Ramon Taranco: The Word is Out

"[Ramon] Taranco es, y sera un preferido de todos, no queda dudas, su musica tiene valor y estilo unico por eso se le creo un show exclusivamente a su carrera artistica bien merecida."

"There is no doubt that Ramon Taranco's music is and will continue to be prefered by all. His music is of high quality and he has a unique style. For those reasons, we created a show exclusively for him and his well-deserved artistic career."

Spotlight Interview with RAMON TARANCO
by Isaac Davis, Editor-in-Chief of Junior's Cave webzine

Get ready to enter the fantastic world of Ramon Taranco as he brings to the music industry his unique sound and style to music lovers. If you are a fan of World music, then Ramon's blend of Afro-Cuban Jazz & Blues, Southern Rock & New Orleans Funk is the perfect choice. The Cuban-Mexican composer & guitarist recently spent some time with Junior's Cave talking about his love for Afro-Cuban Jazz & Blues music in this fun and entertaining interview. Enjoy!

ISAAC: What was the best part of 2008 for you musically?
RAMON: Putting together and rehearsing a brand new band of great players and writing new material for my next CD.

ISAAC: What do you feel was your biggest accomplishment for 2008?
RAMON: Getting radio airplay all over the world.

ISAAC: Describe the music scene in your area.
RAMON: 9/11 really altered what had been a pretty vibrant music scene. For a period, tourists stopped coming to New York. They were the bread-and-butter of the scene so a lot of clubs closed, gigs dried up, less money was paid out to musicians when they did play and some musicians left New York altogether. (I went from performing 3 or 4 times a week to 3 or 4 times a month.) All performing musicians suffered. The scene has improved and is bouncing back but it’s still not quite the same. It’s New York. You have the best and worst of everything.

ISAAC: What has been the best venue to perform at and why?
RAMON: I much prefer concert venues because the audience really listens and the musicians respond. I really enjoyed doing my solo African Heritage Day concert at the Bronx Museum of Fine Arts and the 8 trio concerts I gave in the world beat jazz series at the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan. Both of these venues have very diverse audiences; the Bronx Museum because of its multicultural community and the Guggenheim because of its attraction to tourists. Playing to people from all over the world is always a gas.

ISAAC: Who were your biggest influences in the music industry and why.
RAMON: In my early teens, I played in a rock band called "Motor." We played covers of a lot of Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, and the Stones – so these rock influences were there. At home, my parents exposed me to Cuban and West African music ie Celia Cruz, Sonora Matanzera, Miguelito Valdez, Guillermo Portables, Benny More and Orquestra Aragon. I was also strongly influenced by Paul Butterfield, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, Muddy Waters, Magic Sam, T-Bone Walker, Bo Diddley, Little Walter, J. B. Lenoir, Robert Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt, Son House, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, Bessie Smith, and Lenny Breau’s LP “The Velvet Touch of Lenny Breau" which includes one of my favorites - Lenny’s version of the Jerry Reed composition “The Claw." John Renbourn’s LP “Sir John Alot" was also a major influence; as were samba/jazz guitarist Charlie Byrd and classical guitarist Andrés Segovia. As a young musician living in Toronto, I hung out and studied with the legendary jazz guitarist, Lenny Breau. Lenny taught me to never be afraid of crossing the boundaries between musical styles; to cross-pollinate and blend any sounds I fall in love with. I have followed Lenny’s example to this day. It is the key that has enabled me to keep my music original and vibrant. With all these different influences, my music has naturally evolved into a world beat fusion - often Afro-Cuban flavored and sometimes New Orleans-influenced blues, rock and jazz. There are many unique world beat moments: on my 2nd CD, "The Adventures of Bo Segovia," there's "Ghost Dance" which features a Middle Eastern violin solo and my Spanish roots are clearly evident in the tango, "Tango Solito," on my first CD, "Music From the Bermuda Triangle." A few tunes are basically very pretty pop tunes ie the gospel-influenced "Blues Keep Thrillin’ Me" and "Babes Elusive" with its reggae feel. One music journalist wrote that there are Celtic moments in my music. Another reviewer claimed that there are rhythmic patterns that he thinks originated in South India. Several reviewers say I'm "Zappa-esque" - hugely complimentary but a little surprising.

