We are fortunate to have Henry in the group and look forward to to his contributions. This dude can really play! <a href="./henryhung.cfm">Henry Hung
With every setback though comes an opportunity and it is with great pleasure that we would like to introduce to you the newest member of Quijerema, Henry Hung on trumpet.

Henry is a veteran of the music scene in the San Francisco Bay Area. Originally from New York, Henry studied trumpet at Manhattan School of Music. He most recently returned from a summer tour of Europe with Rupa and the April Fishes and has performed locally with Jesus Diaz y su QBA, Pyeng Threadgill, and Aphrodesia as well as with jazz greats Stanley Clarke and Jimmy Cobb.

We are fortunate to have Henry in the group and look forward to to his contributions. This dude can really play!

Henry Hung

]]> Thu, 14 Oct 2010 21:11:19 GMT 3DC3FEFA639AF5DA29E55BA1121082A2 berkeley world music festival http://quijerema.com/thenews.cfm?feature=1226880&postid=301531 Free 7th Annual Berkeley World Music Festival coming to Telegraph Ave, Saturday, June 5, 2010 Continuous music outdoors &amp; in cafes + crafts bazaar ~ Something for Everyone! The Berkeley World music Festival has some of our best world musicians who call East Bay home. The Festival is 9 hours of free continuous music, in various cafes &amp; music stores along Telegraph Avenue + People's Park. The festival's epicenter is Telegraph Avenue at Haste Street. People can pick up event schedules at the information booth (the first booth on Telegraph @ Haste Street) <a href="./files/Berkeley-World-Music-Schedule-2010.jpg" target="_new">Download Map &amp; Schedule Quijerem&aacute; will be the Grand Finale of the event! The group will be playing music from their new CD Kakri and will be joined onstage by two great Bay Area talents: trumpet player Henry Hung and Venezuelan percussionist Luis Rodriguez. You can go directly to Quijerem&aacute;'s performance from 7-9 pm at: The Village, 2556 Telegraph Ave in Berkeley, located between Parker &amp; Blake St. It's on the west side &amp; south of Dwight Way. The Village has several restaurants surrounding the courtyard where Quijerema' will be performing. You can choose whether or not to eat, drink, dance, or listen, but we do know that you will certainly enjoy the musica of Quijerema in a great festival party! &quot;Berkeley World Music Fest...has some of our best world musicians who call East Bay home...a wonderful event, mix of outdoor (the best music People's Park gets each year) and intimate, and also free, performances in cafes and shops along Telegraph Ave. Larry Kelp, KPFA music host Free 7th Annual Berkeley World Music Festival coming to Telegraph Ave, Saturday, June 5, 2010

Continuous music outdoors & in cafes + crafts bazaar ~ Something for Everyone!

The Berkeley World music Festival has some of our best world musicians who call East Bay home. The Festival is 9 hours of free continuous music, in various cafes & music stores along Telegraph Avenue + People's Park.

The festival's epicenter is Telegraph Avenue at Haste Street. People can pick up event schedules at the information booth (the first booth on Telegraph @ Haste Street) Download Map & Schedule

Quijeremá will be the Grand Finale of the event! The group will be playing music from their new CD Kakri and will be joined onstage by two great Bay Area talents: trumpet player Henry Hung and Venezuelan percussionist Luis Rodriguez.

You can go directly to Quijeremá's performance from 7-9 pm at:

The Village, 2556 Telegraph Ave in Berkeley, located between Parker & Blake St. It's on the west side & south of Dwight Way. The Village has several restaurants surrounding the courtyard where Quijerema' will be performing.

You can choose whether or not to eat, drink, dance, or listen, but we do know that you will certainly enjoy the musica of Quijerema in a great festival party!

