KIKI VALERA – “VACILÓN SANTIAGUERO” – Circle 9 Music

Kiki Valera, cuatro Cubano/guitar/bass/clave/maracas/coros; Pedro Vargas, congas/bongos/coros; Steve Guasch, coros; Carlos Cascante, Joshuah de Jesus, Raquel Zozaya & Francisco ‘Coco’ Freeman, lead vocals. SPECIAL GUESTS: Alexis Baro, Michael Rodriguez, Jonathan Powell¸ Pete Nater, Dennis Hernandez, Brian Lynch, Thomas Marriott, Leon Q Allen & Steve Mostovoy, trumpets.

Kiki Valera has a small band with a big, joyful sound.  They open his recent release with a tune called “Este Vacilón.”  This is boisterous, jubilant music.  As seen on the accompanying videos, people are inspired to dance.  Carlos Cascante has a strong, confident voice that matches the energy and excitement of the Valera band. “El Aji de Cocina” reflects the same intensity as their opening tune. This time, Francisco ‘Coco” Freeman performs the emotional lead vocals with gusto.  Once again, the music inspires hips to swivel and feet to move.

Kiki Valera is steeped in musical history, strong as Cuban coffee and just as delicious.   He has spent many distinguished years as director of La Familia Valera Miranda in Santiago de Cuba.  This is a century-old group and one of the most important purveyors of the Son Cubano. This album is his second US solo release.

On track #3, “Sobre una Tumba una Rumba” they slow the tempo, but the rhythms still encourage fingers to snap and feet to tap.  Track #7 is a surprising tribute to “Mari-Juana.”   Much the way R&B icon, Rick James sang about Mary Jane.

Kiki Valera y Su Son Cubano: Vacilón Santiaguero

The cuatro Cubano of Kiki Valera ripples over the opening phrase of Este Vacilón on this ever so magical music of Vacilón Santiaguero. We are plunged into sound-world of the ineffably brilliant Kiki Valera leading the musicians of his Son Cubano ensemble, while the trumpet of Alexis Baró gives a searing, yearning, wavering cry and immediately we are plunged into the world of Mr Valera’s world. Now it’s just a question of how fully and deeply these performers can inhabit it.

So be in no doubt, there is some stellar playing on this disc across the spectrum of melodic, harmonic and rhythmic instruments. It begins with Mr Valera, who comes wit the erudition immersed in the tradition of the celebrated La Familia Valera Miranda septet, a multi-generational traditional music group from Santiago de Cuba.

Kiki Valera: Vacilón Santiaguero

By Paul Rauch
June 30, 2024

Son Cubano, the music and dance from the hill country of eastern Cuba, may be a mystery to some readers of these pages. Though the form is rooted in both Spanish and Bantu traditions, its modern day practitioners, embodied and popularized by the music of Buena Vista Social Club, have broadened the music's view. In the United States, particularly in this case, the Pacific Northwest, there are pockets of enthusiasm for Latin music of all sorts. Yet upon attending a performance from a world class Cuban artist such as cuatro master Kiki Valera in Seattle, you will find many in the audience mostly connected to the jazz community. The jazz audience has a passion for Cuban music, whether gathered from African or Spanish origins. The inventive improvisation, call and response and Cuban rhythms speak to the freedom and emotive expression so evident in jazz music.


Michael Ambrosino

33third.org

Pristine, timeless, culled from a lifetime of cultivating a unique level of mastery, Kiki Valera’s virtuosity is intimately intertwined with the ethos of the Cuban cuatro guitar, and its central role within the legendary history of La Familia Valera Miranda, the pioneers of Eastern Cuba's son music. Embedded inside this dynamic tradition are infuential components that have informed mambo, salsa, cha-cha-cha and Latin Jazz, all of which can be heard on Valera’s latest masterwork Vacilón Santiaguero. Featuring his distinguished band (Pedro Vargas, Steve Guasch, Carlos Cascante, Francisco “Coco” Freeman, Joshuah de Jesus and Raquel Zozaya) and a host of celebrated guest artists (Alexis Baró, Steve Mostovoy, Michael Rodriguez, Jonathan Powell, Pete Nater, Dennis Hernandez, Brian Lynch, Thomas Marriott and Leon Q Allen), Vacilón Santiaguero features twelve compositions arranged by Valera that showcase the full scope of his passionate interpretation of the vibrant musicality of son. Reimagining the Cuatro within any musical style he entertains, Valera’s genius stems from the complete dedication he brings to his instrument and the unique ways (tuning, fngerings and an illustrious technique) he’s helped carved a path for its prominence within Pan-Latin music. Having absorbed son, folkloric, classical, salsa and Jazz, Valera pays homage to them all within the remarkable textures embroidered into the sonic adventure of Vacilón Santiaguero.

Whether romantic, (Sobre una Tumba una Rumba), energetic (El Cuarto de Tula), celebratory (El Penquito e Coleto), or honoring incendiary cuisine (El Ají de Cocina), Vacilón Santiaguero’s vivacious sound ebbs and fows to the musical vitality Valera brings to every masterful note he plays. Vacilón Santiaguero is available at Circle 9 Records with the album release concert with Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano will be held at Public Theatre (Joe’s Pub) in New York City on July 5th.

KIKI VALERA, Vacilón Santiaguero

Jonathan Widran

Whether you want to do an intensely immersive dive into Cuban musical history or simply dance (fast and slow and always sexy) for 62 blissful inspiring and exciting minutes, there are a multitude of ways to experience cuatro Cubano master Kiki Valera’s epic second U.S. release Vacilón Santiaguero. 

On the historical side, listeners should stop their toe-tapping and finger snapping along with the brassy razzle dazzle and eclectic intoxicating rhythms long enough to learn that Valera enjoyed many distinguished years as director of La Familia Valera Mirando in Santiago de Cuba, a century old family group he is a descendent of and one of the most influential forces in Son Cubano, a hybrid genre blending elements of Spanish and African music that originated in the highlands of eastern Cuba in the late 19th century. 

On a more personal level, Valera switched from his classical guitar at a conservatory to the cuatro when he saw a street musician playing it. His love for American jazz artists like Wes Montgomery, Chick Corea and Pat Metheny had a great impact on his developing artistry, which includes playing guitar, bass, clave and maracas.


All of which leads to this extraordinary ensemble album featuring 16 vocalists and instrumentalists blasting through Valera’s explosive, colorful arrangements of cherished traditional pieces – including two compositions by Valera’s father Felix that lay the creative and emotional foundation of the 12 track collection, the snappy, horn-fired call and response title track, a romp led by vocalist Carlos Cascante and El Aji de Cocina, a playful showcase for Valera’s dynamic and intricate string mastery. Other up-tempo jams sure to get listeners up dancing are “Funfunando,” the coro-harmony driven “El Penquito e’ Coleto” and whimsical, humorous “Mari-Juana,” while those seeking to sway along will enjoy the sweet serenade of the vintage vibes of “Pajaro Lindo” and “Sobre una Tumba una Rumba.”


However you choose to enjoy this remarkable album, you’ll leaving smarter about an essential form of music and in a better mood than when you trotted into the proverbial dance hall.


THE JW VIBE

Music That Sticks To My Soul

Entrevista con Kiki Valera

Durante la entrevista con Kiki Valera, nos habló sobre su carrera artística , su disco "Vacilón Santiaguero" , producción , conciertos y más. Puedes verle en este vídeo :

El disco "Vacilón Santiaguero" de Kiki Valera , está disponible en plataformas digitales (click)

El renombrado músico cubano Kiki Valera, reconocido por su increible trayectoria y por ser el hijo mayor del famoso septeto La Familia Valera Miranda, presenta su último trabajo discográfico titulado "Vacilón Santiaguero". Este álbum, bajo el sello discográfico Circle 9 Records, promete cautivar a los amantes de la música tradicional cubana con su frescura y autenticidad.