ISAAC: Let's talk about what you feel you will bring to the music industry.
RAMON: After I finished recording my 1st CD, I turned down an offer from Sony Records because they wanted to make changes to it. Both CDs took a long time to record because I did them independently; to protect the level of my craftsmanship and the integrity of my musical ideas. It’s very simple: I play, compose and record music because I am compelled to do it. People come to hear my Afro-Cuban, New Orleans-flavored funk and blues because it makes them feel good.

ISAAC: How would you describe your music to others?
RAMON: Music is the most abstract of all the arts so the truer it is to the muse, the tougher it should be to pigeonhole or describe in words. My music doesn’t fit into any one category. I would say it’s a new kind of roots music with a healthy love for old roots music; springing from a respect for my musical ancestors because they went before me and knew what they were doing.

ISAAC: If you had an opportunity to work with one artist or group, who would it be and why?
RAMON: I would like to perform and record in Cuba with Cuban musicians and with West African musicians in places like Nigeria and Ghana. These countries have incredibly vibrant musical heritages – I am Cuban born and my parents exposed me to a lot of fine Cuban music and I have worked with, recorded with and explored a lot of West African music and would like to immerse myself in this musical culture on its home turf if I am able to do so sometime down the road. Living for a few months or even a few years in Cuba again or in one of the major cities in West Africa would be ideal so I could work with musicians who have ‘their ears to the ground’ as some of our American indigenous peoples would say. People making music that is profoundly authentic – music that is of a high-quality artistically and that hasn’t been diluted by American commercial pop culture influences. Speaking of the wisdom of indigenous peoples, one of my maternal great grandmothers was a native Mexican. My world beat, ethno-folk music interests run deep in a number of musical and cultural traditions.

ISAAC: What type of feedback have you received from fans about your music?
RAMON: People in general like it but can't put their finger on it. Every one describes it in a different way. This is a great compliment.

ISAAC: Where can fans locate you at online?
RAMON: I encourage everyone to visit my website, www.ramontaranco.com.
Please leave me a message in the guestbook.

ISAAC: What can fans expect from you in the next five years?
RAMON: I plan to do extensive international touring including lots of festivals and several more recordings.

ISAAC: Time for some shout outs to your family, friends, and fans.
RAMON: Lots of growth, change, new inspirations and un-predictable changes in new and unexpected directions.

ISAAC: Final words?
RAMON: I think that the indie movement will gain momentum in positive ways, and will over time, change the face of the music industry establishment.

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Ramon Taranco
Music From the Bermuda Triangle ● ● ● ½
Concerto magazine: Vienna, Austria; March 2009 Issue
Folk & World Music CD Reviews section

“Taranco's compositions cover a wide range of styles... each track carries his special musical signature.”

Der in New York lebende mexicanisch-kubanische Gitarrist und Sänger hat bisher zwei Alben veröffentlicht. Dies ist seine Debüt-CD, auf der er sich mit Begleitband durch viele Stile arbeitet, Afro-Jazz-Latin Fusion, Blues, Gospel, Southern Rock, auch ein Tango ist darauf zu finden. Alle Stücke sind von Ramon Taranco selbst komponiert und tragen trotz des stilistischen Wechselbades seine spezielle Handschrift.

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[note: Below are Rudolf Radnai's reviews of Music From the Bermuda Triangle & The Adventures of Bo Segovia in the original Hungarian and in English translations.

MUSIC FROM THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE

A kiváló kubai származású gitáros/zeneszerző első lemezét a kanadai Torontóban vették fel és igen nemzetközi gárda játszik lemezen, kanadai, argentin, kolumbiai, ghanai, holland jamaikai, dél-afrikai és amerikai zenészek szerepelnek a kísérő zenekarban. Ezek a zenészek Torontó jazz életének prominens képviselői. Ez a lemez 1992-ben jelent meg, de olyan nagy nemzetközi siker volt, hogy megnyitotta az utat Taranco előtt a legnevesebb World Music /Jazz rendezvényeken való fellépéshez.

A lemezen 8 szám hangzik el, valamennyi Taranco szerzeménye. A számok fele hangszeres, másik részük kiváló vokális szám. A kritikusok nehezen kategorizálják Taranco lemezeit, egyesek World Music, mások jazz, és van aki blues gitárosként tartja számon. A lemezt hallgatva megértjük a kategorizálással kapcsolatos problémát, ez a zene - Taranco szerzeményei és játéka - egy különleges érdekes keverék, amelyet sokkal egyszerűbb élvezettel hallgatni, mint kategóriába sorolni.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
Ramon Taranco, an exceptional Cuban-born guitarist, brought together an international group of musicians to record his first album in Toronto, Canada. These musicians, of Guayanese, Dutch, Jamaican, Argentinian, South African, Colombian and North American origins, were prominent leaders in the 1992 Toronto jazz scene.

