Gloria Estefan '90 Millas' album

SONY BMG Music Entertainment and Burgundy Records announce the release of GLORIA ESTEFAN’s new Spanish-language album, “90 MILLAS” – in stores September 18, 2007. Having sold over 70 million albums and recorded 24 albums, “90 Millas” brings Gloria back to where it all began – her roots. Produced by her husband, Emilio Estefan, the collection of newly recorded original Spanish language songs pays tribute to the roots of Cuban music while infusing a modern influence into the traditional rhythms.

The album also pays homage to the most influential and universally respected Latin musicians of the past fifty years. Some of the artists joining Estefan on this album include Grammy award winning artist CARLOS SANTANA, JOHNNY PACHECO (whom many refer to as the ‘godfather of salsa’), trumpet virtuoso ALFREDO ‘CHOCOLATE’ ARMENTEROS, conga drum diva SHEILA E., actor and musician ANDY GARCIA, and CACHAO who is credited as the creator of mambo.

This blend of musicians on “90 Millas” is historically significant on a number of levels. This is the first, and quite possibly the last time that all of these legendary artists will play together on one CD. The newly released first single, “No Llores” features guest performances by famed Latin musicians Carlos Santana, Sheila E. and Jose Feliciano; just one of the incredible collaborations found on this CD.

“It is so important for me to keep authentic Cuban sounds alive. All these great artists have changed the landscape of latin music and its an honor to have them on this album. I believe this album will expose a new generation to the richness of Cuban music,” says Estefan.

“90 MILLAS” is a roots album. Its songs portray authentic Cuban sounds through upbeat danceable tracks like ‘Pintame’ and ‘Esta Fiesta No Va Acabar,’ to poignant ballads like ‘Yo No Cambiaría’ and celebratory tracks like ‘Cuando Cuba Sea Libre.’

Of ‘Cuando Cuba Sea Libre’ Gloria explains, “I hold this song very close to my heart. Its title translates to ‘the day Cuba is free.’ And it talks about what a celebration that will be…it’s going to be great for both the Cubans inside and outside because all we’re going to do is celebrate that now Cuba is free. We will celebrate the fact that people there have options open to them, that they have the ability to move forward into this century that they will enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy worldwide. It’s not a political song, it’s simply about a big party that will be had regardless of what may come after or how difficult things may be.”

Described by Gloria “an amazing explosion of rhythm,” the title track ‘90 Millas’ is Afro-Cuban - a genre typically recognized by its use of syncopated rhythm. Of dueting with La India on this track Gloria says, “…It was a great feeling in the studio between her and me because we’ve wanted to work together for a long time. And this song particularly was very special to us because it is very representative of the wild rhythms and the differences that we have in the rhythms of Cuban music. I think it’s one of my favorite tracks.”

90 Millas - Guest Artist Biography

Paquito Hechavarria
Paquito Hechavarria’s career as a pianist began at age 16, after graduating from Conservatorio De Musica, Havana, Cuba. At this early age he was already playing with the renowned Conjunto Caino and the famous Riverside Orchestra in Cuba. After leaving Cuba Hechavrria joined the prestigious orchestra at the Fountain Bleu Hilton in Miami Beach where he played for ten years accompanying icons such as Frank Sinatra, Ann Margaret, Samy Davis Jr., and others. As a solo pianist, Paquito Hechavarria has played with Barry Manilow, Cachao, Nestor Torres, Jose Luis Rodriguez “El Puma”, Julio Iglesias, Willie Chirnio, Azucar Moreno, Rey Ruiz, Luis Enrique, Ed Calle and the Legendary Mongo Santamaria. He also had the pleasure to play his famous Tumbao for Gloria Estefan’s cross-over record “Conga”. On “90 Millas” he plays on the following tracks: “No Llores” “Esperando (Cuando Cuba Sea Libre)”

Papo Lucca
With his dynamic piano playing and unique approach to salsa, Papo Lucca has led his band, Sonora Porcena, to the forefront of Latin music. A native of Ponce, Puerto Rico, he began studying at the city's Free School of Music at the age of six. In addition to being trained in solfeggio, he studied piano, clarinet, saxophone, and music theory. Performing with Sonora Porcena at the age of eight, he made his recording debut three years later, when the group accompanied bolero vocalists Felipe Rodriguez and Davilita on their album, Al Compas De Las Sonoras. At the age of fourteen, Lucca began an "official" member of Sonora Porcena. Throughout the 1950s, Lucca remained active as a musician. He recorded with Obdulio Morales, Orquestra Panamerica, and Machito. Although he's remained committed to Sonora Porcena, Lucca has balanced his involvement with a variety of outside projects. In 1976, he replaced pianist Larry Harlow in the Fania All-Stars. He continued to perform with the group until the mid-'90s. On “90 Millas” he plays on the following tracks: “Caridad” & “A Bailar”

Johnny Pacheco
For decades, Johnny Pacheco has been at the center of the Latin music universe. Many refer to him as the “godfather of salsa music.” His nine Grammy nominations, ten Gold records and numerous awards pay tribute to his creative talent as composer, arranger, bandleader, and producer. Throughout his 40-year involvement with the development of Latin music, Johnny Pacheco has received many kudos for his extraordinary genius including 9 Grammy nominations and an induction into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame. In June 1996, Johnny Pacheco was the first Latin music producer to receive the NARAS Governor's Award in New York City. Pacheco's pioneering musical approach has made him one of the most solicited producers in Latin music. He has worked with many of the best salsa artists like Celia Cruz, Willie Colon, Hector Lavoe, Ruben Blades, Cheo Feliciano, and Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez. His resume also includes producing the hit song "Bailando Salsa" for the Spanish pop group, Mecano whose album sold half a million copies one month after its release. He has written more than 150 songs and most of them are now classics including "La Dicha Mia", "Quitate Tu Pa' Ponerme Yo," "Acuyuye," "El Rey de la Puntualidad" and Tito Puente's "El Numero Cien.” Pacheco has also been inspirational to the younger generations. He recorded and performed with the group DLG as a guest artist in one of his own compositions. Rap artist Mangu asked this Latin legend to write arrangements, sing chorus, and play the flute in his album Calle Luna Y Calle Sol. Mr. Pacheco has also produced music for feature films. He was the musical director of the film, Our Latin Thing, the first film about salsa and its influence on New York Latinos. In 1974, he worked on a second film entitled Salsa. During the 1980s, he wrote the musical scores and themes for the film Mondo New York and Something Wild. On “90 Millas” he plays on the following tracks: “Bésame”

Candido Camero
Candido was the Latin percussionist of the 1950s and was often called on by jazz greats to play the conga or bongo on their compositions. Early on, he recorded in his native Cuba with Machito and worked regularly with the house band at the Tropicana Club in Havana for six years. Dizzy Gillespie heard him and encouraged him to move to New York in 1952 and they went on to record and perform together. Candido has recorded with the who's who of jazz, including Erroll Garner, Gene Ammons, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Wes Montgomery, Elvin Jones and Lionel Hampton, among many others. On “90 Millas” he plays on the following tracks: “Volveré”

Paqutio D’Rivera
Born in Cuba, Paquito D’Rivera began his career playing both the clarinet and saxophone with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra and was a founding member of the the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna. Additionally, he was a founding member and co-director of the innovative musical ensemble Irakere. With its unique explosive mixture of jazz, rock, classical and traditional Cuban music Irakere took the world by storm. They received several Grammy nominations winning their first one in 1979. Paquito D'Rivera's first recognition as a solo artist by the Grammy Recording Academy came in 1996 with the highly acclaimed recording Portraits of Cuba. Since then, Mr. D'Rivera has received numerous recognitions as an artist and composer including a Grammy for “Best Instrumental Composition” in 2005 for his “Merengue” as performed by cellist Yo-Yo Ma. D’Rivera received his 8th Grammy for “Best Classical Recording” for his work on Riberas with the Buenos Aires String Quartet. He was the recipient of the National Medal for the Arts, presented at the White House by President George W. Bush in 2005. Most recently, he was honored with the Living Jazz Legend Award in a ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC in March 2007. On “90 Millas” he plays on the following tracks: “Volveré”

