Omar Sosa's musical trajectory has taken him from Camagey and Havana to touring in Angola, the Congo, Ethiopia, and Nicaragua in the 1980s; to a sojourn in the African-descent communities of Ecuador in the early 1990s; to an extended presence on the San Francisco Bay Area Latin jazz scene; to his current engagement with artists from France, Cuba, Brazil, and several North, West, and East African nations. His career embodies the expansive outlook of a visionary artist who has taken Monk's uncompromising spirit to heart, while working ceaselessly to craft and project a unique, cosmopolitan voice.
“Afreecanos is an ode to Africa," Omar says. “It continues on the path back to the roots, looking for parallels between various traditions, including Cuba, Brazil, Morocco, Senegal, Guinea, Mali, and Mozambique. This work expresses that we are all children of the same Mother, and even though our sounds come from many different places, we are all close in essence, conception, and origin. Because of this, it has not been difficult to unite the many artists who have contributed with their own musical languages... manifestations of the grand and living Africa."
Drawing upon his Afro-Cuban roots, Omar weaves his own artistry with traditional elements from across Africa and the Americas, producing a thoroughly contemporary jazz idiom that blends and celebrates the many and diverse voices heard here.
-Michael Stone, Princeton University
Contributing Artists: Julio Barreto (Cuba), drums; Childo Tomas (Mozambique), electric bass; Stephane Belmondo (France), flugelhorn; Leandro Saint-Hill (Cuba), flute, alto saxophone; Mola Sylla (Senegal), vocals, percussion; Baba Sissoko (Mali), talking drum, ngoni; Mamani Keita (Mali), vocals; Jorge Alabe (Brazil), rum, rumpi, agogo, vocals; Graca Onasile (Brazil), vocals; Lzaro Galarraga (Cuba), vocals, bat; Fanta Cissoko (Senegal), vocals; Orestes Vilat (Cuba), timbales; Lionel Belmondo (France), bamboo flute; Ali Wague (Guinea), tambin; Ali Boulo Santo (Senegal), kora; Mohamed Soulimane (Morocco), violin; Christophe “Disco" Minck (France), ngoni, kamalengoni, guitar-sitar; Ousseynou Piagne Epa (Senegal), piano drum, zabar; Michael Spiro (US), bat; Bill Ortiz (US), trumpet.
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