This album opened important career doors for Taranco including world music & jazz concert appearances. Half of the eight tracks on this album are instrumentals and the other 4 are exceptional vocal pieces. Critics have difficulty categorizing Taranco's albums; some call it world music, some call it jazz and some say it's blues.

[Music From the Bermuda Triangle] is too unusual and interesting to be categorized under one genre title. It's simpler just to listen and enjoy!

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THE ADVENTURES OF BO SEGOVIA

Ezen a 2007-ben megjelent lemezen 8 számot játszik Taranco és Havanna Blues Review Zenekar. A kubai név ne zavarjon meg senkit, az elnevezés kiváló New York-i session zenészeket takar. A lemez felvételei New Yorkban készültek és a zenészek mellett a nagyváros kiválóbb énekesei közül többen is szerepelnek a lemezen: Denosh Bennett, Eddie Robe, Craig Derry, Danny Frazier, Marchelle Jackson mellett maga Taranco is énekel a Spirit of Muddy Waters című számban. Ezen a lemezen is Taranco szerzeményei szólalnak meg, változatos témák ihlette számok: indián zenék (Buffalo Skies és Host Dance), reggae-ballada (Babes Elusive) és blues stilusú számok (Blues Keep Thrillin' Me és ST. George Street Overture). Maga a címadó dal a Bo Segoria kalandjai, Taranco nagyapjának kalandos életét meséli el Pancho Villa forradalmi harcától a Los Angeles-i letelepedésig.

Ez a lemez sem helyezhető semelyik zenei kategóriába, legfeljebb egy olyanba, ami így hangzik Ramon Taranco kitűnő lemezei.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
This 2007 disc has 8 pieces played by Taranco and the Havana Blues Revue band. Don't let the Cuban name fool you, the band is made up of some excellent New York-based session musicians. The tracks were recorded in New York, and besides the musicians, a number of New York's best singers appear as well (such as Denosh Bennett, Eddie Bobe, Craig Derry, Danny Frazier, Marchelle Jackson and Taranco himself singing "The Spirit of Muddy Waters.")

The Adventures of Bo Segovia consists of pieces written by Taranco, inspired by various motifs: Native American music (Buffalo Skies and Ghost Dance), reggae-ballads (Babes Elusive), and blues-style songs (Blues Keep Thrillin' Me and St. George Street Overture.) The title song tells the harrowing tale of Taranco's grandfather (the fictional Bo Segovia) from his real life experience of fighting in the Mexican revolution with Pancho Villa until he settled in Los Angeles.

This album, like Taranco's first album, Music From the Bermuda Triangle, cannot be placed into any definite musical category; with the exception of maybe one called "Ramon Taranco's Excellent Albums."

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Hot Reviews from online music magazines & blogs
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THE ADVENTURES OF BO SEGOVIA ~~~~~~ 4 Stars

"a fine blues/rock writer with strong jazz elements."

"a highly personal style that is distinctive and unique."

MUSIC FROM THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE ~~ 3.5 Stars

"highly rhythmic, danceable compositions."

"a top-notch songwriter and musician."

Ramon Taranco’s back story is impressive in itself. Born in Cuba, Taranco’s parents fled Cuba for political reasons on the verge of Castro’s Communist Revolution. Moving to Toronto, Taranco’s life would be forever changed by the appearance of The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. Picking up a guitar and never looking back, Taranco moved from 1970’s hard rock through various styles until discovering the blues, and ultimately, nylon string guitars. Taranco went on to develop a highly personal style that is distinctive and unique. His debut album, Music From The Bermuda Triangle, was released in 1992 while Taranco was living in Toronto. Now living in New York City, Taranco released a 2nd recording, The Adventures Of Bo Segovia, in 2007.

Music From The Bermuda Triangle pens with The Snow Scorpion, a delicious flamenco tune with incredible movement and subtle yet profound shading. The minimalist support arrangement allows for just enough tension to really suck in the listener.

Yoruba Cuba reminds me heavily of one of The Brothers Creeggan's more experimental pieces; Jazz, World, Cuban and even African influences can be heard in this incredibly dynamic piece.

