By Paul Rauch
Kiki Valera photo by Daniel Sheehan.
Son Cubano, the traditional music and dance from the hill country of eastern Cuba may well be but a distant tributary to the jazz tradition that came to life in New Orleans. Yet the unmistakable Son clave rhythm that accompanied Afro-Cuban sounds to arrive through that delta port is a significant ingredient in the diverse gumbo of influences that convened to create the blues and jazz tradition…
By Ken McCarthy
A live performance – with dancers – by Kiki Valera y Su Son Cubano featuring the title track of their album “Vivencias en Clave Cubana”.
Vivencias, written by Kiki Valera and Coco Freeman
Multi-instrumentalist and composer Kiki Valera is the oldest son of the famed La Familia Valera Miranda septet, a multi-generational traditional music group from Santiago de Cuba.
Kiki began in music on the tres as a child under the direction of his father Felix. He attended the prestigious Conservatorio Estaban Salas in Santiago de Cuba and was touring internationally since the age of 15.
Active since the 19th century, La Familia Valera Miranda has been instrumental in collecting and preserving the musical treasures of Oriente’s Sierra Maestra mountains.
By Raul da Gama
It’s odd to think that a recording in 2019 could be deemed to have become “historic” upon its release, but this one – Vivencias en Clave (Featuring Coco Freeman – by Kiki Valera actually is; and it is historic in more ways than one. First of all, decades into his life as a musician – and that too one from the fabled Familia Valera Miranda with its almost 300-year-old tradition of music – Kiki Valera has only now made his debut recording. And that in itself qualifies to be an historic event….
Hola mi gente,
Kiki Valera of the world famous Familia Valera Miranda calls in to talk about el son, the roots of salsa, the legacy of his family, and his latest masterpiece: Vivencias en Clave Cubana. Enjoy!
Kiki Valera de la famosa Familia Valera Miranda nos llama para platicar sobre el son, las raices de la salsa, el legado de su familia, y su obra maestra mas reciente, Vivencias en Clave Cubana. Disfrutalo!
Stream it here / encuentralo aqui:
https://www.mixcloud.com/german-…/caribe-latino-kiki-valera/
By ANGEL ROMERO
Kiki Valera – Vivencias en Clave Cubana (Origin Records, 2019)
«Vivencias en Clave Cubana» es el primer álbum en solitario del maestro del cuatro cubano Kiki Valera. Kiki es miembro de la Familia Valera Miranda, un grupo centenario y uno de los intérpretes más importantes del son cubano.
Aunque el enfique principal de Kiki es la Música tradicional cubana, Valera estuvo expuesta a los sonidos de Pat Metheny, Wes Montgomery y Chick Corea a través de cintas de cassette mientras estaba en la escuela y esas inspiraciones procedentes del jazz elevar contribuyeron a la calidad de sus solos de cuatro hermosos y sutiles.
En este album le acompaña un amigo de la infancia, el reconocido cantante cubano Coco Freeman.
By Bill Tilford
From the Isle of Music, November 10-16:
This week, our special guest is Kiki Valera, whose new album Vivencias en clave cubana is already becoming a critical and popularsensation.
The broadcasts take place:
1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern Hemisphere (including parts of East Asia and Oceania) with 100Kw, Sunday 1500-1600 UTC on SpaceLine, 9400 KHz, from Sofia, Bulgaria (1800-1900 MSK)
If you don't have a shortwave radio or are out of range, you can listen live to an uplink from a listening radio in the Netherlands during the broadcast at
http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/?tune=9400am
2. For the Americas and parts of Europe, Tuesday 0100-0200 UTC (New UTC) on WBCQ, 7490 KHz from Monticello, ME, USA (Monday 8-9PM EST in the US).
If you don't have a shortwave or are out of range, you can listen to a live stream from the WBCQ website here (choose 7490)
http://www.wbcq.com/?page_id=7
3 & 4. For Europe and sometimes beyond, Tuesday 1900-2000 UTC and Saturday 1200-1300 UTC on Channel 292, 6070 KHz from Rohrbach, Germany.
If you don't have a shortwave radio or are out of range, you can listen live to an uplink from a listening radio in Europe.
Visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/fromtheisleofmusic
Album Review by Tom McCarter
Son Cubano is a genre of music and dance originating from the hill country of eastern Cuba during the 19th century. Its origins are a blend of African and Spanish influences. Son vocal style and meter are of Spanish tradition, while its identifiable clave rhythm, call and response, and percussive elements are of Bantu origin. This disc contains> twelve finely crafted original tunes played exquisitely throughout this recording. The innovative improvisation on the 8-string cuatro by Valera transcends traditional dance forms, and elevates him to be mentioned with the great masters. Lead vocalist Coco Freeman sings from a very deep, soulful place, exhibiting superb range and intonation delivered with a passionate call and response
https://zookeeper.stanford.edu/?session=&action=viewRecentReview&tag=1139824
By Luis David Fuentes
"Vivencias en Clave Cubana" es el álbum debut en solitario del maestro del cuatro Kiki Valera, miembro de la Familia Valera Miranda, un grupo centenario que por varias décadas se ha mantenido interpretando y desarrollando el Son Cubano.
