Release Date: December 14, 2018
Catalog #: AR0012
Format: Digital & Physical
21st Century
Cuban
Jazz
Guitar
Percussion

Espontáneo: The Abdala Sessions

Maykel Elizarde tres
Dayron Ortega Guzmán guitar
Eduardo Silveira percussion

In Havana, recording sessions are done a little differently. Musicians and producers gather at recording studios, where a well-stocked bar and ample Wi-Fi are available in the lobby. A sense of ease and relaxation permeates the air — people gather not just to produce recordings, but to create art with each other in a communal music experience.

In the case of ESPONTÁNEO, or “spontaneous,” this quasi-live album was sparked while PARMA team members were in Havana for a recording session trip. Dayron Ortega, an accomplished guitarist and PARMA’s Lead Producer for Cuba sessions, invited his friends Maykel Elizarde and Eduardo Silveira to the studio during the session week. Elizarde lives in a remote village in Cuba and his guitar prowess had been virtually unknown until the release of his first album, SOUTH COUNTY, with Ansonica Records. Elizarde and Silveira, a renowned Cuban percussionist, entered the recording room from the lobby, and the three began to play what become a fusion of a recording and a jam session. Dayron began calling out tunes, which his counterparts would listen along to and then respond and embellish. If Elizarde and Silveira didn’t know the tune by name, they would quickly pick up the melody as Ortega started playing, and then would take it in a whole new, energized direction.

ESPONTÁNEO demonstrates a different side of the music production world — one where the craft of performance itself and the shared musical moment is not lost in the effort for a perfect take. The groove, spice, and free-flowing energy of this album offers a view into the everyday life of the Cuban music-lover.

Listen

Hear the full album on YouTube

Track Listing & Credits

# Title Composer Performer
01 Conga pa' Tocar Dayron Ortega Guzmán Dayron Ortega Guzmán, guitar; Maykel Elizarde, tres; Eduardo Silveira, percussion 5:58
02 Influencia (Chorino) Maykel Elizarde Dayron Ortega Guzmán, guitar; Maykel Elizarde, tres; Eduardo Silveira, percussion 2:02
03 Son Pa' Gozar (Bolero a la Intemperie) Dayron Ortega Guzmán Dayron Ortega Guzmán, guitar; Maykel Elizarde, tres; Eduardo Silveira, percussion 8:10
04 A Improvisar (Un Nengon pero No Salió) Maykel Elizarde & Dayron Ortega Guzmán Dayron Ortega Guzmán, guitar; Maykel Elizarde, tres; Eduardo Silveira, percussion 9:35
05 Jugando con la Nota Maykel Elizarde & Dayron Ortega Guzmán Dayron Ortega Guzmán, guitar; Maykel Elizarde, tres; Eduardo Silveira, percussion 3:01
06 Mambo Influenciado Chucho Valdés Dayron Ortega Guzmán, guitar; Maykel Elizarde, tres; Eduardo Silveira, percussion 4:36
07 El Golpe de la Bibijagua Trío Trovarroco Dayron Ortega Guzmán, guitar; Maykel Elizarde, tres; Eduardo Silveira, percussion 5:49
08 Guajirando Fajardo And His All Stars Dayron Ortega Guzmán, guitar; Maykel Elizarde, tres; Eduardo Silveira, percussion 4:51
09 Improvisaciones (Tres Solo) Maykel Elizarde Dayron Ortega Guzmán, guitar; Maykel Elizarde, tres; Eduardo Silveira, percussion 5:01

Recorded November 13th 2017 at Abdala 1 Studios in Havana, Cuba

Dayron Ortega Guzmán Session Producer
Bob Lord Co-producer
José Raúl Varona Sound Engineer

Photography Michael Labrie

Executive Producer Bob Lord

Executive A&R Sam Renshaw

Vice President, Audio Production Jeff LeRoy
Production Engineer Lucas Paquette
Recording Session Manager Levi Brown
Mastering Shaun Michaud

Art Director Brett Picknell
Design Edward Fleming

Artist Information

Dayron Ortega

Dayron Ortega

Guitarist

Dayron Ortega graduated from the ENA in 1996 as a guitarist. His first professional musical group was "Son del Río" in Havana, of which he was the founder. A year later, he became part of the "Melao Son" project, with which he made his first International Tour in Canada. In 2000, he was called to be the founder of the project "Pancho Amat and his Cabildo del Son," in which he performed as an instrumentalist and vocalist (guitar), until the beginning of 2015. With this group he made international tours to different countries: Spain, Italy, Vienna, Holland, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, United States, Canada, Qatar, Japan, and Angola.

Maykel Elizarde Composer Guitarist

Maykel Elizarde

Composer

Maykel Erik Elizarde Ruano was born on February 1, 1979 in Santa Clara. He was from a very humble family where his great-grandfather, Mario Ruano Vila was a great concert guitarist in the 1950's.

Eduardo Silveira Percussionist

Eduardo Silveira

Percussionist

Eduardo Silveira graduated from the Nivel Medio de la Escuela Nacional de Arte. Percussionist.