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| José-Luis Orozco's Smithsonian Folkways Debut Musician, composer, and educator José-Luis Orozco has an impeccable pedigree in bilingual music education. José began performing music for children over four decades ago, releasing fifteen children's albums along the way. His sixteenth, and first through Smithsonian Folkways, ¡Come Bien! Eat Right!, is a delightful and engaging bilingual album that offers a fun-filled approach to healthy eating (out September 18). After having moved from Mexico to the United States at age nineteen, and having finished a Master's degree in Multicultural Education, José-Luis committed himself to a new project: playing music for children. He employed his schooling, as well as his experience in cross-cultural communication, to begin a colorful catalogue of adolescent-centered learning materials-a catalogue that has won him multiple awards such as the 2011 Latino Spirit Award, a Notable Award from the American Library Association, as well as the 1990 Leadership Award from the California Association for Bilingual Education. On ¡Come Bien! Eat Right! Orozco has teamed up with a friend and Mexican-American music icon, the GRAMMY-winning Quetzal Flores. Flores, who produced the record, rose to prominence in the early 1990s as the guitar player and namesake of Quetzal, the East Los Angeles-based "Chicano rock" pioneers. In 2013, the group won the Best Latin Rock Album GRAMMY for Imaginaries, released through Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Through records such as ¡Come Bien! Eat Right!, José-Luis has continued the journey he began as an eight-year-old singer for the Mexico City Boy's Choir: "I've been able to combine music and education, and that's what I do all over the country." Orozco commented, "Every single year, I travel about 125, 000 miles; it's like going around the world five times every year, reaching hundreds of thousands of kids, and families, and teachers." From "Come bien" to "Chocolate"-a concert favorite-¡Come Bien! Eat Right! is a bilingual sing-along that motivates children to follow a healthy diet. This commitment to early childhood education is a mission Smithsonian Folkways Recordings wholeheartedly supports. We are proud to open our family of distinguished children's artists-which includes Ella Jenkins, Pete Seeger, Lead Belly, Suni Paz, and Elizabeth Mitchell-to welcome José-Luis Orozco. write your comments about the article :: © 2015 Jazz News :: home page |