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| Bryan Vargas & Ya Esta! in Canada NYC Afro-latino Soul-jazzers Bryan Vargas & Ya Esta! (Bryan Vargas - guitar, vocals, cuatro & percussion; Ernesto Abreu - percussion & vocals; Matt Baranello - drums & percussion; Matt Hilgenberg - trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion & vocals; Toshi Someya - bass; Jorge "Georgie" Vazquez - percussion & vocals) will touring In Canada for first time Sep. 13 to 15. For the past several years, Bryan Vargas & Ya Esta! has been at the forefront of New York's incredibly rich modern Nuyorican roots music scene. Playing what bandleader (and founding member & original guitarist of Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra ) Vargas describes as "Afro Latino soul music", they can hit hard like a hurricane, invoking the spirits with the rumble of drums and the screams of electric guitars; yet they are equally capable of melting hearts with an exquisitely nuanced folkloric sound. Ya Esta! Will make you forget the pop stars and tune into the REAL Latin music revolution. Often compared to the ferocious party music of Ozomatli, Ya Est is known as a band that turns smoky clubs into full-on dancehalls; their exhilarating performances are considered essential listening for New York's diehard live music fans. Audience participation is a requirement at their concerts; even the most stoic listener will find themselves singing, clapping and most certainly dancing to Ya Esta's polyrhythmic stew. They are the musical heirs to the legacy of greats like Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo & the Fania All-Stars. They are the stateside counterparts to Latin American textural experimenters like Caf Tacuba & Caetano Veloso. Imagine Jimi Hendrix jamming with the Buena Vista Social Club, and you may start to get the idea. The band has shared the stage with Orchestra Baobab, Oscar D'Leon, Johnny Pacheco, Si*Se, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Karsh Kale, Marc Ribot & Los Cubanos Prostizos, Andres Levin's Yerba Buena, Los Mocosos, Vocal Sampling, Leon Parker, Juan Carlos Formell, Jane Bunnett & Sprits of Havana, Screaming Headless Torsos, Topaz, Larry John McNally, Leni Stern, Fabio Morgera, Topaz, Kudu, Andrew Vladek, Typhoo, Mata Buena & many more. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |