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Amanda launches Recuerdo at Koerner Hall!
Toronto, June 8, 2024 — “One of the great new voices in Spanish language Latin music” (World Music Central), Amanda Martinez, is releasing her highly anticipated new album, Recuerdo, with a joyful feel-good concert at beautiful Koerner Hall, presented by the TD Toronto Jazz Festival.
This special evening features special guests along with Amanda Martinez’s incomparable band of 20 years: Kevin Laliberté on guitar, Drew Birston on bass, Rosendo “Chendy” Leon on percussion, and violinist Osvaldo Rodriguez.
Produced by her long-time guitarist Kevin Laliberté and co-produced by her husband, bassist Drew Birston, Recuerdo is a daring departure that incorporates elements of world fusion, Cuban rhythms, and an injection of English pop that is her most adventurous album to date. It is dedicated to the memory of her late father Gustavo, who bicycled to Toronto from Mexico in 1956 and from whom she says, “I got my love of music.”
“He always spoke about how much there was that he still wanted to do,” Amanda remembers. “He said ‘Life was about simple things, there is always more music to enjoy, good wine to taste, and love to savour.’” One of the songs, “Todavía”, on the upcoming album is penned with her father’s words in mind while others are reflections of her past and future.
Entwined in the sunnier, soaring melodies and palpitating cadences of Recuerdo, we find Martinez’s profound observations of life, many of them clarified by time spent isolated during the recent pandemic. “I took stock of my life during this period of uncertainty,” she says.
The emotion-driven launch concert this June 26 features an extraordinary lineup of guests, led by Rebecca Hennessy on trumpet and flugelhorn, Aviva Chernick on vocals, Donna Roberts on vocals and guitar, and Pablosky Rosales on vocals and tres, who also co-wrote some of the lyrics for Recuerdo.
The show will also include Jorge Lopez, award-winning Mexican guitarist who was a friend of Amanda’s father and recently survived after being in a coma; Martha Batiz, who will be reading from her award-winning book “No stars in the sky” that the song “Recuerdo” was inspired by; as well as Sofi Gudiño, award-winning Flamenco dancer and choreographer, and Carlos Rivas, Peruvian fusion dancer and choreographer, given Amanda’s close connection to dance from a young age.
World-renowned choreographer Debra Brown is the advisor in charge of giving the “outside artistic eye” of the show. Brown is an Emmy award-winning choreographer for Cirque du Soleil, who is also a York University graduate like Amanda and worked with her on her last music video “Estaba Cayendo” with Ballet Jorgen (2020). “You don’t want to miss out, this is a one-night-only performance that is never going to happen again”, Martinez guarantees.