Mantiki I and Mantiki II seem to draw from South American musical traditions in highly rhythmic, danceable compositions.

Tango Solito is a sneaky little tune that will wiggle its way into your subconscious. It's unusual to find an understated song with so much energy.

Sugar Cane Rider is a high energy funk/pop hybrid with its roots firmly planted in the Motown tradition. This is an entertaining song with a high commercial ceiling.

You'll also want to check out Hard Work and the title track.

The Adventures Of Bo Segovia finds Taranco evolving into a fine Blues/Rock writer with strong Jazz elements. The growth that occurred between Bermuda Triangle and Bo Segovia is notable, although not surprising given the 15 years that passed in between.

Taranco isn't afraid to ignore musical boundaries when he comes across them. Babes Elusive is a smoky blues tune for the verses and a reggae jam in the chorus.

Isolation Blues opens as an experimental jazz piece before evolving into a fusion of Cuban Jazz and Rock. While Taranco seems to enjoy in engaging in such novelty, he never sacrifices melody for the sake of sound; an admirable quality.

Check out Spirit Of Muddy Waters; Mississippi blues gone electric in a highly listenable song.

Other highlights include Ghost Dance, St. George Street Overture and Blues Keep Thrillin' Me.

Ramon Taranco is a top-notch songwriter and musician. Between Music From The Bermuda Triangle and The Adventures Of Bo Segovia there is a long drought of recorded material, but it's very clear that the drought wasn't a musical one. Music From The Bermuda Triangle shows a talented if raw songwriter with a highly experimental mien. The Adventures Of Bo Segovia shows a mature and subtle composer truly come into his own.

Both discs are recommended listening.

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“...one gigantic puzzle of musical styles and ideas...I just love this… My favourite track is ‘Spirit of Muddy Waters,’ a superb blues track. Excellent!”
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Guitar player Ramon Taranco was born in Havana, Cuba. At the age of 5, he moved to Toronto, Canada, with his parents. His guitar styles & influences range from classic rock and blues over finger-picking Nashville country to nylon string classical music and samba jazz.

MUSIC FROM THE BERMUDA TRIANGE is Ramon Taranco’s first solo album. It got recorded in the early nineties and presents eight fine tracks. The disc kicks off with some songs that could be described as a fine mélange of South American rhythms and beautiful melodies. Let’s call it latin ‘feel-good’ music. Halfway the album, the colour changes, and the music gets a more bluesy feeling. Nice. Enjoyed it.

And now for something completely different...

Ramon Taranco’s second release is quite a different story. It’s definitely more jazz-oriented than it’s predecessor. Well, it’s not just the jazz chords that do the trick. It’s more like one gigantic puzzle of musical styles and ideas. I guess this is what certain people refer to as World Beat music.

I just love this.

THE ADVENTURES OF BO SEGOVIA has great dynamics, lovely tempo-changes, great guitar work, all blended into world beat pop tunes. My favourite track is ‘Spirit of Muddy Waters’, a superb blues track. Runner-up is the six-minute title track which tells the adventures of Ramon’s grandfather.

Excellent!

Music From The Bermuda Triangle ● ● ● ●
The Adventures Of Bo Segovia ● ● ● ●
Eigenproduktion

“Guitarist Ramon Taranco…plays his very own, highly interesting style…exciting all along the way…he’s very much worth listening to, also when singing.” (excerpt from review below - in German followed by a full English translation)

Der aus Cuba stammende Gitarrist Ramon Taranco lebt in meiner alten Nachbarschaft Astoria, Queens, New York und kam auf dem Umweg über Toronto, Kanada dort hin. Musikalisch hat er als junger Bursche vom Blues über Hard Rock und Jazz bis zu diversen lateinamerikanischen Richtungen alles Mögliche in sich aufgesogen und spielt heute einen hochinteressanten eigenen Stil auf der nylon-saitigen Gitarre. Da mischen sich Bossa Nova und New Age, Jazz und Calypso, klassische spanische Gitarre und Chicago Blues, Tango und Nashville Sound, 60s Rock und Irish Folk – mal tanzbar, mal viel zu schade zum Hüpfen, auf jeden Fall immer spannend. Begleitet wurde er bei diesen Aufnahmen von ganz unterschiedlichen, allesamt ausgezeichneten Instrumentalisten, sogar von einem Gospel-Chor. „Music From The Bermuda Triangle“ wurde in Toronto aufgenommen, „The Adventures Of Bo Segovia“ in New York, beide sehr professionell, und beider Städte Feeling färbt auch auf den jeweiligen Sound ab. Hier gibt es mal wieder eine von den Pflanzen zu entdecken, die im Verborgenen blühen, nur weil unser Mann noch nicht im richtigen Moment dem richtigen Produzenten über den Weg gelaufen ist. Sehr anhörenswert, auch wenn er singt!

