From Puerto Rico! Mijo de la Palma at Brava Theater :: opening by Yeye Suarez

MIJO DE LA PALMApresents their unique blend of Puerto Rican jíbaro music and contemporary acoustic sounds on Saturday, June 23, 2012 at 8pm. For this special performance they will feature poet Hermes Ayala and percussionist Mario Shambon. Opening by local artist: Yeye Suárez.   Date: Saturday, June 23, 2012Place: Brava Theater Center (2781 24th St., San Francisco) Time: 8pm Tickets: $15 adv/$18 door Advance Tickets: www.brava.org   Born out of the eclectic musical scene in the western side of Puerto Rico, Mijo de la Palma’s sound is an unfolding of handcrafted jíbaro music and modern acoustic rhythms. The earthy, melancholic and intimate lament of the jíbaro intersects with upbeat and catchy tunes of today’s singer-songwriter and flamenco music resulting in their trademark Fusion Jíbara. Fusión Jíbara is a creative blend of poetry and musical textures that redefines the sounds of contemporary Puerto Rican music. It provides the audience with multi-layered experiences by integrating mix media into their performance.Their shows are complemented with poets weaving verses into the musical backdrop and visual artists soaking up the creative energy of the night while painting entrancing visuals on the spot. More than a performance from a musical group, their shows are a creative gathering that speaks to and of a land deeply wounded and regenerating in relation to historical memory.Music, in Mijo de la Palma, is a reassertion of cultural roots; it is never forgetting. They write: “y reverdece con jugo de ajonjolí, con rocío de maví, asi soy yo”. About Yeye Suarez:Songstress and dancing storyteller Johanna Suarez “YeYe” is an interdisciplinary artist and arts-educator that incorporates traditional dance and music from the African Diaspora in Latin America, original poetry, theater and lyrical compositions into a performing journey of emotions in search of collective healing and unification. The inspiration of her work is deeply rooted on women of color, immigrant life stories and the African Diaspora in Latin America and the Caribbean. YeYe’s lyrical and melodical compositions are complemented by musical arrangements done by prestigious musicians such as Braulio Barrera, Felipe Pumarada, Miguelito Martinez, Diana Gameros, Jeremy Allen, Viviana Guzman and Miton Villeda.

MARIO SCHAMBON - Bogotá, Colombia Mario Schambon is an artist and musician currently living and working in Brooklyn NY. Originally, from Bogotá, Colombia, his early interest in the arts and music would prove tobe a driving force for him in the following years. After Attending the Atlanta College of Art, he traveled to Canada and interned with the Shadowland Puppet Theatre working on the Ashkenazi Festival at Harbour Front Centre and a pilot for the CBC. After returning stateside, he began working primarily in sculpture and created commissioned works for the Bonnaroo Music Festival as well as for the city of Roswell, GA. In 2008, he was awarded the commission for The Wanderer National Memorial in Jekyll Island, GA. Recent Projects have included twonew murals with the Sunday Southern Art Revival group for the City of Atlanta, and a new installation for DesCours an annual show of art and architecture hosted by the American Institute of Architects in New Orleans. In addition to the visual arts Mario Schambon is also an in-demand percussionist who has performed and recorded solo and with numerous collaborators, artists and institutions such as Damo Suzuki, Sonia Sanchez, Atlas Sound, the Middlebury College Dance department, Adam Balsam, Mike Khoury, Dance Elixir, and The Selmanaires. Currently he is a working member of Helado Negro the brainchild of multimedia artist and musician Roberto C Lange, Ahmed Gallab’s SINKANE from NY and the acclaimed group Mijo de la Palma from Puerto Rico. MIGUELITO MARTINEZ - Chiapas, México Born in Chiapas, México, Miguelito Martinez studied Music Education and Transversal Flute from the University of Science and Art in Chiapas and La Universidad Veracruzana with trained in Kodaly and Orff. Martinez is the founding director of Corazon Sur a Mexican-Caribbean fusion ensemble and co-director of Balamcoatl, a collaborative project focused on diffusing the rich music and dance traditions of the indigenous people of México. A top-notch musician, Martinez stays busy in the San Francisco Bay Area’s Latin music scene, playing salsa with percussionists Karl Perazzo and Michael Spiro in Conjunto Karabali, El Sonero del Uruguay "Edgardo Cambon" and Tito y su Son de Cuba, Latin Jazz and much more. He has perform and record with Alfredo de la Fe, Orestes Vilato, Karl Perazzo, Juan Carlos Formel, Michael Spiro, Orlando Maraca Valle, Felix Valoy, Ralph Irizarry, Little Johnny Rivero, Ramon Gutierrez from Son de Madera and many more. “Martinez has built chops that move across several different contexts as composer, flute player and producer”(‘the latin jazz Corner”). In 2009 he was selected by the Milagro Foundation to be on the Voces del Cambio show on the Discovery Channel in which he shared his insight on how to utilize music as an instrument for newcomer children from Latin America to integrate into their new community. In the same year he was granted the best Latin Jazz Flautist Of The Year for the Latin Jazz Corner. Martinez was the composer for the Youth in Arts first World Premiere production based on Elisa Kleven's popular Paper Princess book series supported in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the San Francisco Foundation. Besides his busy career as a performer Martinez has been a music teacher and multicultural arts educator since 2004 for Youth in Arts .