Durante su tiempo como estudiante, Kiki Varela descubrió…..
By Bill Tilford - Timba.com
Robin Lloyd of KNKX with Kiki Valera
Kiki Valera launched his debut solo CD Vivencias en clave cubana (Origin Records) with three events in the Seattle area - a live, in-studio session with Robin Lloyd for her Jazz Caliente program on KNKX and two concerts for the Earshot Jazz Festival at the Vashon Center for the Arts and Town Hal. In the middle of all this, he also did some telephone interviews with radio stations in other cities and an in-home interview with this writer for his own radio program. The audience loved the performances as all three events, which featured both material from the new album and material from the Familia Valera Miranda, of which Kiki is a member. Why did a conjunto receive this much love from the Jazz community? Two reasons. First, Jazz festivals are including some other music in their program offerings. Second, and perhaps more important, which Kiki is not leading a Jazz band, his extensive listening to Jazz music influences his solos, and when he is performing live for a Jazz-oriented audience, his extended improvisations on cuatro border on campesino Jazz. Town Hall opened up a dance floor, which I am told seldom happens at the Earshot Jazz Festival.
Kiki Valera will be on the festival circuit in 2020. In the meantime, look for their CD.
Essence & Rhythm (“E&R”) is a unique music program specializing in Latin American music and Afro Cuban Jazz. E&R is dedicated to build community through informative cultural education and comprehensive music programs, increasing exposure and access to the vast and rich musical heritage of Latin America, particularly those forms with strong traditional and folkloric roots as well as the most modern tendencies. E&R educates a broad and diverse audience, thus helping to bridge ethnic and cultural divides.
Consider These World Music Recordings for Your Library
By Jonathan Overby
Here is a list of recordings I’m reviewing this week for airplay in November. What I have dined on so far is refreshing, inspiring and ready for the world to hear. Listen to them using your favorite music app…
@OriginRecords Origin Records introduces the debut solo album of cuatro artist @KikiValeraKiki Valera whose music, grounded in the traditional sound of Son Cubano re-imagines on Vivencias En Clave Cubana old sounds shaped by styles that helped forge his style – one inspired by a number of established artists.
The name @oscarhmusic Oscar Hernández, readily associated with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra that he founded, and leads, lives among a number of well-established pianists, composers, and arrangers. The @OriginRecords release, Love In The Moment unites him with his quintet featuring a showcase of original compositions.
https://www.salsamundi.com/kiki-valera-vivencias-clave-cubana/?fbclid=IwAR3OI76jKavYQ6tpBE45Pz09UND4jqttF0lXO0fExOQuoJJUd9o7KsocjR8
By PAUL RAUCH All About Jazz
October 19, 2019
Son Cubano is a genre of music and dance originating from the hill country of eastern Cuba during the 19th century. Its origins are a blend of African and Spanish influences. Son vocal style and meter are of Spanish tradition, while its identifiable clave rhythm, call and response, and percussive elements are of Bantu origin…
Review by Tom Ehrlich
Kiki Valera, a member of a well known Cuban son family, Familia Valera Miranda, was born, raised, and attended conservatory in the eastern part of Cuba. He currently resides in Seattle, Washington, USA. He has just released his first recording as a leader, "Vivencias en clave cubana", an outstanding project with wonderful music, exquisite mastering, and great packaging.
Among the standout features of this project are Valera's skillfully arranged songs and superb cuatro solos along with the virtuosic singing and composing of ex-NG La Banda and Adalberto Alvarez y Su Son lead singer Coco Freeman, also from the eastern region of the island. Kiki built is own Cuban cuatro which has 4 pairs of strings and differs from the more common Cuban tres with 3 pairs of strings and the Puerto Rican cuatro with 5 pairs of strings.
Cubanophiles will appreciate the wide variety of traditional Cuban genres, including son, guaracha, bolero and trova.
--Tom Ehrlich. photographer TIMBA.com
It is now avalilable on most digital platforms including:
SPOTIFY = https://open.spotify.com/album/4EQlXPXfJf7BAOpLe79dT0
AMAZON = https://www.amazon.com/Vivencias-Clave-Cubana-Kiki-Valera/dp/B07YMYR3K9/