El álbum cuenta con 12 canciones, entre las cuales se destaca el primer sencillo "Este Vacilón", que promete ser un éxito rotundo en las listas de reproducción. Además, incluye emblemáticas canciones como "El Cuarto De Tula", que resaltan la riqueza y la herencia musical de Santiago de Cuba.

Kiki Valera, un virtuoso en toda regla, ha heredado su talento y pasión por la música tradicional cubana de su distinguida familia. Proveniente del septeto La Familia Valera Miranda, un grupo musical con raíces que se remontan al siglo XIX en la región montañosa de Sierra Maestra, Kiki ha llevado el legado de su familia a nuevas alturas.

Además de ser un destacado intérprete del cuatro cubano, Kiki es un multiinstrumentista, compositor, arreglista, ingeniero de sonido y productor de renombre. Su destreza y versatilidad musical lo han convertido en una figura destacada en la escena internacional.

Desde temprana edad, Kiki ha sido instruido en el arte del tres cubano bajo la tutela de su padre, Félix Valera Miranda. Su incansable dedicación y talento lo han llevado a liderar, componer, arreglar y presentarse en diversos escenarios alrededor del mundo, incluyendo la vibrante escena musical del Pacífico Noroeste en Seattle, Washington.

No es la primera vez que Kiki Valera y su música conquistan el mundo digital. El video de su canción "Vida Parrandera", de su proyecto anterior, acumula más de 23 millones de visitas en YouTube, demostrando el impacto y la relevancia de su trabajo en la era digital.

"Vacilón Santiaguero" es más que un álbum; es un homenaje a las raíces y la riqueza musical de Cuba, interpretado magistralmente por uno de sus más distinguidos embajadores, Kiki Valera.

Invitamos a seguirle en su  Instagram ( click) 

KIKI VALERA Presents ‘VACILÓN SANTIAGERO’

by Skope • June 1, 2024

An active, playful swing rolls through the spirited “Vacilón Santiaguero” with Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano presenting incredible interplay. They embrace the classics with a style that feels timeless. Vocals have such strength, which nicely results in a communal spirit. Everything here works, from the vast array of instrumentation to the energetic percussion. The production adds to the intimate sense of space, perfectly capturing every flourish. Lead vocals alongside the impressive horn section give the songs so much warmth.

https://kikivalera.bandcamp.com/album/vacil-n-santiaguero

“Este Vacil​ó​n” sets the tone, with a spry tempo leading the way. The decadent sound of “El Aji de Cocina” reveals a spirit of togetherness. A slower, more meditative mood takes hold of the contemplative journey of “Sobre una Tumba una Rumba,” featuring impressive bass work that works on an emotional level. Guitar flourishes adorn the entirety of the lush “La Guajira.” Pure joy dominates the album highlight “Mari-Juana,” as the vocals have so much life behind them, featuring melodies that waft into the sky. The luxurious tenor of “El Empanadillero” wastes no time getting started, diving headfirst into a laid-back, mellow groove. Going for the ornate is the tapestry of “Dos Gardenias,” where the song has a pastoral, natural imagery. Ending the album on a high note is the reflective “El Cuarto de Tula.”

“Vacilón Santiaguero” presents the pure power of Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano as the songs unspool, creating an entire community with character studies adorned with a tropical flair.

https://www.kikivalera.com
https://www.circle9music.com/label
https://www.youtube.com/kikivalera

Kiki Valera lanza su nueva producción musical “Vacilón Santiaguero”

VACILÓN SANTIAGUERO is Kiki Valera’s second US solo release after many distinguished years as director of La Familia Valera Miranda in Santiago de Cuba. It reaches beyond his core performing group to present collaborations with some GRAMMY® award winning musicians and to feature his favorite trumpeters, some Cuban-born, others US-born, but all with justified reputations for playing Cuban music out of love if not from DNA.

“Vacilón” is one of those words that doesn’t have a perfect English equivalent to Cuban Spanish, but something that is a REALLY good time (a little rum or aguardiente always helps) comes close.  

