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| Bill Macpherson’s Native Vibe Debuts First Latin Music CD “Luna de Nosara" True to the name of his band Native Vibe, songwriter and guitarist Bill Macpherson draws upon the rhythms and ambiance of his life for creative inspiration. His childhood in Congo influenced the band's early African Jazz sounds and now the “native vibe” of his new Costa Rican home have made their way onto the group's first Latin-inspired CD, Luna de Nosara. This is the fourth album for Native Vibe which, under creative direction of Macpherson as the band's founder and leader, is known for its high-energy, eclectic instrumental music blending Latin, African, Caribbean, Funk, Rock and Jazz styles. The first three CDs, Medicinal Purposes, Spirits, and Mirage received critical acclaim and national airplay. Produced by Macpherson and hailed as his best work yet, Luna de Nosara's mix of Brazilian, Salsa, Meringue and Reggae sounds tap the rich Central American culture as well as the talent of some of the leading Latin musicians in the industry today. The record was funded and executive produced by Macpherson and Roberto Herrera. Associate produced by highly acclaimed Yellow Jackets bassist Jimmy Haslip, who also plays bass on the album, Macpherson recorded Luna de Nosara in Los Angeles where he brought in top musicians such as Grammy winner Luis Conte to play percussion and Mic Gillette (Tower of Power) to play trumpet and trombone to further bring his vision for this record to life. Macpherson and Allan Phillips, who played piano and percussion on the CD, wrote all of the songs. Featured musicians include Rogerio Jardim on drums and vocals; Andre Manga on bass and Arlan Schierbaum, Hammond organ. According to Haslip, “Los Angeles is filled with the finest musicians in the world so Bill had the choice of using all the best musicians to recreate any style of Latin music he wanted...I have produced two other Native Vibe records to date, and Bill's music came to life on this one on all levels the writing, the musicianship and the production qualities.” Conte, who played percussion on five of the 11 tracks said, “Native Vibe's Luna de Nosara is a wonderful CD, with hot rhythms and cool melodies. I had the pleasure of playing percussion on this project and now when I hear it it's like candy to my ears! Bill is a great musician / producer with a wide knowledge of world music, for me it's always a challenging and musical experience working with him.” While definitively Latin in style, Luna de Nosara has African roots stemming from Macpherson's eight years he spent growing up on that continent. The son of medical missionaries, he lived in Congo from the age of 10 to 18 where he thrived on Congolese culture and was especially influenced by the music integrated into every-day-life. During his early years in the bush, he heard the drums regularly calling back and forth across the Kwilu River. Later, when he moved to the capital city of Kinshasa, he soaked up Soukous, the urban commercial music that melds indigenous Congolese rhythms, vocal patterns and harmonies with Western pop and Latin American influences. The link between Latin and African music has been well documented. Describing his work with the band Macpherson said, “I've studied and taught music for the past 20 years and the basics are so ingrained that I jump right to feelings and moods when conveying my ideas to the other musicians. For instance, when I bring a song to my band, I describe it to them in terms of a color shade or perhaps give them a story about the thought or daydream that inspired the composition. Then they start approaching their instruments as part of the overall emotional package of the piece instead of, say, as just a bass or keyboard.” About Bill Macpherson Macpherson splits his time between Los Angeles and Costa Rica where he writes and teaches music, performs and surfs. Macpherson has been a professional musician and guitarist for 26 years. Most of his career he has led bands including the internationally known group Native Vibe. In his career he has played all styles of jazz, blues, folk, rock, country, bluegrass, Latin, reggae, pop, afro-pop, R+B and calypso. Bill has played on over 70 recordings as a sideman and has recorded 15 projects with his various groups. Additionally he has both backed up and shared the stage with many well-known artists and performed all over the USA, Europe and Central America. He earned a Master's degree from San Diego State in Jazz Performance and a Bachelor's of Music with honors from the Berklee College of Music. write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Jazz News :: home page |