"Berkeley World Music Fest...has some of our best world musicians who call East Bay home...a wonderful event, mix of outdoor (the best music People's Park gets each year) and intimate, and also free, performances in cafes and shops along Telegraph Ave. Larry Kelp, KPFA music host
]]> Thu, 27 May 2010 00:10:00 GMT B092993C517B664EE85AA6F019DB8F9A quijerema provides direct aid to chile http://quijerema.com/thenews.cfm?feature=1226880&postid=206060 We in Quijerem&aacute; have been affected greatly by the devastation in Chile and are helping to fundraise with our performances and send aid to our chileno/a brother and sister artists. Quijerem&aacute; will be supporting with their performances &ldquo; Sala Arte Caf&eacute; Viejo&rdquo; - a Chilean artist&rsquo;s collective located in the central coast of the country. The artists at &ldquo;Caf&eacute; Viejo&rdquo; are close friends of ours and some of the best artists, painters, musicians and artisans in the country. Their building has been partly destroyed and we would like to facilitate their recovery. &ldquo;Sala Arte Caf&eacute; Viejo&rdquo; is a five-year dream of the local artists of Llo-Lleo and it was going to open at the end of February. The cultural center will provide a much-needed space in the community to develop different art forms through education, exhibits and performances. We would like to raise as much money as we can so art can be part of the long process of healing in the region. As artists, we feel that this is our responsibility. If you or anyone you know would like to support aid to Chile and are looking for a direct manner to do so, please consider attending this performance. Your donations will be immediately turned to supplies for those affected by the earthquake.

We in Quijeremá have been affected greatly by the devastation in Chile and are helping to fundraise with our performances and send aid to our chileno/a brother and sister artists.

Quijeremá will be supporting with their performances “ Sala Arte Café Viejo” - a Chilean artist’s collective located in the central coast of the country. The artists at “Café Viejo” are close friends of ours and some of the best artists, painters, musicians and artisans in the country. Their building has been partly destroyed and we would like to facilitate their recovery.

“Sala Arte Café Viejo” is a five-year dream of the local artists of Llo-Lleo and it was going to open at the end of February. The cultural center will provide a much-needed space in the community to develop different art forms through education, exhibits and performances.

We would like to raise as much money as we can so art can be part of the long process of healing in the region. As artists, we feel that this is our responsibility.

If you or anyone you know would like to support aid to Chile and are looking for a direct manner to do so, please consider attending this performance.

Your donations will be immediately turned to supplies for those affected by the earthquake.

