Biography
Amhearst, Massachusetts serves as home base for guitarist, composer and cuatro player Jose Gonzalez, whose seven-piece Banda Criolla ensemble transports the musical traditions of Latin America into the United States. A University of Puerto Rico alumnus, Gonzalez has collaborated in performance or on record with Libertad Lemarque, Sandro Braulio, Danny Rivera, Andres Jimenez, Roy Brown, Giovanni Hidalgo and Ruben Blades; with Banda Criolla he guides listeners through an energetic blend of rhythmic, dance-inspiring selections rooted in Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. The resulting sound prompted “Dirty Linen” to describe it as “some of the most lyrically beautiful music.”
Since 1988 Gonzalez has taught in the music magnet program at Holyoke, Massachusetts’s Sullivan School, and he assembled Banda Criolla from area musicians in western Massachusetts. Vocalist Selma Berrios joins Rene Gonzalez on bass and drums, Holly Cruz on keyboards and vocals, Freddie Moreno on conga, Ross Novgard on saxophone and Hiram Rivera on timbales and percussion. Beyond his work with the larger ensemble, Gonzalez also performs in the acoustic trio Criolla Classica, which specializes in instrumental repertoire for cuatro, guitar and Latin percussion.
Since 1988 Gonzalez has taught in the music magnet program at Holyoke, Massachusetts’s Sullivan School, and he assembled Banda Criolla from area musicians in western Massachusetts. Vocalist Selma Berrios joins Rene Gonzalez on bass and drums, Holly Cruz on keyboards and vocals, Freddie Moreno on conga, Ross Novgard on saxophone and Hiram Rivera on timbales and percussion. Beyond his work with the larger ensemble, Gonzalez also performs in the acoustic trio Criolla Classica, which specializes in instrumental repertoire for cuatro, guitar and Latin percussion.
Albums
