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“We cannot say enough for the musical talent of this group --their instrumental diversity and vocal flavor, rhythm and harmonics.” - eSoundz

“This is one of the best new things I’ve heard. My kids won’t stop playing it!”
- President of San Diego Sociedad Flamenco Cultural

    “Even if you think you have no interest in this show, I urge you to check it out.” - Steven Segiel, Tucson Weekly

“Cerro Negro sold more CDs at a show than my headliners! They are a huge favorite and I’ll have them back again and again.” - Sandy Shore, Sandy Shore Productions smoothjazz.com

 

News Release

Cerro Negro:  Hawaii 2008 “Even the Odds Tour”

Spanish guitars, blended with Latin Percussion, creates the gypsy-influenced, acoustic sound of Cerro Negro.

Back to Hawaii for their 2008 tour, Cerro Negro will launch their “Even the Odds” Concert Tour at the Hawaii Public Radio Atherton Studio on Saturday, February 2nd   Over the weeks following their concert, Cerro Negro will be portraying different sides of their vast repertoire in appearances that include a series of four Flamenco workshops for dancers and musicians, Mardi Gras sets, Romantic Flamenco Valentine’s Day sets and a few Juergas or Flamenco gatherings.

Known for their live spontaneous and passionate Flamenco, Brazilian and Jazz; Cerro Negro returns with an ever-widening circle of influences from around the globe including Balken, Django Jazz, Turkish and Peruvian, all played exquisitely. Cerro Negro makes these complex interwoven rhythms seem so natural, even the odds. While remaining true to the ancient rhythmic traditions of the Gypsies these performers are playing tomorrow’s music today.

For a number of reasons the tour has been called “Even the Odds.” Not the least of which the band feels it is time that we even the odds in society. Economically and environmentally, technologies are emerging that we need to foster in order to grow and reconcile the way we are living on the planet. Even the odds, also refers to juxtaposition of two opposites, even and odd. Sometimes odd is even or regular, and vice versa. The world loops it-self, and up becomes down and all things are not as they seem.  Just as a wave crashes, it turns on itself. The old paradigm does not apply. People are now going to have to move from dependency to self-sufficiency.  Even the odds, refers to the need for people to think about details and difficult concepts that will ultimately provide them with the greatest satisfaction.  What does this have to do with music?  Nothing, and everything.  They invite all ages to come and experience what cannot be put into words.

The musicians are expanding as well. Lead guitarist, Dusty Brough is now exploring the world of odd meters from Brazil and Turkey.   He is creating polyrhythm with even and odd meters, pushing the boundaries of Jazz. Frank Giordano, rhythm guitarist, is now featuring new Flamenco material on the piano and adds a “cumbus” (joom boosh) from Turkey .  Global percussionist, John Martin III adds an Udu drum from Nigeria and Flamenco body percussion to his exotic Caribbean, percussion blend of Congas, Cajon, Djembe, Clave, Palmas and passionate vocals.

Hawaii fans will still enjoy their usual Flamenco rooted originals from their four CDs which are currently enjoying sales internationally in Istanbul, Spain, Germany, Canada and Australia.  If you don’t have the entire collection, they’ll be bringing some along.  Their CDs are not sold in local stores.

For the past seven years, Cerro Negro has toured relentlessly through the US from the East Coast to Hawaii performing at concerts, corporate conventions and events for non-profit organizations.  They’ve opened for national acts like Eddie Palmieri, Arturo Sandoval, Poncho Sanchez, Strunz & Farah, Jesse Cook, Craig Chaquico, Michael Franks, Marc Antoine and Spyro Gyra.  With John also multi-degreed in music, the group has also brought multi-cultural info-tainment programs to elementary through college students.


For more information on their tour:

Sonia Chiyomi Fabrigas
Aiwana Artists & Education Coordination
P.O. Box 11394, Honolulu, Hawaii  96828
Ph./Fax:                  (808)  524-8416

          

 

Fact Sheet

·       

      Cerro Negro includes lead guitarist Dusty Brough, rhythm guitarist Frank Giordano, and percussionist-vocals John Martin III.