Guitarist Ramon Taranco, hailing from Cuba, lives in my old neighborhood in Astoria, Queens, New York and got there by detour via Toronto, Canada. As a kid he soaked up any music from Blues over Hard Rock and Jazz to diverse Latin American stuff.

Today he plays his very own, highly interesting style on nylon stringed guitar. Bossa Nova and New Age marry, Jazz and Calypso, classical Spanish guitar and Chicago Blues, Tango and Nashville Sound, 60s Rock and Irish Folk – sometimes danceable, sometimes too good to hop to – in any case exciting all along the way. Taranco played these tracks with quite different, yet generally brilliant instrumentalists, even with a Gospel choir.

“Music From The Bermuda Triangle” was recorded in Toronto, “The Adventures Of Bo Segovia” in New York, both very professionally and either one rubbed by the feeling of the recording city.

You may discover one of those plants here blooming in seclusion, just because our man so far hasn’t run across the right producer at the right moment. But he’s very much worth listening to, also when singing.

“Ramon Taranco definitely knows his stuff and delivers a CD that grooves and rocks. The playing is superb...a really fun and funky CD.”

I must say that I expected something else after looking at the CD cover art of Ramon Taranco’s new CD "The Adventures of Bo Segovia." With a band name like the Havana Blues Revue, I expected Latin style blues, I expected dance rhythms, I did not expect Weather Report. But that’s what I got with the first track, "St. George Street Overture," a really funky guitar-bass-drum heterophonic display of riff technique. So after changing my mental gears I dove back into what turned out to be a really fun and funky CD.

Taranco has gathered together some NYC studio musician all-stars on this CD that creates a sonic landscape for the character Bo Segovia to travel across. Bo Segovia (the grandfather of Taranco) fought with Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution and then escaped into Texas to then travel the USA. Taranco leads this big band from his guitar (and sometimes vocals) in the tradition of the old Havana band leaders like Desi Arnaz and Mario Bauza; inviting a variety of soloists and vocalists to the stage.

Overall, the tracks on this CD do tend toward the smooth jazz of Weather Report or Herbie Hancock, but there is enough variety to keep the listener engaged and wanting to hear what’s coming up.

"Ghost Dance" has a very Zappa-esque feel. Taranco has a voice reminiscent of Frank Zappa and the breaks are technical and “out there” at times. It even sounds as if the band has dropped into Southern India with the way the fiddle is being played by Samir Shukry.

"Isolation Blues" utilizes stratospheric chords that slide all over the chromatic spectrum ala Steely Dan and then floats into a Santana-like Latin funk. This is the track where we are transported to Havana and can dance (albeit for only a few bars) to a Latin groove.

The only track that came close to the traditional blues form was "Blues Keep Thrillin’ Me." Some flaming organ by Danny Mixon and an amazing-sweet clarinet obbligato by Craig Handy really make this track stand out.

The title track acts as an entr'acte to this musical revue. The song is a fine study in styles starting with acoustic guitar and the sound of soft shoe dancing then heading back into the strong jazz-funk that the rest of the CD is built around. Again I was reminded of Zappa in the way that he would just change gears in the middle of a song if it needed to take the story somewhere else and the way that the whole band would just drop what they’re doing and follow the vocal line.

Ramon Taranco definitely knows his stuff and delivers a CD that grooves and rocks. The playing is superb and is worth a listen.

It's difficult today to find something original in the independent blues scene. Ramon Taranco with his unique style offers brilliant and unusual musical compositions. Blues meets latin grooves that meets jazz.....hard to describe; easy to like!!!

"Ramon's music...is wonderful stuff - fascinating."

“He's a beautiful instrumentalist.”

“....your music is great...your international infusions and changes in tempo really caught my attention and made me stop and listen...thank you for your story and a chance to air your music....geez, what the heck should I not play...”

"Man, your material is truly awesome. I love your Blues style. Truly amazing band - great talent.”

"I am truly impressed and amazed at Ramon's talents...his music is so very uplifting."