So what sets this apart from the vast mountain of excellent traditional albums already out there? Not only is there Kiki’s custom-built Cuban cuatro, which brings a unique texture to the sound, rather than a tres, but in his jazz-influenced hands, you will occasionally hear twists and turns in the solo work that you probably weren’t expecting when you first glanced over the song titles, which are mostly Cuban evergreens. Thanks to Kiki’s creative arrangements, this is no mere recycling of cover versions of these classic songs. 

Kiki is as demanding about the recording, mix and mastering work as with the arrangements. Much of the recording and mix was done in Kiki’s custom-built home studio, and GRAMMY® winner Michael Lazarus mastered the project. The result will be a pleasure for audiophiles - a reason, I might add - to want the physical product for your collection.

--Bill Tilford

TIMBA.com & From the Isle of Music

Ethnic Heritage Council announces 2022 Recipients of Pulakis and Tracie Memorial Awards and Spirit of Liberty Award

Kiki Valera
2022 Gordon Ekvall Tracie Memorial Award

Established in 1990 for excellence in ethnic performance and leadership in the community in the traditional cultural arts. It is named for a musician and documentarian, who devoted four decades to the study, performance and promotion of Nordic traditional music and dance. The Gordon Ekvall Tracie Music Library is located in the National Nordic Museum of Seattle.

Kiki Valera was born into a family of musicians going back to his great-great grandparents, who meticulously passed on through the generations the “Son” tradition of Cuban music. "Son" is the acoustic roots music that developed in eastern Cuba, where Kiki was born and raised and is the root of modern salsa music.

Kiki studied at the Conservatorio Esteban Salas in Santiago, toured with his famous family, La Familia Valera Miranda, and operated one of the most sought after studios in Santiago. He moved to Seattle in 2013, the year his family were artists-in-residence for the renowned Earshot Jazz Festival. In less than a decade Valera has assured the Northwest that some of the most tantalizing music of the world is here to stay in Seattle, through his performances in concerts, nightclubs, schools, benefit events and every kind of celebration. He is popular on radio shows and on music albums and as a podcast guest.

Kiki received a 4Culture grant in 2018 in which he placed his own compositions into the legacy of “Son” music, releasing “Viviencias en Clave Cubana” (Origin Records) at the 2019 Earshot Jazz Festival in Town Hall. In February 2022 he performed at Town Hall Seattle as part of Earshot’s Global Rhythms series. He was one of three artists chosen to create the live production Movement with Meklit Hedero, internationally acclaimed and Seattle-born Ethiopian American singer-composer. The production, in which the four performers told their migration stories, had its world premier at Meany Hall in May 2022. In July 2022, he was awarded his second 4Culture grant to complete his new album cuaTROmpeta.

As one of the world’s leading Cuban cuatro players, Kiki has conducted master classes at Cornish College of the Arts, University of Washington, and University of Puget Sound. He directs his local group Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano and has also played with Sonriente, Trovadoro, Mambo Cadillac, Trio Cubay, Clave Gringa and the Savani Latin Jazz Quartet. He was musical director for the large-scale Cuban music retrospective “Soy Cuba” which debuted at the Triple Door in Seattle.

John Gilbreath, Executive Director of Earshot Jazz says, “Kiki Valera brings a purity of cultural expression that is as close to the source as one could find.” Ruth Hunter and Christos Govetas of Dromeno, performers of Balkan music, nominated Kiki for this award and themselves won it in 2017. They love the ambience at Kiki’s performances in smaller venues, where guests mingle and make new friends. “Kiki Valera is more than a musician, he is also the heart of a community. It feels like a family picnic and everyone is invited.” Kiki can be reached at Valera.kiki@gmail.com.

Meklit's MOVEMENT Live Stories & Songs of Migration

MOVEMENT Live is an evening-length performance experience, exploring the sonically rich, emotionally compelling intersection of migration and music. The show was co-developed by Ethiopian American singer-composer Meklit, and combines the energy of Meklit’s songs and band, with intimate first-person stories of her own life experiences as a refugee making music and meaning from cross-cultural origins. 

