Daymé Arocena via Matrix

I CURATE

Daymé Arocena

VIA THE INTEGRATED GLOBAL
CREATIVE ECONOMY

inspired by
THE GRAPEVINE TELEGRAPH
of Pre-Civil War African-Americans

promulgated by
The Brazilian Ministry of Culture

fomented by
The Bahian Secretary of Culture

fomented by
The Palmares Foundation
for the promotion of Afro-Brazilian Culture

fomented by
The National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples

Network Node

Name: Daymé Arocena
City/Place: Havana
Country: Cuba

CURATION

from this node by: Matrix

Life & Work

Bio: Daymé Arocena draws inspiration from the intertwining musical legacies of her native Cuba. A singer, composer and choir director, she’s a bright-shining performer carrying the flame for a new generation of Cuban musicians. Approaching jazz, soul and classical influences with an innate sense of rhythm, she released her second album, Cubafonía, in early 2017. With her home country’s rich musical traditions serving as the album’s springboard, she uses its different musical styles as the basis for each of Cubafonía’s tracks, finding outside influences, from her tours of the world these past two years, to build on them.

Born and raised in Havana, her conservatoire training was combined with an upbringing grounded in Cuba’s own musical foundations. Accepted age 9 into one of the country’s prestigious music schools, she studied a choir directing course rooted in Western classical tradition. Meanwhile, she grew up with the day-to-day schooling in folkloric music that’s common to most Cuban households. At regular, intimate get-togethers, celebrating the island’s Santería religion, dancing and singing are the gatherings’ mainstays – a combination that’s meant she sees its deep-rooted traditions in a wider musical context.

Winning the prestigious Marti y el Arte award in 2007, her talent was spotted at a young age. Becoming principal singer with big band Los Primos at age 14, nods of approval followed from Wynton Marsalis, the Lincoln Centre’s teacher and trumpet player, and much-lauded saxophonist Jane Bunnett.

Not long after, François Renié, Communications Director at Havana Club, was struck by seeing one of her performances. Helming the Havana Cultura initiative — a platform for contemporary Cuban creativity driven by Havana Club rum, which has co-produced an album series with Brownswood Recordings —, Renié took an immediate shine to her. It was while making the first of those albums, during Brownswood label boss Gilles Peterson’s first visit to Cuba, that Daymé improvised a head-turning rumba show with Edrey, from Grammynominated group Ogguere.

Two years later, the Havana Cultura Mix: The Soundclash! album saw the beginning of her work with Gilles and the Havana Cultura platform. The former’s expansive vision as a DJ, broadcaster and promoter has gone hand-in-hand with the support from Havana Club.

An introduction to working with electronic producers for the first time, it was followed by her debut LP Nueva Era in 2015. She also accompanied Gilles in his journey through rumba culture for the expansive Havana Club Rumba Sessions project, which produced a feature-length documentary along with an album – using her distinctive vocals – of rumba re-imaginings and sample pack. An EP of cover versions, titled One Takes, was also released in early 2016.
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The reception to her music has spurred a whirlwind of opportunities: she shared an off-the-cuff live moment with Roy Ayers and Brazilian superstar Ed Motta to leave Worldwide Festival in tears of joy, jumped on stage with Miguel Atwood-Ferguson at his triumphant Suite for Ma Dukes show at the Barbican, and rung the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange with a delegation from Women of the World. She has played shows from LA to Tokyo, charming audiences with her mesmerising vocal range and earthy sense of humour. She name-checks Kendrick Lamar and Anderson Paak as artists she would love to work with.

Despite all that, however, it’s not distracted Daymé from a deep sense of seriousness about her art form; born of a uniquely musical culture, she strives to forge a cohesive musical language from Cuba’s distinct musical dialects. Growing up in a two-bed house with 21 other people, every available surface was scuffed from the rumba rhythms which had been played out on them. It’s a childhood typical of a country where children grow up readily exposed to the island’s numerous, particular rhythms.

Cubafonía, then, could be considered her first “proper” album. Given free rein to work with her choice of Cuba’s best musicians, she makes her first big statement as an artist. It’s witness to her interconnected vision of Cuban music: drawing inspiration from the Caribbean island’s different rhythms and styles – from Guantanamo’s fast-paced changüí, to the everpresent guaguancó and ‘70s-style ballada – it pays tribute to shifting tastes and styles.

Her influences are a reflection of that environment. Discussing Pérez Prado, for example, she recalls how the Cuban mambo sound he created was evolved and adopted in Mexico where he moved and made his home. She idolises La Lupe, too, for the ‘50s rumba sound she made iconic in ‘60s-era New York. Outside of Cuba, she admires the flamenco-indebted vocal style of Spain’s Concha Buika, and the way UK artists see different sounds combined through big ideas. “British music is more organised and conceptual,” she explains.

In Cuba, however, cultures have been collided from the very beginning. Two of its central, interrelated practices – Santería and rumba – are perfect examples of contrasting European and Yoruban influences; the former is a religion combining Yoruban mythology and Catholic saints, while the latter – the bedrock of Afro-Cuban music – is built on a clave rhythm with connections to Sub-Saharan traditions. What’s more, it borrows its name from the Spanish instrument, “la clave”, which leads it.

Emerging from a culture where hybrids and amalgamations are the norm, Daymé embraces that reality. At a time when Cuba’s borders look set to become more open, she is an outward-looking artist finding new musical connections. More importantly, she’s doing it with an understanding of where she comes from. “We don’t have this native culture,” Daymé explains. “We don’t have indigenous people, like Maya or Quechua. They made a country with people from everywhere – that’s what makes Cuban culture so different.”

Contact Information

Management/Booking: Booking Agent
EU, Asia, Australia: [email protected]
North America: [email protected]
Latin America: [email protected]

Press Contact
EU, Asia, Australia: [email protected]
North America: [email protected]
Latin America: [email protected]

Media | Markets

▶ Buy My Music: (downloads/CDs/DVDs) http://daymearocena.bandcamp.com
▶ Twitter: daymearocena
▶ Instagram: daymearocena
▶ Website: http://daymearocena.com
▶ YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcLPFjX2hMdTCgGcCddgE4A
▶ YouTube Music: http://music.youtube.com/channel/UCcLPFjX2hMdTCgGcCddgE4A
▶ Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/album/0zpHpbIZ8Wh88U3WUoaGzq
▶ Spotify 2: http://open.spotify.com/album/0PFDg54yooHoFRXXuWzELb
▶ Spotify 3: http://open.spotify.com/album/0p44XVsbSNqAVuUEioqvF7
▶ Spotify 4: http://open.spotify.com/album/49wzeaL6H6B7RDXTkyRmkJ
▶ Spotify 5: http://open.spotify.com/album/5GNw79QIkr4teuPscVGLQV
▶ Spotify 6: http://open.spotify.com/album/2WbQOMnS2ewYoi0sVXJF6k

Quotes, Notes & Etc. DAYME looks set to join the group of women artists who are described as global divas.
─ Billboard

Clips (more may be added)

Daymé Arocena - 2017 [Havana Cultura]
By Daymé Arocena

360 views
Daymé Arocena: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
By Daymé Arocena

357 views

Daymé Arocena Curated (bridges in)

What's Been Happening?

Dexter Story → Record Producer has been recommended via Daymé Arocena.
- July 7, 2022
Dexter Story → Los Angeles has been recommended via Daymé Arocena.
- July 7, 2022
Dexter Story → Los Angeles has been recommended via Daymé Arocena.
- July 7, 2022
Dexter Story → Music Director has been recommended via Daymé Arocena.
- July 7, 2022
Dexter Story → Multi-Instrumentalist has been recommended via Daymé Arocena.
- July 7, 2022
Dexter Story → Multi-Cultural has been recommended via Daymé Arocena.
- July 7, 2022
Dexter Story → Ethnomusicologist has been recommended via Daymé Arocena.
- July 7, 2022
Dexter Story → Composer has been recommended via Daymé Arocena.
- July 7, 2022
A video was posted re Daymé Arocena:

Daymé Arocena - 2017 [Havana Cultura]
In conversation in Havana with the burst of energy and talent that is Cuban singer and composer Dayme Arocena : "I'm not a top model, but I'm comfortable wit...
- November 10, 2019
A video was posted re Daymé Arocena:

Daymé Arocena: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
May 12, 2016 by FELIX CONTRERAS As the U.S. and Cuba normalize relations politically, the musical effects of the thaw are already being felt. Singer Daymé Ar...
- November 10, 2019
A category was added to Daymé Arocena:

Santeria
- November 10, 2019
A category was added to Daymé Arocena:

Composer
- November 10, 2019
A category was added to Daymé Arocena:

Jazz
- November 10, 2019
A category was added to Daymé Arocena:

Singer
- November 10, 2019
A category was added to Daymé Arocena:

Cuba
- November 10, 2019
A category was added to Daymé Arocena:

Havana
- November 10, 2019
Daymé Arocena is matrixed!
- November 10, 2019

English (Portuguese →)

THE INTEGRATED GLOBAL CREATIVE ECONOMY

Humanity has never had this before.

"I am thrilled to receive your email! Thank you for including me in this wonderful matrix."
✅—Susan Rogers
Personal recording engineer: Prince, Paisley Park
Director: Music Perception & Cognition Laboratory, Berklee College of Music
Author: This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You

The matrix was born in Salvador's Centro Histórico, where Bule Bule below sings, among magisterial colleagues for whom this matrix was originally built, "Chegou a hora dessa gente bronzeada mostrar seu valor... The time has come for these bronzed people to show their worth..."

Music & lyrics (Brasil Pandeiro) by Assis Valente of Santo Amaro, Bahia. Video by Betão Aguiar

The matrix provides a means by which those above, those below, and EVERYBODY ELSE in the creative economy can be divulged everywhere. Something new under the sun.

Quincy Jones can curate Gilberto Gil, for example. And Gil can curate, writers, dancers, filmmakers, painters, record producers, set designers...

And by the mathematics of the small world phenomenon, everybody in the matrix will tend to proximity to everybody else, in the same way that most human beings are within some six or so steps of most others.

The difference being that in the matrix, these steps are along pathways that can be travelled. The creative world becomes a neighborhood. Quincy Jones is right up the street and Branford Marsalis around the corner. And the most far-flung genius you've never heard of is just a few doors down. Maybe even in Brazil. Laroyê!

"Matrixado!"

✅—Founding Member Darius Mans
Economist, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
✅—Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
President of Brazil

"Many thanks for this - I am touched!"
✅—Julian Lloyd Webber
That most fabled cellist in the United Kingdom (and Brazilian music fan)

"I'm truly thankful... Sohlangana ngokuzayo :)"
✅—Nduduzo Makhathini
Blue Note recording artist)

"Thanks, this is a brilliant idea!!"
✅—Alicia Svigals
Founder of The Klezmatics

"This is super impressive work ! Congratulations ! Thanks for including me :)))"
✅—Clarice Assad
Compositions recorded by Yo Yo Ma and played by orchestras around the world

"Thank you"
(Banch Abegaze, manager)
✅—Kamasi Washington

Tap people, tap categories, tap curations... The matrix is a maze of tunnels within King Solomon's mines.

(← Inglês) Português

A ECONOMIA CRIATIVA GLOBAL INTEGRADA

A humanidade nunca teve isso antes.

"Fico muitíssimo feliz em receber seu e-mail! Obrigada por me incluir neste matrix maravilhoso."
✅—Susan Rogers
Engenheiro de gravação pessoal para Prince: Paisley Park
Diretora: Laboratório de Percepção e Cognição Musical, Berklee College of Music
Autora: This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You

O matrix nasceu no Centro Histórico de Salvador, onde Bule Bule abaixo canta, entre colegas magisteriais para quem este matrix foi originalmente construído, "Chegou a hora dessa gente bronzeada mostrar seu valor..."

Música & letras (Brasil Pandeiro) por Assis Valente de Santo Amaro, Bahia. Vídeo por Betão Aguiar

O matrix fornece um meio pelo qual os acima, os abaixo e TODOS OS OUTROS na economia criativa podem ser divulgados em todos os lugares. Algo novo sob o sol.

Quincy Jones pode indicar Gilberto Gil, por exemplo. E Gil pode indicar escritores, dançarinos, cineastas, pintores, produtores de discos, cenógrafos...

E pela matemática do fenômeno de mundo pequeno, todos no matrix tenderão a se aproximar de todos, da mesma forma que a maioria dos seres humanos estão dentro de cerca de seis passos da maioria dos outros.

Com a diferença que no matrix, estes passos estão ao longo de caminhos que podem ser percorridos. O mundo criativo se torna uma vizinhança. Quincy Jones está lá em cima e Branford Marsalis está ao virar da esquina. E o gênio distante que você nunca ouviu falar tá lá embaixo. Talvez até no Brasil. Laroyê!

"Matrixado!"

✅—Membro Fundador Darius Mans
Economista, doutorado, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
✅—Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Presidente do Brasil

"Muito obrigado por isso - estou tocado!"
✅—Julian Lloyd Webber
Estamos tocados também Sr. Webber!
Merecidamente o violoncelista mais lendário do Reino Unido (e fã da música brasileira)

"Estou realmente agradecido... Sohlangana ngokuzayo :)"
✅—Nduduzo Makhathini
Artista da Blue Note)

"Obrigada, esta é uma ideia brilhante!!"
✅—Alicia Svigals
Fundadora do The Klezmatics

"Este é um trabalho super impressionante! Parabéns! Obrigada por me incluir :)))"
✅—Clarice Assad
Composições gravadas por Yo Yo Ma e tocadas por orquestras ao redor do mundo

"Thank you"
(Banch Abegaze, empresário)
✅—Kamasi Washington

Toque em pessoas, toque em categorias, toque em curadoria... O matrix é um labirinto de túneis dentro das minas do rei Salomão.