·        Cerro Negro classifies itself as “Global Flamenco Fusion”.  Their style is created by their unique coupling of traditional elements of Flamenco guitar – like using hand-techniques instead of a pick – with an exotic Caribbean percussion blend of Congas, Cajon, Djembe, Clave, Palmas and passionate vocals.

·        Cerro Negro customizes their performances to reflect the atmosphere of the event.  From concert stages to elementary classrooms, corporate events to cultural centers, Cerro Negro pulls from their unique musical palette for each individual show evoking a spectrum of sounds and styles that resonates with numerous demographics.   

·        In 1999-2008 the trio opened for many well-known national acts, from Eddie Palmieri, Arturo Sandoval, Poncho Sanchez, Strunz & Farah and Jesse Cook, to Smooth Jazz greats Craig Chaquico, Michael Franks, Marc Antoine and Spyro Gyra.  Cerro Negro often times earning a standing ovation of their own.

      Cerro Negro is based in San Diego, CA and has toured relentlessly for over 10 years throughout the entire United States.  The group has made fans from Hawaii to Boston to the Gulf of Mexico and all points in between.  The group sells CD’s internationally through the Internet in Istanbul, Brazil, Spain, Germany, Canada, and Australia. 

·        Cerro Negro’s unique Flamenco sounds are captured on their 4 Compact discs which have combined sales of over 10,000 copies. In addition to these Cerro Negro has released a limited edition EP entitled “Recuerdos de Ti”.  This album is deeply personal and was totally constructed by the members of the group.  Each compact disc is hand painted and hand assembled and each one is a unique number work of art.      

 

·        Cerro Negro prides themselves for being dependable and flexible even reacting to the ever-changing needs of the corporate client.  Cerro Negro has entertained audiences at events for Glaxo-SmithKline, O’Reilly & Associates, Kaiser Permanente,  Cisco Systems, Astra-Zeneca, Oracle, SHPE National Conference, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association.

 

·        Cerro Negro offers various multicultural interactive education programs ranging from performances to “infotainment” seminars.  Cerro Negro fuses musical virtuosity with historical perspective to paint a captivating picture highlighting the importance of diverse cultural contributions.  

 

 

 

       Background Information

   Spanish guitars, blended with Latin percussion, create the gypsy-influenced, acoustic sound of Cerro Negro.  While enjoying the fusion of Flamenco, Brazilian, and Jazz guitar techniques with Latin, Africa, and Middle-Eastern percussion, Cerro Negro’s music soars with passionate vocals embracing a village of rhythms, styles, and Languages.  Cerro Negro creates their own unique synergy by combining sounds from the roots of Flamenco music with cutting-edge instrumentation and orchestration.       

    Cerro Negro is from San Diego, CA and includes lead guitarist Dusty Brough, rhythm guitarist Frank Giordano, and percussionist/lead vocalist John Martin III.  Brough is an exciting young guitarist who is captivating audiences with his virtuosity.  Giordano plays both Flamenco guitar and piano switching up the group’s instrumentation throughout the performance.  Martin has two Bachelors degrees in music and performs on his custom percussion setup which includes instruments from around the world. 

    The biggest ingredient in the group’s fusion sound is based on the sounds of Flamenco.  The roots of Flamenco have many sources from across the gypsy migration from India to Africa and Europe.  Andalucia, the southern most region of Spain, is the birthplace of Flamenco. In the Fifteenth Century, the rural mountainous areas of this region served as the crucible for a cultural fusion, now known as Flamenco. These small gypsy communities were, and still are the centers of this world such as Alcalá, Utrera, Jerez, Cádiz and Triana the barrio of Sevilla.  This flexible trio, while staying true to these ancient rhythmic traditions explores new musical frontiers with a rhythmic authenticity rarely seen in a group from the west. 

    In the past 10 years, Cerro Negro has performed throughout the United States from Boston to Hawaii, and in a myriad of different venues ranging from cultural centers and Universities, to regional festivals and concert halls.  Cerro Negro’s passionate sound transcends generations and appeals to a wide variety of musical tastes because of its coupling of unique guitar techniques, exotic percussion and emotional vocals.  

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