]]> Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:15:00 GMT 3D73A483B8845FB2E7B70733DA15891A kakri: variations for the venezuelan bandola llanera http://quijerema.com/thenews.cfm?feature=1226880&postid=190246 In the plains of Venezuela, the bandola is a cultural icon of fierce agile improvisation and above all, tradition. It is the maverick step-child of Joropo &mdash;a music that symbolizes the character of a country &mdash;a distinct Venezuelan musical soul; ever-changing, independent, jubilant and nostalgic. Then, musician/composer Quique Cruz left the how-to-play bandola instruction manual in a Caracas hotel just before returning to San Francisco. Now what? The bandola llanera, is emblematic of the folk music enjoyed by hardworking people from the plains of Venezuela. It is a long lost cousin of the Middle Eastern Oud, harkening back to Venezuela&rsquo;s Spanish colonialists, and in turn, the colonialist&rsquo;s Arabic roots. Outside of Venezuela, the bandola is relatively obscure, even throughout Latin America. It is typically played in Venezuelan joropo music with an alternating pick and finger technique called jalao, which means &ldquo;to pull.&rdquo; Quijerem&aacute; revels in obscure latinoamericana and brings forth a compelling new musical hybrid of folklore and jazz entitled &ldquo;Kakri: variations for the Venezuelan bandolla llanera.&rdquo; Kakri, in Venezuelan slang, is a street dog of unknown origin. Quijerem&aacute; and its invited guest musicians are only a slightly more refined version of this diverse pedigree. A few years ago, founding members Jeremy Allen, Quique Cruz and Mar&iacute;a Fernanda Acu&ntilde;a were discussing the quantity of instruments that they were bringing to performances, sometimes numbering as many as 10 instruments per musician. At that time, Cruz had already composed one piece for bandola. Allen commented: &ldquo;you need to write more for bandola - it&rsquo;s too much to bring one instrument for just one tune.&rdquo; Over the next few months, Cruz composed the remainder of the albums material. He experimented with playing techniques and alternate tunings to coax more from the deceptively simple instrument. Joropo was born in the llanos (plains) of Venezuela and is a culmination of African, Spanish, and early American sounds. It usually features the four-stringed Venezuelan cuatro, the harp, the mandolin, maracas and of course, the bandola. The instruments can vary by region, but joropo has an unmistakable sound and irresistible rhythm that invites listeners to get up and dance and dance. Quijerem&aacute; nourishes the roots of this music by continuing to develop the range of what can be done with a four-string instrument with only seven frets. While augmenting joropo with contemporary influences such as jazz, mambo from cuba, Argentinean milonga and festejo from Peru, Quijerem&aacute; draws from a diverse contemporary popular urban well; rich in as much tradition as irreverence. Cruz cites the Chilean icon of Nueva Canci&oacute;n Violeta Parra as a fundamental influence on his compositions. &ldquo;She had a great love for Latin American music,&rdquo; Cruz says, &ldquo;but at the same time she was irreverent to all forms. Parra mixed ancient instruments such Andean flutes and Mapuche drums (the indigenous people from southern Chile) with modern instrumentation and eclectic ways of composing new music. She showed me that we need to embrace all of Latin American music to create a kaleidoscope - adding, border-crossing, borrowing and recreating the musical palette of the Americas.&rdquo; Quijerem&aacute; infuses their original contemporary Latin American compositions with a deep sense of unique ancient musical traditions. New with primal, the real and ethereal permeate each performance&mdash;an amalgam of Quijerem&aacute;&rsquo;s mastery of traditional music and the present. Still, the blending of rhythm, texture, and color in their music is seamless, transparent and one-of-a-kind . As Quijerem&aacute;&rsquo;s percussionist Maria Fernanda Acu&ntilde;a says: &ldquo;We look for rhythmic patterns born from Latin American percussion forms, and use the strings to produce vertigo.&rdquo; Captivating audiences over the course of a eight-year, five-album career; this fine-tuned San Francisco Bay Area based quintet of world musicians has only gotten better. For the 2010-2011 touring season, Quijerem&aacute; has created an all-new exciting repertoire featuring the Venezuelan bandola llanera. Compelling new stories told from the stage between songs, and an overall presentation wins the hearts of both latin american music aficionados and newcomers to their sound. Their power keeps audiences engaged with the best of roots music and the surprises of a hard-hitting touch. With these enticing New-Latinoamericana grooves Quijerem&aacute; has been able to break cultural barriers in their concerts. The ensemble has performed throughout the US, Canada and Latin America, including collaborations with a variety of distinguished international musicians such as John Santos, Anthony Blea, Manuel Moreno, Mads Tolling, as well as members of renowned Chilean groups: Congreso, Illapu, The Latin American Sax Quartet, La Pedro Band, Entrama, and Santiago del Nuevo Extremo. In 2006 they were invited to Venezuela to perform as part of the Fiesta de la Diversidad Cultural music festival. In 2007 they were invited to inaugurate the memorial amphitheater Parque por la Paz Villa Grimaldi, and toured in Santiago, Chile. Quique Cruz (chile)- bandola, andean woodwinds Chilean-born Quique Cruz plays a variety of Andean flutes including Sikus, Antaras and Kenas in addition to the Bandola. He has recorded and performed with artists such as Jackson Browne Strunz and Farrah, Pete Seeger, Kenny Loggins, and Sting. In 2000 he released &ldquo;Tatamonk&rdquo; with Grammy&reg;-award nominated guitarist Alex de Grassi, a CD which experimented with Andean musical art forms and jazz. He recently co-directed and co-produced the award winning documentary film &ldquo;Archeology of Memory: Villa Grimaldi&rdquo; for PBS. Cruz has a degree in History from the University of California at Berkeley; earned a Master's degree in Latin American Studies from Stanford University, and is presently a Ph. D. candidate in Modern Thought and Literature