Press Release

For Immediate Release

Contact EVENT COORDINATOR
PHONE
EMAIL

Orquesta Alto Maiz To Appear At VENUE

CITY, STATE DATE- Orquesta Alto Maiz will be appearing at VENUE on DAY, DATE, TIME. Orquesta Alto Maiz was formed in 1986 by University of Northern Iowa music professor Bob Washut as a way to explore the world of Latin Jazz. Washut was blessed with a pool of accomplished musicians, most notably Ed East, a Panamanian well versed in the world of Afro-Caribbean music and Jim Dreier, who specialized in Afro-Latin rhythms at Berklee School of Music in Boston. Two sets of instrumental Latin Jazz arrangements by Washut and East were readied by the eleven piece ensemble for their first performance at the College Hill Arts Festival in Cedar Falls. Keeping authentic Latin style was at first a formidable challenge to the largely “gringo” band. But through intense listening and practice, the band slowly evolved. Vocals and Salsa dance music was added to the repertoire. Local club venues began attracting Salsa dancers and the popularity snowballed. Keeping the Latin Jazz flavor with the complement of dance music has given Alto Maiz the opportunity to perform at venues throughout the United States, and Europe.
The term Salsa, as used in the music world, was coined in New York in the 1960s to publicize the popularity of Afro-Cuban music. The music is indeed a mix of many cultures, most notably African and Spanish with the flavor of American Jazz. Each of these genres have in turn been influenced by other forms such as European classical music, African religious traditions, and even military bands stationed in colonial outposts throughout the new world. While these many cultures provide the various ingredients, the binding factor in salsa is the rhythmic pattern known as clave. This rhythmic basis is strictly maintained by salsa players and arrangers and is what keeps Afro-Caribbean style unique. With the success in recent years of artists such as Shakira and Enrique Iglesias, who blend the traditional musical influences of their cultural heritage with elements of pop and rock, the Latin sound has never been more popular in the mainstream.

Nevertheless, Orquesta Alto Maiz has chosen to maintain the integrity of Afro-Caribbean style.
Since the summer of 2000, band members have made several trips to Cuba to study with the masters of Cuban folkloric music. This learning process was to have a definite impact on Alto Maiz. Most recently band members studied in Cuba with “Los Muñequitos de Matanzas.” Soon after, the Orquesta’s newest CD, “Ritmo en Azul” was recorded in Cedar Falls. The result is best described by Ed East.
“Since these travels began, you can hear that the music has developed a closer link with it’s source. ……you can hear authentic Matanzas-style Rumba and Bembe, pipelined directly from Matanzas, Cuba to Iowa, USA.” This may be the band’s best attempt yet at capturing the authentic sounds of Cuba.
Orquesta Alto Maiz will be performing at VENUE on DAY, DATE, TIME.
http://www.salsaband.com/