Eliades Ochoa

Tribute To The Cuarteto Patria

(c) 2000 Higher Octave Music

Higher Octave World is pleased to present what promises to be one of the international music highlights of the year: Eliades Ochoa's Tribute to the Cuarteto Patria. Eliades Ochoa is perhaps most well known for his role as guitarist / vocalist in the historic Buena Vista Social Club. His first solo recording with Higher Octave World was the critically acclaimed and Grammy Nominated CD Sublime Ilusion.  

Eliades Ochoa was born 52 years ago.   The Cuarteto Patria, almost 60.   The starting point was in Santiago de Cuba in 1978, when Francisco Pancho Cobas asked Eliades to take over the leadership of the group, for they had just lost Rigoberto Echeverra, Maduro.   Since then, Eliades has stayed on.  

Eliades began to play the guitar when he was just six years old and made his debut in the streets of Santiago at age 11.   Before becoming a member of the Quinteto Oriental and the Septeto Tipico, he had already made important contributions to the Trova Cubana (Cuban traditional music movement), through his frequent performances in all the small clubs and corners of the city.   The person who baptized the quartet as Patria in 1959 was Emilia Garca, founder of the group and valiant rebel in the revolutionary underground, who adopted the code name of Patria Emilia.   She represents one of the basic sources for discovering the very essence of traditional music from Santiago.  

Let there be no doubts.   If the collective record Buena Vista Social Club was the latest major achieveinent in the world music market, and with the 1999 Sublime Ilusion recording under his hat, it may be easier now to understand why Eliades Ochoa was one of the key figures in those historical recordings made at the old Egrem Studios at Havana, which enabled the collective of musicians to win a coveted Grammy® award, along with worldwide recognition of their art.  

Musicians: Eliades Ochoa: lead guitar, lead vocals
Anibal Avila Pacheco: trumpet, clave
Humberto Ochoa: second guitar, vocals
Enrique Ochoa: second guitar, vocals
Eglis Ochoa: maracas, guiro, vocals
William Calderón: bass
Angel Martinez: bass
Jorge Masporel: percussions
Roberto Torres: percussions

Guests: Faustino Oramas "El Guayabero" appears courtesy of Manzana Discos in "Por Culpa De Las Mujeres"
Maria Ochoa appears courtesy of Blue Jackel in "No Quiero Celos"
Joaquin Solorzano: percussions
Armando Machado: bass
Rafael Casaco: second guitar
Roberto Machado: percussions
Rey Cabrera: tres

Michael Bloom Media Relations Tel: 510.658.6267   Fax: 510.658.6279 Embee@sirius.com

Higher Octave Music Tel: 310.589.1515   Fax: 3l0.589.1525 collin@higheroctave.com

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