Alfredo “Chocolate” Armenteros
Virtuoso trumpeter, producer and composer, Chocolate has been involved in a number of Latin ensembles ranging from typical Cuban septetos and conjuntos. (he is one of the surviving true masters of the distinctive septeto style), rollicking big bands, a progressive salsa orquesta to a small Latin jazz group format. Chocolate began playing trumpet at the age of 10. He moved to Havana and made his recording debut as a member of singer/composer René Alvarez's “Conjunto Los Astros.” Chocolate made his first appearance in New York in the late '50s with José Fajardo and moved to New York City in 1960. He went on to work with a long list of New York-based Latin artists and bands, including Mongo Santamaría, Johnny Pacheco, Tico All-Stars, Larry Harlow, Osvaldo Chi Hua Hua Martínez, Lou Pérez, Charlie Palmieri, Roberto Torres, Ismael Rivera, Joe Quijano, Bobby Capó, Israel ‘Cachao’ López, Chamaco Ramírez, Grupo Folklorico y Experimental Nuevayorquino and Armando Sánchez y su Septeto Son de la Loma. In the early '70s, Chocolate made his belated recording debut as leader of his own conjunto on Chocolate Aqui followed by 1975’s album Chocolate Caliente. On “90 Millas” he plays on the following tracks: “Me Odio”

Nelson Gonzalez
Nelson González is distinguished for his mastery of the Cuban Tres guitar. The Tres guitar is comprised of three sets of double strings and is known for the degree of technical difficulty it imposes in order to generate a full chord from a limited number of strings. This traditional instrument is indispensable to the interpretation of 'Son', the most popular form of Cuban dance music. Nelson's attraction to the Cuban Tres was initially driven by its reputation as a formidable challenge to achieve technical mastery. Essential to his development was Rene Lopez, musicologist and leading authority on Cuban music. Through him, Nelson learned the fundamentals and history of Cuban music. He used the recordings of Arsenio Rodriguez and 'El Nino’ Rivera, two masters of the Tres guitar and pioneers of the Cuban 'son', to guide his training. Inspired by the paucity of Tres players in Latin America and the Caribbean, Nelson vowed to preserve tradition through his dedication to this instrument. He is regarded as the ambassador of Tres. Nelson is prominently featured on the following Grammy Award Winning albums: Cachao Master Sessions I , Cachao Master Sessions II, Gloria Estefan's Mi Tierra and Alma Caribena, Rubin Blades' Mundo, Bebo Valdez's El Arte Del Sabor, and Tito Puente and Eddie Palmieri's Masterpiece. On “90 Millas” he plays on the following tracks: “Lo Nuestro” “Píntame De Colores””A Bailar” “Esta Fiesta No Va’ Acabar” “Esperando (Cuando Cuba Sea Libre)”

Andy Garcia
Born in Havana, Cuba, Garcia's family fled in exile to Miami Beach at the age of five as a result of Fidel Castro's takeover. He performed in regional theater productions in the Miami area before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a film career in the late 1970s. His first break came as a gang member on the very first episode of the popular TV series “Hill Street Blues.” Brian De Palma's “The Untouchables” brought Andy his major break. From then on he has never looked back.

