Durham, NC (Top40 Charts/ Orquesta GarDel Official Website) - On January 18th, 2011 Orquesta GarDel will release Lo Que Tu Querias, its self-produced debut EP. The title, which translates as "what you wanted," refers to the fulfillment of two long-standing dreams for the band: to capture its artistry in a recording and to present a catalog of all-original songs instead of covers. Each of the EP's four tracks presents a different side of the band, from the elegiac cha-cha-cha "Gracias Te Doy" to the edgy, Cuban timba-infused titular track.
As a whole, Lo Que Tu Querias is an exciting showcase for GarDel's founding principles: hard-hitting, modern salsa executed by a top-notch ensemble of percussion, horns, and vocals. The self-released EP will be available in CD and digital formats, both online and in local music stores. It features production and mixing from the band's own members, mastering from Brent Lambert of The Kitchen, and is unique in being funded entirely by online fan donations via Kickstarter.com.
For four years, Orquesta GarDel has existed solely as a live group, focused on covering standards from the birth of modern salsa as epitomized by the Fania record label in 1970s New York. But co-directors Eric Hirsh (piano) and Andy Kleindienst (trombone) always hoped to channel the band into a forum for writing new chapters in the history of salsa, not just preserving its legacy. The band collaborated on "Translation" from 2009's Silence Fiction with hip hop quartet, The Beast, of which Hirsh and bassist Pete Kimosh are also members. By this time Orquesta GarDel knew it was ready to make a recording, not of its favorite covers, but of original songs with music and arrangements by Hirsh and Kleindienst, and lyrics by lead singers Nelson Delgado and Jamie Roman. The band is extremely grateful for the successful round of Kickstarter fan-funding, as it highlights the supportive relationship between GarDel and its patiently-earned community of dancers and Latin music enthusiasts.
With Lo Que Tu Querias, Orquesta GarDel plans to make its presence known, not just within the Latin genre, but towards the wider music culture of the Triangle-area and beyond. In a move that signals this expansion, GarDel will headline a CD release party at the recently opened Motorco Music Hall in Durham on January 29th, 2011. An announcement about special guests and opening bands will appear shortly after this release. GarDel will continue to tour in support of the EP with shows in Fayetteville, Chapel Hill, and Wilmington from February onwards and even more dates forthcoming.
About Orquesta GarDel
Orquesta GarDel is a thirteen-member ensemble that unites North Carolina's finest Latin music artists. Founded in 2006 by David Garcia, a professor of ethnomusicology at UNC Chapel Hill, and singer Nelson Delgado, the band pumps new life into Nuyorican salsa standards and breaks ground with original tunes in the timba style of modern Havana. Orquesta GarDel's members straddle multiple generations, combining Latino music veterans with African- and Anglo-American jazzers. Together, they are on a mission to bring their high-energy dance music to all audiences, having appeared at the Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival, the North Carolina Museum of Art, the North Carolina Salsa Festival, La Fiesta del Pueblo, and numerous Latino culture events.
