ARTISTS


LUIS MARIO OCHOA
CUBAN MUSIC ENSEMBLE

GALLERY | BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | DISCOGRAPHY | LINKS


GALLERY

 

Photography   Ensemble, Chris Hutcheson

Click each image to download


BIOGRAPHY

Luis Mario Ochoa, Leader (Guitar and Vocal)
Hilario Durán, Piano/Vocals
Paco Luviano, Acoustic Bass/Vocal
Luis Orbegoso, Percussion
Jorge L. Torres ‘Papiosco’, Percussion

One of the world’s most exciting Cuban music ensembles, the Luis Mario Ochoa Cuban Quintet is renowned for virtuosity, and incredible musicianship. This acoustic group features music ranging from rumba to samba, bolero to waltz, son to cha and features Toronto’s leading jazz and world musicians. Nominee of the 2007 Canadian Latin Jazz Artist of the Year Award, guitarist and lead vocalist Luis Mario Ochoa leads this ensemble noted by press for their “fire, finesse and authenticity” (JazzTimes).

Performing regularly in Canada, the quintet has recently made appearances at the Jazz Festivals of Montreal, Halifax, Markham, St. John’s Vancouver, Victoria, Oshawa, the Toronto Beaches, and Huntsville Festival of the Arts. This past season, they were also featured artists at Mount Allison University’s Performing Arts Series. Internationally, highlights for the ensemble include the Barbados Jazz Festival and Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club in New York to name a few. This season, the quintet will continue to perform in prestigious festivals and venues and will showcase at a number of provincial and national arts conferences. In addition to the quintet’s busy concert schedule, Luis will also be touring with his traditional Cuban Sextet throughout Ontario and in Western Canada with Hilario Durán’s Big Band.

Born in Havana, Cuba, Luis Mario Ochoa’s earliest musical influences came from his father, Luis Ochoa Sr., singer, founding member of "Trio Voces de Oro", one of Cuba's most established ensembles. At the age of 11, Luis began full time music studies at some of Havana's most renowned conservatories. He later graduated with an honours B.A. in classical guitar from The University of Havana's Institute Superior of Arts (ISA). While most of his extensive learning was in the classical genre, his heart never abandoned his roots in traditional Cuban music.

Embracing Toronto as his new home in the early 1990’s, Mr. Ochoa would form his band Cimarrón, with whom he recorded three critically acclaimed albums. Their first two albums, A La Cubana and La Fiesta, were some of the earliest recordings to emerge from Toronto's Latin music scene. Songs from these recordings have since been featured in film and television shows including the TV series, Traders, the US production, Brave New Girl, and Canadian production, Bailey's Billions, as well as in the TV series The Associates. The ensemble’s third, self-titled CD, Cimarrón, includes an all-star cast of jazz and Latin musicians from Toronto as well as special guests: Paquito D'Rivera, Guido Basso and Luis' father, Luis Ochoa Sr. This album features a blend of Cuban music with elements of jazz.

An avid collaborator, Mr. Ochoa recently formed a new Cuban quintet and in 2008, would release his latest CD, Momentos Cubanos. Here, Luis displays his virtuosity and versatility with authority. The program features original and classic Latin American songs and the popular CD reached the # 2 spot on the world music charts at Earshot Canada! It is no wonder that the Latin Jazz Network noted that “you simply cannot get enough of the music. That's how infectious it is.”

In addition to his productive composing, performing and recording schedule, Luis also teaches the Latin Jazz Ensemble at the renowned Humber College Institute, Toronto and conducts the Luis Mario Ochoa’s Humber Latin Big Band.

(as of September 2011)

REVIEWS

“With roots in Cuban popular music, Ochoa’s emotive voice and delicate touch on a nylon-stringed guitar, exhibit a change from Latin jazz standards. Ochoa has been hailed for his “...fire, finesse and authenticity” (Jazz Times) and for creating “...high caliber Latin jazz [that] cooks” (Descarg.com). In an intimate setting, Ochoa brilliantly provides harmonic richness and rhythmical variety that is genuine and unassuming, while integrating styles that range from rumba to samba to waltz. A nominee in 2007 for Canadian Latin Jazz Artist of the Year, the unique exuberance of his music is the only thing that is constant and all that matters when listening.”

- LATIN JAZZ NETWORK

“The music was for everyone, the jazz people who sit and savour their music and the dancers who move and are inspired with their music. A mix of samba, rumba, salsa, and cha cha accents kept the feet moving.”

- SALSA TO

“A true pleasure to listen to, these exceptional musicians exemplified how to combine sensitivity and energy in their playing. It was also a pleasure to watch how they listened to and enjoyed each other’s contributions to the whole.”

- LIVE MUSIC REPORT

“[T]here is not a single track on this record that does not merit many hearings. You will find that you simply cannot get enough of the music. That's how infectious it is.” [Momentos Cubanos: Cuban Music Productions CD]

- LATIN JAZZ NETWORK

“Luis Ochoa has an exceptional voice. His soaring tenor rises above the horns and percussion, delivering the lyrics with sincerity and power.” [Cimarrón: Cuban Music Productions CD]

- JAZZ IMPROV MAGAZINE

“He is a passionate singer, his enunciation and phrasing strong and packed with emotional power. He is also the troubadour who adds to the soul with his guitar.”

- ALL ABOUT JAZZ

“...How exciting to discover a truly dynamic new salsa vocalist whose talent extends to composing and arranging.”

- HISPANIC MAGAZINE

DISCOGRAPHY

A La Cubana   Cuban Music Productions LMO CD
La fiesta   Cuban Music Productions LMO CD-1
Cimarrón: Luis Mario Ochoa & Friends   Cuban Music Productions LMO CD-2A
Momentos Cubanos   Cuban Music Productions LMO CD-3


LINKS

Artist Website
www.luismario.com