at Stanford. Jeremy Allen (usa) - acoustic bass &amp; percussion Bassist, percussionist and audio engineer Jeremy Allen was born in California, but while living in Venezuela, fell in love with the local music. Allen has recorded, collaborated and performed with a wide variety of artists across many genres including Jackeline Rago, David Penalosa, Maria Marquez, Alex de Grassi, and Mike Marshall. He has also worked with Andy Narrel, Aquiles Baez, and Jenny Scheinman. Allen holds a B.A. in American Studies from the UC Berkeley with an emphasis in Urban Education and is the engineer and co-producer of all of Quijerem&aacute;&rsquo;s recorded material. Mar&iacute;a Fernanda Acu&ntilde;a (venezuela)- percussion, venezuelan cuatro Born and raised in Venezuela, Maria Fernanda Acu&ntilde;a specializes in a variety of drums and Latin American percussion instruments such as the Peruvian Cajon, Afro-Venezuelan hand drums and Maracas. For her work with Quijerem&aacute; she has developed a unique drum-set incorporating folk instruments from around the world combined with traditional cymbals, snare and kick drum. She also is an accomplished Cuatro player. This approach and wide range of instrumentation plays a major role in defining the sound of Quijerem&aacute;. Acu&ntilde;a has a degree in Latin American literature at Mills College, with an emphasis on the historic and cultural development of Venezuelan music as it relates to the African Diaspora, and is presently in a Master&rsquo;s program in English Literature at Mills College. John Calloway (usa)- piano, flute John Calloway is a multi-instrumentalist performer, composer, arranger, and educator, specializing in Cuban popular, Latin and Latin jazz music. He has worked with such renowned artists as Israel &quot;Cachao&quot; Lopez, Max Roach, Omar Sosa, John Santos, Pete Escovedo, and Manny Oquendo. He currently works with his own band, Diaspora, the Bay Area Afro-Cuban All-Stars, and the John Santos Quintet. John holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in music from City University of New York and San Francisco State University respectively, and he is currently completing his doctorate in Multicultural Education at the University of San Francisco. He is program coordinator for PlazaCuba, an educational organization that facilitates legal travel and study for music and dance programs in Havana, Cuba. Elijah Samuels (usa)-tenor saxophone, clarinet Born and raised in California, Mr. Elijah Samuels is an up-coming talent in the Bay Area music scene. He is a saxophone and clarinet performer and arranger and has been collaborating in Afro-Cuban music projects with master musician John Calloway. He studied Jazz at San Francisco State University where he graduated Cum Laude in 2007 with a Bachelor of Music. Elijah has played with various groups of different genres from funk/soul to salsa and classic big bands. The Guests Kakri includes performances from world renowned Latin percussionist&nbsp; Grammy&reg;-award nominated John Santos, Colombian vocalist Claudia Gomez, Chilean singer-Songwriter Rafael Manriquez and Uruguayan vocalist Federico Wolf. These musicians lend a depth of experience that contributes to the collaborative spirit of Quijerem&aacute;. It is a familiar sight to see Quijerem&aacute; perform live with other artists across many genres including poets, dancers, string quartets, and choirs. In December of 2009, Quijerem&aacute; debuted a series of arrangements performed with strings featuring Grammy&reg;-winning violinist Mads Tolling of Turtle Island String Quartet. Quijerem&aacute; produced &ldquo;Kakri&rdquo; in collaboration with four-time Grammy&reg;-award nominated producer Greg Landau, and Grammy&reg;-winning master engineer John Greenham who brought different, but equally adventurous musical brilliance to the record. Quijerem&aacute; also composes, records and produces music for documentary films. In 2009 their musical score was featured in the PBS film &ldquo;Archeology of Memory: Villa Grimaldi&rdquo; which was a finalist in the International Documentary Association&rsquo;s 2009 best Music Documentary category. Along with providing exhilarating entertainment, Quijerem&aacute;&rsquo;s members play over thirty instruments, have performed worldwide and appeared on regional, national and international radio and television. Since the founding of the group, the ensemble has offered three levels of workshops tailored to the needs of particular demographics. For young audiences, the band has conducted hands-on demonstrations, taking an interactive approach to helping kids play Latin American rhythms and learn cultural histories through songs, stories and dance. For older audiences, Quijerem&aacute; focuses their discussion on the rich historical and cultural aspects of their music, reinforcing these points with live musical examples. And, for professional musicians, through performance and dialogue, the band shares their insight into the music business and their own creative process as well as details of the technical aspects of producing their art. Kakri, Quijerem&aacute;&rsquo;s most recent creation, calculates a new bearing in the world of jazz and folk music. Kakri is robust with a richness of rhythm and pattern that eludes classification and is one of many new world folk traditions which continues to evolve. ON THE RECORD: Quique Cruz (chile)- bandola, andean woodwinds, caracoles Jeremy Allen (usa) - acoustic bass, conch shells Maria Fernanda Acu&ntilde;a (venezuela)- percussion, venezuelan cuatro Elijah Samuels (usa)-tenor saxophone, clarinet John Calloway (usa)- piano, flute John Santos (puerto rico) - bong&oacute;, caxixi Claudia Gomez (colombia) - vocals Rafael Manriquez (chile) - vocals Federico Wolf (uruguay) - vocals Dave Barrows (usa) - saxophones &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; In the plains of Venezuela, the bandola is a cultural icon of fierce agile improvisation and above all, tradition. It is the maverick step-child of Joropo —a music that symbolizes the character of a country —a distinct Venezuelan musical soul; ever-changing, independent, jubilant and nostalgic. Then, musician/composer Quique Cruz left the how-to-play bandola instruction manual in a Caracas hotel just before returning to San Francisco. Now what?