In this world premiere performance, Meklit is joined on stage by three outstanding Seattle-based artists who hold migration as a key part of their personal or family journey: Kiki Valera (Cuba), Momma Nikki (Haiti/US) and Dakota Camacho (Guåhan). Each artist contributes both songs and stories. Together, these four musicians weave a tapestry of migration music, framing immigrants, migrants and refugees as cultural innovators who push boundaries of creative expression in ways that are complex, intersectional, raw, joyous, rhythmic and offer shared space for reimagining belonging in America. 

Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano

Thursday, February 3, 2022

  • 8:00 PM 8:45 PM

Kiki Valera is the oldest son of the famous La Familia Valera Miranda septet, a multi-generational traditional music group from Santiago de Cuba. Since the 19th century, La Familia Valera Miranda has played a significant role in Cuban culture by collecting and preserving the deep-rooted traditions of the legendary Sierra Maestra mountain region. Their debut album, ANTOLOGÍA INTEGRAL DEL SON, released in 1982, helped initiate the explosion of interest in traditional Cuban music.

Five Questions with Kiki Valera

Take a peek into the mind of Cuban virtuoso Kiki Valera, who muses on his influences, his instrument of choice, and the art of making music. Be sure to join us later in February for a live concert with Kiki Valera y su son Cubano (2/25), part of Town Hall’s Global Rhythms series! 

Para español, haga clic aquí.

Town Hall (TH): Who were your musical influences growing up?

Kiki Valera (KV): I grew up in a musical family, heirs to the legacy of Cuban Son. We used to gather several times a year to celebrate with live music and dance. These were spontaneous reunions and at that time, we were unaware of the role my family was to play in preserving the authenticity of this musical tradition. In 1982, the musicologist Danilo Orozco was conducting an investigation on the origins of Cuban Son in the eastern region of our island and through my paternal grandmother Emilia Miranda, he discovered that he could trace the we played Cuban Son all the way back to the late 19th century. In this musical environment my main influence was the Cuban Son in its purest, simplest form. After that, I began my classical guitar studies at the Esteban Salas Conservatory in the city of Santiago de Cuba, where I had the opportunity to expand and enrich my knowledge from a theoretical point of view.

 TH: What do you love most about playing the Cuban cuatro? For those who might be unfamiliar with the instrument, how would you describe its difference from a standard guitar? 

KV: What I like the most about the Cuban cuatro is its versatility from a melodic, harmonic and rhythmic point of view. The Cuban cuatro is a mid-sized guitar with eight strings, tuned in pairs of two. It has a distinctive sound that is soft and sparkly and the extra pair of strings (as opposed to the six-stringed Cuban tres) offers me the creative freedom to improvise.

TH: Your roots are in Cuba, but today you’re living, teaching, and making music here in the Pacific Northwest. How does this region inform your music? 

KV: Coming from Cuba from a musical environment like that of my family, I have tried to preserve the traditional Cuban music style as authentically as possible. Most artists are unconsciously influenced by other currents, and I am no exception. Being surrounded by a different musical environment than the one I come from, I have really enjoyed playing with excellent musicians of other genres and attending concerts of world music, jazz, Latin jazz, salsa and rock. I can say that I feel lucky to be in the cultural atmosphere of Seattle.

TH: Has the COVID-19 pandemic changed anything about music for you? 

KV: For us musicians, interaction with the public is very important. It is a kind of necessary feedback to continue offering the best of ourselves through music. I have used this time to dedicate myself to working on new projects and remote recordings with my musician friends in other parts of the country and world. Musically speaking, COVID-19 has not changed anything in me but I think that it has changed the way we socialize in a general sense and I miss playing live concerts.

TH: What, in your opinion, are the biggest gifts of son Cubano?

KV: The best gift that Cuban Son has given us is that it has allowed us to transmit joy and above all to share with the world our cultural identity.

