IMN : Updates for Spanish Harlem Orchestra

Oscar Hernandez to receive Honorary Doctorate from Shepherd University

IMN

May 9th, 2012

_from examiner.com

Oscar Hernandez to receive Honorary Doctorate from Shepherd University
By:Dena Burroughs

Los Angeles based pianist and composer Oscar Hernandez will receive an Honorary Doctorate from the Shepherd University School of Music at this year’s commencement ceremony on June 2nd.

Hernandez is a three-time Grammy award winner, respected in the field of Afro-Latin and Salsa music as a composer, arranger, pianist, record producer, and band director. He is the band leader of the Grammy award winner Spanish Harlem Orchestra, and over the span of his career he has performed with Salsa icons like Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Ruben Blades, and Willie Colon.

To read the full article click here

VivaFest Continues To Reinvent the Concept of the Mariachi Festival

IMN

September 22nd, 2011

For proof of how artistic director Linda Ronstadt and her collaborators at the Mariachi and Mexican Heritage Festival—a.k.a. Viva Fest—are continuing to reinvent the concept of the mariachi festival this year, look no further than the Sept. 23 concert at the SJSU Event Center.

Billed as “The Sound of East L.A. Meets the Kings of Latin Swing,” and featuring Los Lobos and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, the event mashes up Latin rock and salsa—a combination not likely to be found on many, if any, other mariachi-fest stages.

For Spanish Harlem Orchestra co-founder Oscar Hernandez, there’s a bit of irony in being invited to a festival celebrating Mexican heritage. The Grammy-winning group has traveled the world spreading the gospel of salsa, but they are sometimes met with skepticism in Latin America and other Spanish-speaking countries. As Hernandez was reminded while doing a recent interview in Colombia, the confusion always starts with: Why is their name in English?

“I had to explain. It’s important that people realize that Spanish Harlem translated is the barrio,” recalls Hernandez. “It was an extremely important place for the cultural development of Latinos in the city of New York in the ‘40s, ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s. Still to this day, but mainly in those eras. So the name Spanish Harlem Orchestra has an important meaning to us and what we’re about. Cause I’m Latino and I’m fluent in Spanish—I’m what they call Nuyorican. I take a lot of pride in where I come from and what I’m about. That also has a lot to do with the music. It’s a concept that I’ve had to explain to people in Latin American countries, because they don’t always understand.”

To read the full article click here

Spanish Harlem Orchestra Nominated for 2011 Latin Grammy Award

IMN

September 14th, 2011

The nomination list for the 2012 was announced today. IMN’s very own Spanish Harlem Orchestra has been nominated for “Best Salsa Album”.

Also nominated for Latin Grammy’s are Caetano Veloso, Omara Portuondo and Ojos de Brujo

To see the full nominees list click here

Spanish Harlem Orchestra Wins Grammy Award

IMN

February 19th, 2011

IMN congratulates Spanish Harlem Orchestra for their 2nd Grammy win! SHO took home the award for Best Tropical Latin Album for Viva La Tradicion.

Spanish Harlem Orchestra Earns 2011 Grammy Nomination

IMN

November 24th, 2010

IMN congratulates Spanish Harlem Orchestra who’s new release, Viva La Tradicion, was nominated for Best Tropical Latin Album!

For the full list of nominees click here

Spanish Harlem Orchestra on the Tavis Smiley Show

IMN

September 27th, 2010

Oscar Hernandez, pianist and founder of the Spanish Harlem Orchestra puts into perspective the reasons behind the formation of the group, the evolution of Puerto Rican culture in New York and shares the latest CD, Viva La Tradición.

Listen to the entire program here

New Music from Spanish Harlem Orchestra

IMN

August 19th, 2010

Enjoy three new tracks from Spanish Harlem Orchestra’s upcoming album, Viva la Tradicón, to be released September 28.