The bandola llanera, is emblematic of the folk music enjoyed by hardworking people from the plains of Venezuela. It is a long lost cousin of the Middle Eastern Oud, harkening back to Venezuela’s Spanish colonialists, and in turn, the colonialist’s Arabic roots. Outside of Venezuela, the bandola is relatively obscure, even throughout Latin America. It is typically played in Venezuelan joropo music with an alternating pick and finger technique called jalao, which means “to pull.” Quijeremá revels in obscure latinoamericana and brings forth a compelling new musical hybrid of folklore and jazz entitled “Kakri: variations for the Venezuelan bandolla llanera.” Kakri, in Venezuelan slang, is a street dog of unknown origin. Quijeremá and its invited guest musicians are only a slightly more refined version of this diverse pedigree.

A few years ago, founding members Jeremy Allen, Quique Cruz and María Fernanda Acuña were discussing the quantity of instruments that they were bringing to performances, sometimes numbering as many as 10 instruments per musician. At that time, Cruz had already composed one piece for bandola. Allen commented: “you need to write more for bandola - it’s too much to bring one instrument for just one tune.” Over the next few months, Cruz composed the remainder of the albums material. He experimented with playing techniques and alternate tunings to coax more from the deceptively simple instrument.

Joropo was born in the llanos (plains) of Venezuela and is a culmination of African, Spanish, and early American sounds. It usually features the four-stringed Venezuelan cuatro, the harp, the mandolin, maracas and of course, the bandola. The instruments can vary by region, but joropo has an unmistakable sound and irresistible rhythm that invites listeners to get up and dance and dance.

Quijeremá nourishes the roots of this music by continuing to develop the range of what can be done with a four-string instrument with only seven frets. While augmenting joropo with contemporary influences such as jazz, mambo from cuba, Argentinean milonga and festejo from Peru, Quijeremá draws from a diverse contemporary popular urban well; rich in as much tradition as irreverence. Cruz cites the Chilean icon of Nueva Canción Violeta Parra as a fundamental influence on his compositions. “She had a great love for Latin American music,” Cruz says, “but at the same time she was irreverent to all forms. Parra mixed ancient instruments such Andean flutes and Mapuche drums (the indigenous people from southern Chile) with modern instrumentation and eclectic ways of composing new music. She showed me that we need to embrace all of Latin American music to create a kaleidoscope - adding, border-crossing, borrowing and recreating the musical palette of the Americas.”

Quijeremá infuses their original contemporary Latin American compositions with a deep sense of unique ancient musical traditions. New with primal, the real and ethereal permeate each performance—an amalgam of Quijeremá’s mastery of traditional music and the present. Still, the blending of rhythm, texture, and color in their music is seamless, transparent and one-of-a-kind . As Quijeremá’s percussionist Maria Fernanda Acuña says: “We look for rhythmic patterns born from Latin American percussion forms, and use the strings to produce vertigo.”

Captivating audiences over the course of a eight-year, five-album career; this fine-tuned San Francisco Bay Area based quintet of world musicians has only gotten better. For the 2010-2011 touring season, Quijeremá has created an all-new exciting repertoire featuring the Venezuelan bandola llanera. Compelling new stories told from the stage between songs, and an overall presentation wins the hearts of both latin american music aficionados and newcomers to their sound. Their power keeps audiences engaged with the best of roots music and the surprises of a hard-hitting touch.

With these enticing New-Latinoamericana grooves Quijeremá has been able to break cultural barriers in their concerts. The ensemble has performed throughout the US, Canada and Latin America, including collaborations with a variety of distinguished international musicians such as John Santos, Anthony Blea, Manuel Moreno, Mads Tolling, as well as members of renowned Chilean groups: Congreso, Illapu, The Latin American Sax Quartet, La Pedro Band, Entrama, and Santiago del Nuevo Extremo. In 2006 they were invited to Venezuela to perform as part of the Fiesta de la Diversidad Cultural music festival. In 2007 they were invited to inaugurate the memorial amphitheater Parque por la Paz Villa Grimaldi, and toured in Santiago, Chile.