 

Cuatro preguntas con Kiki Valera

Eche un vistazo a la mente del virtuoso cubano Kiki Valera, quien reflexiona sobre sus influencias, su instrumento preferido y el arte de hacer música. ¡Asegúrese de unirse a nosotros más tarde en febrero para un concierto en vivo con Kiki Valera y su son Cubano (2/25), parte de la serie Global Rhythms de Town Hall!

Town Hall (TH): ¿Quiénes fueron tus influencias musicales mientras crecías?

Kiki Valera (KV): Crecí en una familia musical, heredera del legado del Son Cubano. Solíamos reunirnos varias veces al año para celebrar en vivo con música y baile. Estas reuniones eran espontaneas y en ese momento, desconocíamos el papel que mi familia iba a jugar en la preservación de la autenticidad de esta tradición musical. En 1982, el musicólogo Danilo Orozco estaba realizando una investigación sobre los orígenes del son cubano en la región oriental de nuestra isla y a través de mi abuela paterna Emilia Miranda, descubrió que podía rastrear el son cubano que interpretábamos hasta finales del siglo XIX. En este ambiente musical mi principal influencia fue el Son Cubano en su forma más pura y simple. Posteriormente inicié mis estudios de guitarra clásica en el Conservatorio Esteban Salas de la ciudad de Santiago de Cuba, donde tuve la oportunidad de ampliar y enriquecer mis conocimientos desde el punto de vista teórico.

TH: ¿Qué es lo que más te gusta de tocar el cuatro cubano? ¿En qué se diferencia de una guitarra estándar?

KV:  Lo que más me gusta del cuatro cubano es su versatilidad desde un punto de vista melódico, armónico y rítmico. El cuatro cubano es una guitarra de tamaño mediano con ocho cuerdas, afinada en pares de dos. Tiene un sonido distintivo que es suave y brillante y el par de cuerdas extra (a diferencia del tres cubano de seis cuerdas) me ofrece la libertad creativa para improvisar.

TH: Tus raíces están en Cuba, pero hoy vives, enseñas y haces música aquí en el noroeste del Pacífico. ¿Cómo influye esta región en tu música?

KV: Viniendo de Cuba y de un ambiente musical como el de mi familia, he tratado de preservar el estilo de la música tradicional cubana de la manera más auténtica posible. La mayoría de los artistas están inconscientemente influenciados por otras corrientes y yo no soy una excepción. Al estar rodeado de un ambiente musical diferente al del que vengo, he disfrutado mucho tocando con excelentes músicos de otros géneros y asistiendo a conciertos de world music, jazz, latin jazz, salsa y rock. Puedo decir que me siento afortunado de estar en el ambiente cultural de Seattle.

TH: ¿La pandemia de COVID-19 ha cambiado algo sobre la música para ti?

KV:  Para nosotros los músicos, la interacción con el público es muy importante. Es una especie de retroalimentación necesaria para seguir ofreciendo lo mejor de nosotros a través de la música. He aprovechado este tiempo para dedicarme a trabajar en nuevos proyectos y grabaciones remotas con mis amigos músicos en otras partes del país y del mundo. Musicalmente hablando, COVID-19 no ha cambiado nada en mí, pero creo que ha cambiado la forma en que socializamos en sentido general y extraño tocar conciertos en vivo.

TH: A su juicio, ¿cuáles son los mayores dones del son Cubano?

KV: El mejor regalo que nos ha dado el Son Cubano es que nos ha permitido transmitir alegría y sobre todo compartir con el mundo nuestra identidad cultural.

Seattle Center Festál presents Music at the Mural - Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano

Seattle Center.jpg

Celebrate the best of summer at Seattle Center Festál presents Music at the Mural: FREE Sunday concerts from 12noon – 2pm on August 15, 22, 29 and September 5 and 12. Music at the Mural is an amazing line-up of musicians, bands and DJs, taking you on a global musical journey good for chilling and dancing on the Mural Amphitheatre lawn.

Sunday, September 5 - Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano