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Golpes y Flores

ALBUM

Golpes y Flores (2017)

With her new album Golpes y Flores, Eliana Cuevas has created a beautiful musical love letter to her native land of Venezuela. The award-winning singer/songwriter has been based in Toronto since 1997, but she drew deep inspiration from her homeland for this, her fifth record. Venezuelan music’s richness and diversity prompted her to feature traditional Afro-Venezuelan rhythms alongside her contemporary sound here in Canada, creating a seamless blend of styles that highlights both cultures and traditions.

Cuevas was able to discover and record some of Venezuela’s finest percussionists, whose contributions mesh effortlessly with those of her A-list Canadian accompanists. Their work is framed within her eloquent original compositions, while Eliana’s fluent and pure vocals complete a sound that is both timeless and freshly contemporary.

The album’s title, Golpes y Flores, carries a deep symbolic meaning. Cuevas explains that “’Golpes’ means hit, often referring to rhythms, while ‘flores’ means flowers. To me, the title suggests a combination of the sophistication, beauty and gentleness of flowers and the strength and force of the Afro-Venezuelan rhythms.”

Golpes y Flores is dedicated to Eliana’s two daughters and to Venezuela. While acknowledging the serious problems facing her homeland, Cuevas emphasizes that not enough people know how rich Venezuelan music truly is, and she hopes the album will help show the world some of the beauty her country still has to offer despite its challenges.

Track Listing

  1. Alegría (Eliana Cuevas / Jeremy Ledbetter)
  2. Te Encontraré (Eliana Cuevas)
  3. Seré Libre (Eliana Cuevas)
  4. El Manantial (Eliana Cuevas)
  5. A Tear On The Ground (Eliana Cuevas)
  6. Poderosa (Eliana Cuevas)
  7. Despierta (Eliana Cuevas)
  8. Nunca Jamás (Eliana Cuevas)
  9. Mi Linda Maíta (Jeremy Ledbetter with lyrics by Eliana Cuevas)
  10. No Se Puede (Eliana Cuevas / Jeremy Ledbetter)

Personnel

  • Vocals – Eliana Cuevas
  • Piano – Jeremy Ledbetter
  • Keyboards – Jeremy Ledbetter
  • Fender Rhodes – Jeremy Ledbetter
  • Percussion – Jeremy Ledbetter, Daniel Stone, Yonathan "Morocho" Gavidia, Javier Suárez, Juan Carlos Segovia
  • Drums – Mark Kelso, Adolfo Herrera
  • Bass – Rich Brown, George Koller, Gustavo Márquez
  • Guitar – Aquiles Báez
  • Cuatro – Aquiles Báez
  • Violin – Aleksandar Gajic, Aysel Taghi
  • Viola – Aleksandar Gajic, Vedran Curic
  • Cello – Peter Cosbey, Jonathan Tortolano
  • Tenor Saxophone – Marcus Ali
  • Alto Saxophone – Marcus Ali, Luis Deniz
  • Trumpet – Alexis Baró
  • Kalimbas – Marito Marques

Production Team

  • Produced and arranged by Jeremy Ledbetter
  • Executive Producer Eliana Cuevas
  • Recorded by John Bailey at Phase One Studios, Scarborough (tracks 1,5,7,8,10)
  • Assisted by Milan Sarkadi and Darren McGill
  • Recorded by Mark Kelso at Groovy Drum Studios, Mississauga (tracks 2,3)
  • Recorded by Jeremy Darby at Canterbury Studios, Toronto (tracks 6,9)
  • Recorded by Jeremy Ledbetter at The Hideaway, Toronto (vocals on track 4)
  • Recorded by David Pérez at Rock And Fock Studios in Caracas, Venezuela (Afro-Venezuelan percussion on tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 & 8)
  • Additional recording by Jeremy Ledbetter at The Hideaway and GMP Recording Studios
  • Additional recording by Aleksandar Gajic at Hotland Studio in Toronto, ON
  • Mixed by John Bailey at The Driveshed, New Hamburg, ON
  • Mastered by George Seara at George Seara Sound, Toronto, ON
  • Photography by Emma-Lee
  • Make up by Mónica Rosati
  • Design by Michael Wrycraft