Garcia received an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for his starring role as the legendary Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval in HBO's 2000 biopic “For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story.” Garcia was executive producer of the film and also produced the soundtrack and the Emmy-winning score. Long an accomplished conga, guitar and piano player, Garcia –won a Grammy for producing Cachao’s 2004 album, Ahora Si! .On “90 Millas” he plays on the following tracks: “Píntame De Colores”

Sheila E
Sheila Escovedo became popular as a solo artist in 1984 but had been playing conga drums since the age of three. Her father, Pete Escovedo, worked briefly with Santana and led the Latin-jazz fusion band Azteca, with which Sheila E. sat in while in high school. She was discovered by Prince in 1984 and appeared as a vocalist on his Erotic City, the b-side of the US hit “Let's Go Crazy.” With that exposure she was able to sign a solo record contract with Warner Brothers Records; her debut was The Glamorous Life. The album yielded the US Top 10 single of the same name and the UK Top 20 hit, “The Belle Of St. Mark.” Her follow-up, In Romance 1600 appeared on Prince's Paisley Park label in 1985 and featured the US hit single, “A Love Bizarre,” with Prince himself on backing vocals. In 1987 she joined Prince's touring group as drummer, also appearing in the movie Sign ‘O’ The Times. In 2000, she produced and co-composed the music for the first Latin Grammy Awards and returned to recording with the stylish Latin jazz album, Writes Of Passage. On “90 Millas” she plays on the following tracks: “No Llores”

Carlos Santana
Santana is the primary visionary of Latin-tinged rock and is known for his distinctive, high-pitched lead guitar playing. The group Santana was the last major act to emerge from the psychedelic San Francisco music scene of the 1960s and it enjoyed massive success at the end of the decade and in the '70s. The musical direction then changed to a more contemplative and jazzy style as the band's early personnel gradually departed, leaving the name in the hands of Carlos Santana, who guided the group to consistent commercial success over the next quarter-century. In 1999 Santana made a huge comeback with Supernatural, an album featuring many guest stars including Rob Thomas, Michelle Branch and X . This album became Santana's best-selling release and won a number of Grammy Awards including “Record of the Year,” “Album of the Year,” “Best Pop Performance by A Duo or Group” among others. On “90 Millas” he plays on the track “No Llores.”

Orestes Vilato
Orestes Vilato was born in Cuba's main cattle region (Camagüey Province) circa 1944 and left to the Big Apple at the age of 12. Vilató is regarded by many as the most influential Cuban timbalero north of Havana. Although he never took a single percussion lesson it is unquestionable that he has exercised a profound influence on various generations of Latin percussionists. On “90 Millas” he plays on the following tracks: “Caridad” “A Bailar” “Esperando (Cuando Cuba Sea Libre)”

Cachao
Cuban bassist Cachao is credited as the man who created mambo music. He spent most of his 76 years living in Cuba, where he was a prominent jazz sideman who specialized in Afro-Cuban dance music. He eventually made it to the U.S. and lived in Miami for almost nine years with little or no recognition, due in part to his extreme modesty. He was first introduced to the world by actor/filmmaker Andy Garcia, via his 1993 documentary Cachao...Como Su Ritmo No Hay Dos. The film earned glowing reviews, especially for the music. In March of 1995, Cachao earned a Grammy for his album Master Sessions, Vol. 1. On “90 Millas” he plays on the following tracks: “Volveré”

Generoso Jimenez
Although the trombone is often considered second to vocals, flute or even saxophone in Cuban music, Generoso "El Tojo" Jiménez is noteworthy as one of the best trombone players in Cuban history. He was born in the small town in Cruces, in what is now the province of Cienfuegos, in 1917. As with any aspiring musician from the provinces, his path eventually took him to Havana, where the legendary pre-revolutionary nightlife had attracted musicians and music lovers from all over the world. Jiménez thrived in this environment, eventually winning a coveted spot with Beny Moré's wildly popular orchestra in 1955. He stayed with the band as a composer and lead soloist until 1959, but his time there is still marked by the coros of Moré's hit "Que Bueno Baila Usted," where the band sings out repeatedly "Generoso! How well you play!" After leaving Moré's orchestra, Jiménez recorded several albums with his own orchestra, including “El Trombón Majadero,” meaning "The Unruly Trombone," which was re-released in the United States by Bembé Records in 1997. The re-release aimed not only to revive some great Cuban session playing, but also to provide a supplement to Jiménez's income, a bonus that was a richly deserved perk of the rekindled American interest in old Cuban music. On “90 Millas” he plays on the following tracks: "Esta Fiesta No Va Acabar"