Listen here

Spanish Harlem Orchestra's Oscar Hernandez Reunites with Paul Simon

IMN

July 23rd, 2010

from The New York Times

Reborn in Central Park, Concert ‘Capeman’ Sets Its Cast
By Dave Itzkoff

The Public Theater’s coming concert performances of “The Capeman” will look increasingly familiar to audiences who caught that Paul Simon-Derek Walcott musical collaboration during its original short-lived Broadway run. On Thursday the Public announced a round of casting for its concerts (scheduled for Aug. 14 through 16 at the Delacorte Theater) that includes several veterans of the Broadway production, which ran for just 68 total performances in 1998.

Newcomers to the show include Anthony Lee Medina as the young Sal Agrón (the role played by Marc Anthony on Broadway), Obie Bermúdez as Umbrella Man, Nicole Lequerica as Aurea Agrón, Abraham Rodriguez as Santero and Jorge Maldonado as Reverend González.

Natascia Diaz (who will play Esmerelda Agron) and Élan Luz Rivera (who is cast as Bernadette) are both veterans of the Broadway production, as are Luba Mason (who is reprising her role as Mrs. Krzesinski) and the ensemble members Frankie Negrón and Myrna Lynn Gomila.

Read the entire article here

INTERVIEW SHO's Oscar Hernandez (The Latin Jazz Corner)

IMN

April 8th, 2010

from The Latin Jazz Corner

Pianist Oscar Hernandez started the road towards becoming one of the most distinctive voices in Latin dance music and jazz early in the his life and kept evolving through many different experiences. As a child in the Bronx, he showed an early aptitude for musical performance, and moved through a variety of different instruments. Access to a family piano eventually steered him towards a focus, and the existence of an active set of musical peers helped instigate his development. Hernandez jumped into professional performance while still a teen and found himself in the midst of the booming Fania era of Latin dance music. His piano skills served him well, and before he hit twenty years old, Hernandez became a busy professional on the New York scene. He always maintained an open mind for new experiences though, and soon found like-minded musicians in Andy and Jerry Gonzalez. The brothers introduced Hernandez to a world of important music, ranging from early Cuban recordings to the whole spectrum of jazz approaches. Their shared appreciation of these different genres led to Hernandez’s involvement in two important Gonzalez anchored groups: Grupo Folklorico Y Experimental Nuevayorquiño and Libre. Still at a young age, Hernandez left an unforgettable impact upon the Latin music world through recordings with these groups. His strong skills grabbed the attention of one of the salsa world’s biggest stars, conguero Ray Barretto, who recruited Hernandez for his band. The pianist proved to be an important piece of Barretto’s group, helping in the recording of some classic albums, including Rican/Struction. All these experiences served as the building blocks for an important career that had only just begun.

As Hernandez developed into an influential musical figure and an insightful bandleader, he made major contributions to the world of Latin dance music and jazz. These early experiences not only helped shaped Hernandez, but they influenced the continual evolution of Latin music. In the first piece of our two-part interview with pianist Oscar Hernandez, we discuss his early musical development, his involvement with the Gonzalez brothers, and his time in Ray Barretto’s band.

Read the entire interview here

SHO on WHYY-TV "On Canvas"

IMN

March 5th, 2010

The On Canvas episode featuring Spanish Harlem Orchestra will air Wednesday, April 7th at 8pm on WHYY-TV and will re-air on Sunday, April 11th at 2pm on WHYY-TV.

On Wednesday, April 7th at 5:44pm, we will also air an abbreviated radio segment of the show (approximately 3min 30sec) to air on 90FM (our NPR affiliate station) during All Things Considered.

Additionally, this episode will be streaming online at whyy.org/oncanvas beginning Thursday, April 8th.

Spanish Harlem Orchestra on NPR's JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater

IMN

February 12th, 2009

The Bad Plus, Spanish Harlem Orchestra: The Shape Of Jazz To Come

JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater, February 12, 2009
By Becca Pulliam

Click here to listen

The Bad Plus came together in the early 2000s, offering up a jazz spin on works by Nirvana, Aphex Twin and other non-jazz sources. Since then, each of the trio’s records has further explored the group’s self-styled universe, while also demonstrating its commitment to the art of the trio.

