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| Omar Sosa's 88 Well-Tuned Drums • A Documentary Film Premiere  Omar Sosa's 88 Well-Tuned Drums is a feature-length documentary film on the life and music of Cuban-born pianist and composer, Omar Sosa (b. 1965). Extensive interviews with Omar Sosa, archival video and stills, and, of course, lots of music form the backbone of the film, with animated segments bringing bold and colorful movement to Sosa's stories, especially early ones for which there is little supporting material.The film traces Sosa's personal and artistic origins from his birth and childhood in Camagüey, conservatory education in Havana, military service in Angola during that country's long civil war, and eventual relocation to Ecuador where, for a time, he wrote, arranged, and performed commercial jingles. Sosa's story continues with a fateful mid-90s move to the U.S., a stint as a sought-after sideman in the Bay Area's burgeoning Latin jazz scene, and partnership with longtime manager Scott Price that continues to this day. In his 25+ years as a solo artist, Omar Sosa has released over 30 albums and received four Grammy nominations and three Latin Grammy nominations. Omar often performs 80-100 concerts across six continents annually. Sosa is known for his deeply personal style and musical influences and collaborators as diverse as his travel itinerary. As Eugene Holley writes in a 2004 Village Voice piece that inspired the film's title, "Sosa's pianisms evoke distant echoes of McCoy Tyner's power, Keith Jarrett's improvisational flights of fancy, and Thelonious Monk's angular harmonies, transforming the piano into 88 well-tuned drums." April 23, 2022 • 5:00 PM 52nd Annual USA Film Festival Dallas, Texas write your comments about the article :: © 2022 Jazz News :: home page |