Quique Cruz (chile)- bandola, andean woodwinds

Chilean-born Quique Cruz plays a variety of Andean flutes including Sikus, Antaras and Kenas in addition to the Bandola. He has recorded and performed with artists such as Jackson Browne Strunz and Farrah, Pete Seeger, Kenny Loggins, and Sting. In 2000 he released “Tatamonk” with Grammy®-award nominated guitarist Alex de Grassi, a CD which experimented with Andean musical art forms and jazz. He recently co-directed and co-produced the award winning documentary film “Archeology of Memory: Villa Grimaldi” for PBS. Cruz has a degree in History from the University of California at Berkeley; earned a Master's degree in Latin American Studies from Stanford University, and is presently a Ph. D. candidate in Modern Thought and Literature at Stanford.

Jeremy Allen (usa) - acoustic bass & percussion

Bassist, percussionist and audio engineer Jeremy Allen was born in California, but while living in Venezuela, fell in love with the local music. Allen has recorded, collaborated and performed with a wide variety of artists across many genres including Jackeline Rago, David Penalosa, Maria Marquez, Alex de Grassi, and Mike Marshall. He has also worked with Andy Narrel, Aquiles Baez, and Jenny Scheinman. Allen holds a B.A. in American Studies from the UC Berkeley with an emphasis in Urban Education and is the engineer and co-producer of all of Quijeremá’s recorded material.

María Fernanda Acuña (venezuela)- percussion, venezuelan cuatro

Born and raised in Venezuela, Maria Fernanda Acuña specializes in a variety of drums and Latin American percussion instruments such as the Peruvian Cajon, Afro-Venezuelan hand drums and Maracas. For her work with Quijeremá she has developed a unique drum-set incorporating folk instruments from around the world combined with traditional cymbals, snare and kick drum. She also is an accomplished Cuatro player. This approach and wide range of instrumentation plays a major role in defining the sound of Quijeremá. Acuña has a degree in Latin American literature at Mills College, with an emphasis on the historic and cultural development of Venezuelan music as it relates to the African Diaspora, and is presently in a Master’s program in English Literature at Mills College.

John Calloway (usa)- piano, flute

John Calloway is a multi-instrumentalist performer, composer, arranger, and educator, specializing in Cuban popular, Latin and Latin jazz music. He has worked with such renowned artists as Israel "Cachao" Lopez, Max Roach, Omar Sosa, John Santos, Pete Escovedo, and Manny Oquendo. He currently works with his own band, Diaspora, the Bay Area Afro-Cuban All-Stars, and the John Santos Quintet. John holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in music from City University of New York and San Francisco State University respectively, and he is currently completing his doctorate in Multicultural Education at the University of San Francisco. He is program coordinator for PlazaCuba, an educational organization that facilitates legal travel and study for music and dance programs in Havana, Cuba.

Elijah Samuels (usa)-tenor saxophone, clarinet

Born and raised in California, Mr. Elijah Samuels is an up-coming talent in the Bay Area music scene. He is a saxophone and clarinet performer and arranger and has been collaborating in Afro-Cuban music projects with master musician John Calloway. He studied Jazz at San Francisco State University where he graduated Cum Laude in 2007 with a Bachelor of Music. Elijah has played with various groups of different genres from funk/soul to salsa and classic big bands.



The Guests

Kakri includes performances from world renowned Latin percussionist  Grammy®-award nominated John Santos, Colombian vocalist Claudia Gomez, Chilean singer-Songwriter Rafael Manriquez and Uruguayan vocalist Federico Wolf. These musicians lend a depth of experience that contributes to the collaborative spirit of Quijeremá. It is a familiar sight to see Quijeremá perform live with other artists across many genres including poets, dancers, string quartets, and choirs. In December of 2009, Quijeremá debuted a series of arrangements performed with strings featuring Grammy®-winning violinist Mads Tolling of Turtle Island String Quartet.

Quijeremá produced “Kakri” in collaboration with four-time Grammy®-award nominated producer Greg Landau, and Grammy®-winning master engineer John Greenham who brought different, but equally adventurous musical brilliance to the record.

Quijeremá also composes, records and produces music for documentary films. In 2009 their musical score was featured in the PBS film “Archeology of Memory: Villa Grimaldi” which was a finalist in the International Documentary Association’s 2009 best Music Documentary category.