Here, The Bad Plus opens with “Tom Sawyer,” a 1981 hit for Rush, and closes with Nirvana’s 1991 classic “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” In between, drummer Dave King and bassist Reid Anderson provide the compositions, and pianist Ethan Iverson introduces the pieces in his own offbeat way.

Iverson says that Tom Sawyer is a hero because he’s a modern-day warrior who operates according to his own moral compass, while Metatron — in the song “My Friend Metatron” — is an archangel with whom you’d better not mess.

Next at McMenamin’s, the piano, bass and drums are replaced by a 10-piece Latin band and three vocalists, and the house turns over for the Spanish Harlem Orchestra. The SHO’s latest album is United We Swing, while the ensemble won a Grammy for its record Across 110th Street.

Throughout the concert, dancers who drove to Portland from Vancouver worked out on “Ahora Si!” proving that salsa music is alive and well. Meanwhile, leader Oscar Hernandez followed with his own composition, “Rumba Urbana.” Multi-instrumentalist Mitch Frohman was one of the concert’s highlights, showing his prowess by jumping between baritone sax and flute. Finally, Dee Dee Bridgewater loves a slow dance, so we close with a bolero.

SHO featured as Starbucks, "Song of the Day" Today

IMN

October 26th, 2007

Grammy Award Winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra is part of Starbucks “Song Of The Day” promotion and continues worldwide tour in support of their latest album United We Swing.

On Friday, October 26, Starbucks will feature “Sacala Bailar” by Six Degrees recording artist Spanish Harlem Orchestra as their “Song of the Day.” This song is from their latest album, United We Swing. Each morning and while supplies last, Starbucks customers nationwide can discover that day’s complimentary download as part of their daily coffee routine. Upon receiving their complimentary download card at Starbucks, customers will have until the end of the calendar year to redeem the song on the U.S. iTunes Store.

“We are pleased that Starbucks has chosen Spanish Harlem Orchestra’s ‘Sacala Bailar’ for their innovative ‘Song of the Day’ program,” said Bob Duskis, president and label co-founder of Six Degrees Records. “Starbucks proves it is a great place to discover new and exciting music and this promotion will help bring their Latin sound to a contemporary audience.”

United We Swing - Out Today

IMN

May 15th, 2007

Directed by world-renowned pianist/arranger/producer Oscar Hernandez, the 13 member Spanish Harlem Orchestra has established itself as a standard bearer of contemporary Latin music.Featuring the most accomplished players in the New York Latino community, United We Swing is a stunning collection of infectious Latin music from an all-star lineup that also includes a special guest appearance by Paul Simon.

Available now as a CD or download here.

“The Spanish Harlem Orchestra plays with the swing that epitomizes what this music is about.” Ruben Blades

SHO Nominated for 2005 Latin Grammy!!!

IMN

August 25th, 2005

Libertad Records’ 2005 Grammy Award winning artist, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, has just been nominated for a Latin Grammy for Best Salsa Album of the Year (“Across 110th Street”)…(distributed through Universal).

IMN Grammy Winners!!!

IMN

February 14th, 2005

We’d like to congratulate the following IMN artists on their Grammy wins:

Best Salsa/Merengue Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Across 110th Street
Spanish Harlem Orchestra
Featuring Ruben Blades
[Libertad Records]

Best Traditional World Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Raise Your Spirit Higher
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
[Heads Up International]

Best Contemporary World Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Egypt
Youssou N’Dour
[Nonesuch]

Best Jazz Instrumental Solo

Speak Like A Child
Herbie Hancock, soloist
Track from: With All My Heart (Harvey Mason)
[Bluebird]

Record Of The Year

Here We Go Again
Ray Charles & Norah Jones

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

Sunrise
Norah Jones
Track from: Feels Like Home

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals

Here We Go Again
Ray Charles & Norah Jones
Track from: Genius Loves Company

Confirmed Tourdates As Of

IMN

June 22nd, 2012: The Hamilton Washington, DC USA [Spanish Harlem Orchestra]
September 6th, 2012: Stadthalle Friedeburg Nordenham, Germany [Spanish Harlem Orchestra]
May 3rd, 2013: Miller Outdoor Theater Houston, TX USA [Spanish Harlem Orchestra]