KIki Valera Y Su Son Cubano
KIKI VALERA Y SU SON CUBANO: UNA TRADICION MUSICAL QUE TRASCIENDE GENERACIONES
Out Now
Circle 9 is excited to welcome cuban quatro player Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano aboard our artist roster.
Kiki Valera is the eldest son of the famous septeto La Familia Valera Miranda, a multi-generational traditional music group originating from Santiago de Cuba. Since the 19th century, La Familia Valera Miranda has played a significant role in Cuban culture by collecting and preserving the deep traditions of the legendary Sierra Maestra mountain region. Their debut album, "Antologia Integral Del Son" released in 1982, helped trigger explosive interest in traditional Cuban music.
Kiki, like most of his family, is a virtuoso. A multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, sound engineer, and producer, he is recognized as one of the finest interpreters of the Cuban cuatro, a medium-sized guitar with 8 strings grouped in 2 pairs.
Since childhood, Kiki learned to play the Cuban tres under the tutelage of his father, Félix. Kiki continues to lead, compose, arrange, and perform internationally. He also performs and teaches in Seattle, Washington, where he contributes to the vibrant music scene of the Pacific Northwest.
“Mr. Valera has a powerful, glamorous tone, gleaming at the top and throaty and rugged at the bottom. The trumpeters and vocalists match him every bar of the way for passion, fantasy, ebullience and precision.”
“The arrangements by Valera covering classics, some of which are familial, are colorful and jazz influenced much in the same way that his cuatro playing echoes with jazz adventurism beyond the anticipated musical values of Son Cubano. ”
Tracklist
1 – Este Vacilón – 05:20
2 – El Ají de Cocina – 05:07
3 – Sobre una Tumba una Rumba – 07:04
4 – El Penquito e’ Coleto – 04:11
5 – Funfuñando – 05:31
6 – La Guajira – 05:46
7 – Mari-Juana – 03:54
8 – Muñequita Feliz – 06:30
9 – El Empanadillero – 04:35
10 – Pájaro Lindo – 06:23
11 – Dos Gardeñas – 02:56
12 – El Cuarto de Tula -05:34
Production Credits
Recorded at FVM Studios, Seattle, WA
Mixed by Kiki Valera at FVM Studio, Seattle, WA
Mastered by Michael Lazarus, Latin Music Mastering
Graphic design by Michelle Holme
Produced by Naomi Bierman and Kiki Valera
Executive Producer, Naomi Bierman
Personnel
All music arranged by Kiki Valera
Kiki Valera - cuatro cubano, guitar, bass, clave, maracas and coros
Pedro Vargas - congas, bongos and coros
Steve Guasch - coros
Carlos Cascante – lead vocal (1,4,5,7,9,10,12)
Francisco “Coco” Freeman – lead vocal (2,11)
Joshuah de Jesus – lead vocal (3,8)
Raquel Zozaya – lead vocal (6)
Special Guests:
Alexis Baró - trumpet (1,3,4,6,9,11)
Steve Mostovoy - trumpet (1,3,6,11)
Michael Rodriguez & Jonathan Powell - trumpet (8)
Pete Nater & Dennis Hernandez - trumpet (2,5,7,12)
Bryan Lynch & Thomas Marriott - trumpet (10)
Leon Q Allen - trumpet (4)
“...for 62 blissful inspiring and exciting minutes, there are a multitude of ways to experience cuatro Cubano master Kiki Valera’s epic second U.S. release.”
PRESS INQUIRIES
Jazz Promo Services
jim@jazzpromoservices.com
jazzpromoservices.com
+1 (845) 986-1677
ARTIST MANAGEMENT
Naomi Bierman
nbierman@hotmail.com
Kiki Valera ‘Vacilón Santiaguero’ on Limited Collector’s Edition Compact Disc. Package includes liner notes written by Bill Tilford, with design by Michelle Holme. Ships on or around May 31, 2024.