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Rumba Jam Session
Afrocuban "Rumba Jam Session" is an annual higlight of the International Warsaw Salsa Festival
All photos by A. Cholewińska
Afrocuban "Rumba Jam Session", or, as it called in Cuba, Ventu Rumbero is a genuine encounter with the roots of Salsa and Cuban culture. Traditionally, it consists of 3 elements: dance, music and singing. Every year at Warsaw Salsa Festival, these 3 elements (of the highest quality) are brought to you by some of the best Polish musicians, members of the "Ritmodelia" group, by the Festival's artists, and by the members of the audience, spontaneously joining the jam.
Here is what Mikołaj Wielecki, Ritmodelia's leader, has to say about Ventu Rumbero:
Once you've taken part in a Cuban "Fiesta de la Rumba", you'll never forget it. Such a fiesta erupts spontaneously after a social meeting or a concert, or even in the street. In Havana and Matanzas, Rumba has a long standing tradition of 150 years. That's why everyone knows the melodies and the choruses, eveyone can dance and sing, and they eagerly join in. A Rumba is an orchestra of drums, accompanied by dancing and singing - a unique cultural blend of African and European elements. It musical and choreographical structure is simple enough for anyone to pick up and sophisticated enough to allow for vocal and physical virtuosity.
Many of Ritmodelia's musicians caught the Rumba bug in Cuba. That's why, even though Ritmodelia's usual repertoire focuses on original precussion music (their first record has come out this year), this special projects gives us a fantastic opportunity to indulge our passionfor Rumba. It will be our pleasure to play with Noel, Olga and Renell, who will share their vocal talents.
Noel Horta Sanchez (lead voc.)
Noel comes from Matanzas in Cuba. He has been singing as a an amateur since he was 12 and began his professional career at the age of 17. He studied various musical styles in Centro de Superación Musical in Cuba and graduated as a professional vocalist. He has worked in numerous salsa orchestras including Tropical Salsa and La Pegada. Later, he took an interest in reggaeton and hip hop and gained widespread recognition as the singer of Impacto. He currently lives and works in Poland. He is one of the singers in Calle Sol, a salsa orchestra and TradiCuba, Rey Ceballo's newest project. He's also the leader of La Formula, a reggaeton group.
Renell Valdes Cepero
Renell was born in Cuba and studied at the music academy in Havana. Also in Havana, he founded Sol Cuba - a trio he worked for as an arranger, instrumentalist and vocalist. In the years 1993-2000 Sol Cuba toured Cuba and other countries, including Guatemala, Lebanon, Italy and Poland. When he came to Poland, he began playing with Rei Ceballo y Calle Sol and with Magda Navarrete and Noche de Boleros (on the album "Chilli"). He is also the founder and art director of Son de Cuba - the only trio in Poland specialising in playing Son, Cha-cha-chá and Cumbia.
Olga Stopińska
Olga is a vocalist blessed with an unusually powerful expressive and flexible voice, a songwriter and music writer, and the leader of OLGAquintet. She has worked with EBAS, Calle Sol, Ritmodelia, Musical Theatre Roma, Vienio Pelea, and many other renowned artists. Apart from her own projects, she can be heard in the National Theatre in Warsaw in the play "The False Maid, or the Rogue Punished".
Elis Herrera Pedroso
Elis is a Cuban dancer and singer, born and bred in Juanelo, a part of Havana with strong afrocuban trandition. She has been involved with music since early childhood. She graduated from Havana's prestigious school of music, "Teatro America", which she attended in the years 1994-2001. She has also completed a course of Cuban folklore at Academia de Instructores de Arte. A couple of year ago she moved to Poland, where she now works as a signer with Calle Sol and TradiCuba.
Pablitoss (special guest)
Pablitoss is a Dutch percussionist and a DJ, who studied traditional music and Salsa in Cuba. He graduated from University of Leiden in Latin American Studies. Currently, he teaches percussion and rhythm instruments at Drumschool Voorburg. He plays with many bands, inlcuding Proyecto Mezcla and Salsaswoll.
Nikodem Bąkowski (Ritmodelia)
Nikodem acquired his impressive knowledge and skills in the area of Cuban and Afrocuban percussion instruments during his stay in Cuba. He has played with José Torres y Salsa Tropical, Son de Cuba, Gadająca Tykwa, Ania "Anya" Kostrzewska, and others. Currently, he teaches at the Krzysztof Komeda School of Popular Music and Jazz and at "Strefa Rytmu", a school of ethnic percussion. He is also the co-founder of SHO, a school of Caribbean dance.
Hubert Zemler (Ritmodelia)
Hubert is a graduate of Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. He learned the secrets of Afro-Cuban rhythms during the several years he spent working with the Cuban pianist Rei Ceballo. Currently, he is a member of Horny Trees and Natalia Przybysz and DJ Envee’s (music producer) ensemble. He also plays in a jazz guitarist Marcin Olak’s trio - their album "Simple Joy" was released in the fall of 2008. His collaboration with Wojciech Staroniewicz resulted in the recording of "Alternations" together with Sławek Jaskułke, Michał Barański and Leszek Możdżer as a special guest. Together with Piotr Zabrodzki he plays in CinqG and Blast Muzungu. Recently he has been collaborating with Loco Star, Kapacitron and Maja Kleszcz.
Kuba Pogorzelski (Ritmodelia)
Kuba is a percussionist, a sociologist and a teacher. He has founded and lead a number of groups playing traditional music of Black Africa: Pagota, Djembe Jet and Heban. He is also the founder of Strefa Rytmu: Warsaw's first drum school specialising in the music of West Africa, Cuba and Brazil. He received his musical education under the guidance of African masters of music in Mali, Guinea and Senegal, being taught with a method that African musicians have been using for centuries to pass on cultural knowledge. Currently he pursues his fascination with traditional music with West African Project, where he works with African musicians. He also cooperates with several groups, including Gadająca Tykwa, Wielbłądy, Kwartet Jorgi and Wojtek Staroniewicz’s African Sound and Visual Project.
Mikołaj 'Miki' Wielecki (Ritmodelia)
Mikołaj learnt to play congas in Havana and Matanzas, during his trips to Cuba. He graduated from the Institute of Iberian Studies at the University of Warsaw, with an M.A. thesis on Rumba in Havana. He's the leader of 'Ritmodelia' percussion group. He has contributed his talents to many Salsa, Latin, Folk and Jazz projects, including Calle Sol, Noche de Boleros and Antonina Krzysztoń. He has been involved in over 30 album recordings.