Along with providing exhilarating entertainment, Quijeremá’s members play over thirty instruments, have performed worldwide and appeared on regional, national and international radio and television. Since the founding of the group, the ensemble has offered three levels of workshops tailored to the needs of particular demographics. For young audiences, the band has conducted hands-on demonstrations, taking an interactive approach to helping kids play Latin American rhythms and learn cultural histories through songs, stories and dance. For older audiences, Quijeremá focuses their discussion on the rich historical and cultural aspects of their music, reinforcing these points with live musical examples. And, for professional musicians, through performance and dialogue, the band shares their insight into the music business and their own creative process as well as details of the technical aspects of producing their art.

Kakri, Quijeremá’s most recent creation, calculates a new bearing in the world of jazz and folk music. Kakri is robust with a richness of rhythm and pattern that eludes classification and is one of many new world folk traditions which continues to evolve.

ON THE RECORD:

Quique Cruz (chile)- bandola, andean woodwinds, caracoles
Jeremy Allen (usa) - acoustic bass, conch shells
Maria Fernanda Acuña (venezuela)- percussion, venezuelan cuatro
Elijah Samuels (usa)-tenor saxophone, clarinet
John Calloway (usa)- piano, flute

John Santos (puerto rico) - bongó, caxixi
Claudia Gomez (colombia) - vocals
Rafael Manriquez (chile) - vocals
Federico Wolf (uruguay) - vocals
Dave Barrows (usa) - saxophones

                                                                  

]]> Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:45:00 GMT FDDB39655E4AB1076C2FBDDBF592C572 Archeology of Memory finalist at IDA Awards http://quijerema.com/thenews.cfm?feature=1226880&postid=190245 Our film Archeology of Memory: Villa Grimaldi was recently nominated for an award by the noted International Documentary Association, a Los Angeles-based organization that promotes non-fiction filmmaking, with the participation of 53 countries. The film was a finalist in the Music Film category The awards ceremony, hosted by This American Life's Ira Glass, took place on Dec. 4 at the Directors Guild in Los Angeles. We were pleased to attend the ceremony in the company of many other great artists. Archeology of Memory, which was directed and produced by Quique Cruz and Marilyn Mulford, debuted in 2008 and has appeared in many film festivals in the U.S. and abroad, including the Mill Valley Film Festival where it won the Audience Prize and was selected among the ten best films in the Vancouver Internacional Film Festival. In October of this year, it was shown nationally on PBS as part of the documentary film series Global Voices.
The film was a finalist in the Music Film category The awards ceremony, hosted by This American Life's Ira Glass, took place on Dec. 4 at the Directors Guild in Los Angeles. We were pleased to attend the ceremony in the company of many other great artists.

Archeology of Memory, which was directed and produced by Quique Cruz and Marilyn Mulford, debuted in 2008 and has appeared in many film festivals in the U.S. and abroad, including the Mill Valley Film Festival where it won the Audience Prize and was selected among the ten best films in the Vancouver Internacional Film Festival. In October of this year, it was shown nationally on PBS as part of the documentary film series Global Voices.

]]> Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:45:00 GMT 50F6420C433F3A26D27090EFEDFF8D58 Quijeremá Red Poppy performance featured in SF Bay Guardian http://quijerema.com/thenews.cfm?feature=1226880&postid=201207 <a href="http://www.sfbg.com/noise/2009/09/29/live-shots-quijerem%C3%A1-red-poppy-art-house-92509">The September 2009 performance of Quijerem&aacute; at the Red Poppy Art House was featured in the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Quijerem&aacute; was a 2009 resident artist at the Poppy and performed monthly with a different theme and invited special guests. September featured Chilean singer-songwiriter Rafael Manriquez and a selected repertoire of Latin American Nueva Cancion material. Click below to see the live shots and read the article. <a target="_new" href="http://www.sfbg.com/noise/2009/09/29/live-shots-quijerem%C3%A1-red-poppy-art-house-92509"> Quijerem&aacute; in the San Francisco Bay Guardian The September 2009 performance of Quijeremá at the Red Poppy Art House was featured in the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Quijeremá was a 2009 resident artist at the Poppy and performed monthly with a different theme and invited special guests. September featured Chilean singer-songwiriter Rafael Manriquez and a selected repertoire of Latin American Nueva Cancion material.

Click below to see the live shots and read the article.

Quijeremá in the San Francisco Bay Guardian
]]> Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:20:00 GMT 9F46448D559EA9BA5ED5172CEE6CBE79