La Ritmica

La Ritmica presents Caribbean fusion! La Ritmica is the name of a band with a huge reputation in the dutch and international Latin/ worldmusic-scene. Apart from the countless concerts on festivals and performances on (beach)parties, La Ritmica played in the famous Radio-program TROS-Session, and was one of the main attractions of Joop van de Ende's Showbizz City . In the past years the band has become a regular guest in Antwerp , Brussels , Gent, Luxembourgh, Köln, Bonn , Paris and so on. They even performed in places as Tunisia and Almaty , Kazakhstan and many others .

Some changes in the band enabled La Ritmica to enlarge its musical scope and possibilities. Not only New York-salsa, but also merengue , Arubian and Antillian folklore music, hip-hop and modern Brazilian music is colouring La Ritmica's repertoire. But always on the one and only base of danceability.

Gerald Clarinda, singer, piano-player, composer and arranger, is the leader of the band. Gerald has really spread his wings, with some number1-hits with the solo-cd, Gerald, E Inicio . This cd, with the hitsong Solo tu y yó, has been highly appreciated, especially in France , Germany , Spain and the USA . Different cd and DVD-projects followed, again with lots of attention and admiration. Gerald is really a driving force in La Ritmica and the brains behind new projects.

The islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao, the last two still forming part of The Netherlands Antilles, where the majority of La Ritmica ’s musicians originate, were for centuries and still are to this day a meeting point for all kinds of cultures such as Indigenous, African, Dutch, Spanish, English, French, Portuguese and many others. This is due to their perfect geographical position in front of the coast of Venezuela and in the center of the Caribbean, connecting North and South America , which are strategically situated for all kinds of trading purposes.

This cultural melting pot clearly reflects in the music of La Ritmica, which is a fresh blend of Spanish, French and British West Indian music performed on a solid base of Afro Antillean folk music and with a touch of jazz and R&B. This unique concept is known as CARIBBEAN FUSION and is also the title of their latest release which is a live recording we'd made in 2008 in the Hague, the Netherlands, during the celebration of "Dia di Boneiru" or Bonaireday, a yearly event held on every first Sunday of September, celebrating the national day of the island of Bonaire.

Some of the songs are performed in Spanish and some in Papiamentu, a unique language which is the national language spoken on these three islands. The origin of Papiamentu lies in this cultural melting pot.

Awards

Winner of the United Cultures Competition "Best cultural crossover band of 2002" "They charmed the audience with their crossover of salsa and hip-hop and moreover with their tidy and charismatic performance" (Yvette Bax, Muhined, 02-01-2002)