Giovanni Hidalgo
Legendary percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo was born in Puerto Rico in 1963 and grew up in home filled with the drums, bongos, congas and timbales used by his father and grandfather, both musicians themselves. Hidalgo began playing on a homemade conga crafted by his father from a wooden barrel, when he was just eight years old. He also practiced on other percussion instruments, applying his great talent to become one of the top Latin percussionists in the world today. The sounds other drummers create with sticks, Hidalgo creates with his hands. Hidalgo first became popular outside his native Puerto Rico in the early 1980's. In 1981 he went to Cuba to work with Batacumbele. There he met Changuito and Hidalgo's career took a different turn. The two artists were perfectly attuned to each and this was evident in Batacumbele's debut album. That effort, featuring Hidalgo's incredible hand- drumming technique, gave him instant prominence among musicians around the world. As much as Hidalgo drew inspiration from the Cuban musicians he performed with, they too took something away from the experience. Many tried to replicate Hidalgo's technique, and incorporated it into their style of music called Songo. This effect was mirrored in Puerto Rico as the Cuban style music was a smashing success. On “90 Millas” he plays on the following tracks: “Caridad” “Esta Fiesta No Va’ Acabar”

La India
Born Linda Belle Caballero in 1970 in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, India moved as a baby to the tough "La Candela" or "the candle" neighborhood of New York City's Bronx. Transforming herself from the house singer, India, to the salsa diva, "La India," this Nuyorican singer created a tremendously successful career for herself at a very young age. She first joined the hot urban trend of house music and hip hop and soon after helped a new generation blaze a trail into the music usually associated with their parents: salsa. As the popularity of salsa returned, La India's star power rose. Singing in Spanish and English, La India presents herself as a true "Nuyorican," part of an urban generation of hip, bilingual, bicultural Hispanic Americans. Her music pays tribute to the cultural inheritance of traditional Latin genres like salsa, even as it participates in the contemporary urban dance trends that generate much commercial pop music. Her audience includes a large following of women, alienated by much of salsa's traditional "macho ladykiller" attitude. La India's songs take strong positions in typically female situations; when singing about taking control of her life and relationships, loving who she is, not depending on men, and demanding to be treated with respect, she gives voice to a particularly Hispanic American feminist awareness. "Women see me as a figure they can respect," she said in a Chicago Tribune interview. "They know I've been through a lot. I'm not going to let no man put me under." The titles of La India's songs — "Qué Ganas Que No Verte Nunca Más," or "What A Joy Not To Have To See You Anymore," for example — confirm this sentiment. On “90 Millas” she plays on the following tracks: “90 Millas”

Jose Feliciano
One of the most prominent Latin-born performers of the pop era, singer/guitarist Jose Feliciano was born September 10, 1945 in Lares, Puerto Rico. The victim of congenital glaucoma, he was left permanently blind at birth. Five years later, he and his family moved to New York City's Spanish Harlem area; there Feliciano began learning the accordion, later taking up the guitar and making his first public appearance at the Bronx's El Teatro Puerto Rico at the age of nine. While in high school he became a fixture of the Greenwich Village coffeehouse circuit, eventually quitting school in 1962 in order to accept a permanent gig in Detroit; a contract with RCA followed a performance at New York's Gerde's Folk City, and within two years he appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival. After bowing with the 1964 novelty single "Everybody Do the Click," he issued his flamenco-flavored debut LP The Voice and Guitar of Jose Feliciano, trailed early the next year by The Fantastic Feliciano. Unhappy with the direction of his music following the release of 1966's A Bag Full of Soul, Feliciano returned to his roots, releasing three consecutive Spanish-language LPs – Sombras...Una Voz, Una Guitarra, Mas Exitos de Jose Feliciano and El Sentimiento, La Voz y La Guitarra de Jose Feliciano -- on RCA International, scoring on the Latin pop charts with the singles "La Copa Rota" and "Amor Gitana." With 1968's Feliciano, he scored a breakthrough hit with a soulful reading of the Doors' "Light My Fire" that launched him into the mainstream pop stratosphere; a smash cover of Tommy Tucker's RB chestnut "Hi Heel Sneakers" solidified his success, and soon Feliciano found himself performing the national anthem during the 1968 World Series. His idiosyncratic Latin-jazz performance of the song proved highly controversial, and despite the outcry of traditionalists and nationalists, his status as an emerging counterculture hero was secured, with a single of his rendition also becoming a hit. In 1969 Feliciano recorded three LPs – Souled, Alive Alive-O, and Feliciano 10 to 23 -- and won a Grammy for “Best New Artist.” Throughout the 1970s Feliciano remained an active performer. In 1980 Feliciano was the first performer signed to the new Latin division of Motown, making his label debut with an eponymous effort the following year; his recorded output tapered off during the course of the decade, although he occasionally resurfaced with LPs including 1987's Tu Immenso Amor and 1989's I'm Never Gonna Change. On “90 Millas” he plays on the following tracks: “No Llores” “Nunca Cambiaría”

Arturo Sandoval
A protégé of the legendary jazz master Dizzy Gillespie, Sandoval was born in Artemisa, a small town in the outskirts of Havana, Cuba, on November 6, 1949, just two years after Gillespie became the first musician to bring Latin influences into American Jazz. Sandoval began studying classical trumpet at the age of twelve, but it didn’t take him long to catch the excitement of the jazz world. He has since evolved into one of the world’s most acknowledged performers of jazz trumpet and flugel horn, as well as a renowned classical artist, pianist and composer. Sandoval was a founding member of the Grammy Award-winning group Irakere, whose explosive mixture of jazz, classical, rock and traditional Cuban music caused a sensation throughout the entertainment world. Arturo Sandoval has been awarded 4 Grammy Awards, 6 Billboard Awards and an Emmy Award. The latter for his composing work on the entire underscore of the HBO movie based on his life, For Love or Country starring Andy Garcia. On “90 Millas” he plays on the following tracks: “Esta Fiesta No Va’ Acabar”

Sal Cuevas
Electric bass guitarist and upright bassist Salvador "Sal" Cuevas is credited as being the innovator of Latin music bass playing when he first incorporated never before heard, nor used Funk/Jazz/R&B/Rock styles and techniques on the instrument. While maintaining the traditional flavor and concepts of the music, he managed to fuse all those "worlds" into his bass playing technique, resulting in the creation of a completely unique style. On some recordings, he would include playing intricate horn section lines or phrases on the bass, in unison with the horn section, which until then, was virtually unheard of within the genre, as was the funky bass slapping, string snapping technique which has today become a norm in Latin salsa music thanks to Sal. He was a member of the legendary salsa music group Fania All-Stars (1978-1985). Always in demand, he has recorded and performed with the giants of salsa, jazz and beyond, including; Ray Barretto, Tito Puente, Machito, Fania All-Stars, Celia Cruz, Willie Colón, Ruben Blades, Arturo Sandoval, Billy Idol, Kirsty MacColl, Jon Lucien, Angela Bofill, Dave Valentin, Harry Belafonte, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Oscar D'Leon, Gloria Estefan, and the list goes on and on with hundreds of other world famous artists. On “90 Millas” he plays on the following tracks: Me Odio, No Llores, Lo Nuestro, Píntame De Colores, Caridad, Yo No Cambiaría, Bésame, Refranes, A Bailar, Esta Fiesta No Va’ Acabar, Esperando (Cuando Cuba Sea Libre)” Morenita, 90 Millas.

Luis Enrique
Luis Enrique Mejía Godoy (born February 19,1945) is one of the most outstanding Cantautores Nicaraguan. He has won many prized and distinctions for his contribution to Nicaraguan culture . He is also an accomplished author – his last book “Whinny in the Blood” is a tribute to his family, his town and its identity. On “90 Millas” he plays on the following tracks: No Llores

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Gloria Estefan - 90 Millas