CURATION
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from this page:
by Matrix
Network Node
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Name:
Eliades Ochoa
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City/Place:
Havana
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Country:
Cuba
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Hometown:
Songo - La Maya
Life
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Bio:
Born on June 22, 1946, in Songo la Maya, Santiago de Cuba, Eliades Ochoa hails from the vibrant musical landscape of Cuba. Renowned as one of the greatest "soneros" of Cuban music history and hailed as the finest guitarist of his era, Eliades has left an indelible mark on the world stage. His iconic cowboy hat and penchant for black attire have earned him the moniker "The Cuban Johnny Cash."
From his early days, Eliades immersed himself in music, learning guitar from his peasant parents and absorbing the rich melodies of traditional Cuban tunes. Roaming the countryside, frequenting bars and music gatherings, he honed his craft, becoming a custodian of Cuba's musical heritage. His unique style is a reflection of his rural roots, infused with the tales and rhythms of Cuban campfires and the colorful characters he encountered along the way.
Joining the Septeto Típico Oriental in 1969 marked the beginning of Eliades' journey into the heart of Cuban music. His official entry into the Casa de la Trova in 1970 provided a platform for his talent to shine. In 1982, he took the helm of the Cuarteto Patria, infusing their repertoire with his distinctive style, ensuring the preservation of Cuban folk traditions.
Collaborating with legends like Compay Segundo, Eliades left an indelible mark with the timeless classic "Chan Chan." His pivotal role in the Buena Vista Social Club project earned him international acclaim, including a Grammy win in 1997. Throughout the years, he has continued to innovate, blending Cuban rhythms with global influences, as showcased in albums like "Afrocubism."
Eliades' musical journey has taken him far and wide, earning accolades and nominations for his contributions to the world of music. His collaborations span across genres and continents, cementing his status as a musical luminary. In 2018, a documentary chronicling his illustrious career, "Eliades Ochoa from Cuba to the World," received widespread acclaim, showcasing his enduring impact on the world stage.
As the years pass, Eliades Ochoa remains a beacon of Cuban music, continuously creating and inspiring with each new composition. In 2020, he delighted audiences with "Vamos a Bailar un Son," followed by a collaboration with C Tangana in 2021, proving that his musical journey knows no bounds.
Clips (more may be added)
The Integrated Global Creative Economy
Wolfram Mathematics
This technological matrix, originating in Bahia, Brazil and positioning creators around the world within reach of each other and the entire planet, is able to do so because it is small-world (see Wolfram).
Bahia itself, final port-of-call for more enslaved human beings than any other place on earth throughout all of human history, refuge for Lusitanian Sephardim fleeing the Inquisition, Indigenous both apart and subsumed into a brilliant sociocultural matrix comprised of these three peoples and more, is small-world.
Human society, the billions of us in all the complexity of our relationships, is small-world. Neural structures for human memory are small-world. Neural structures in artificial intelligence are small-world...
In small worlds great things are possible. In a matrix they can be created.
Alicia Svigals
"Thanks, this is a brilliant idea!!"
—Alicia Svigals (NEW YORK CITY): Apotheosis of klezmer violinists
"I'm truly thankful ... Sohlangana ngokuzayo :)"
—Nduduzo Makhathini (JOHANNESBURG): piano, Blue Note recording artist
"Dear Sparrow: I am thrilled to receive your email! Thank you for including me in this wonderful matrix."
—Susan Rogers (BOSTON): Director of the Berklee Music Perception and Cognition Laboratory ... Former personal recording engineer for Prince; "Purple Rain", "Sign o' the Times", "Around the World in a Day"
"Dear Sparrow, Many thanks for this – I am touched!"
—Julian Lloyd Webber (LONDON): Premier cellist in UK; brother of Andrew (Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, Phantom of the Opera...)
"This is super impressive work ! Congratulations ! Thanks for including me :)))"
—Clarice Assad (RIO DE JANEIRO/CHICAGO): Pianist and composer with works performed by Yo Yo Ma and orchestras around the world
"We appreciate you including Kamasi in the matrix, Sparrow."
—Banch Abegaze (LOS ANGELES): manager, Kamasi Washington
"Thanks! It looks great!....I didn't write 'Cantaloupe Island' though...Herbie Hancock did! Great Page though, well done! best, Randy"
"Very nice! Thank you for this. Warmest regards and wishing much success for the project! Matt"
—Son of Jimmy Garrison (bass for John Coltrane, Bill Evans...); plays with Herbie Hancock and other greats...
Dear friends & colleagues,
Having arrived in Salvador 13 years earlier, I opened a record shop in 2005 in order to create an outlet to the wider world for Bahian musicians, many of them magisterial but unknown.
David Dye & Kim Junod for NPR found us (above), and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (he's a huge jazz fan), David Byrne, Oscar Castro-Neves... Spike Lee walked past the place while I was sitting on the stoop across the street drinking beer and listening to samba from the speaker in the window...
But we weren't exactly easy for the world-at-large to get to. So in order to extend the place's ethos I transformed the site associated with it into a network wherein Brazilian musicians I knew would recommend other Brazilian musicians, who would recommend others...
And as I anticipated, the chalky hand of God-as-mathematician intervened: In human society — per the small-world phenomenon — most of the billions of us on earth are within some 6 or fewer degrees of each other. Likewise, within a network of interlinked artists as I've described above, most of these artists will in the same manner be at most a handful of steps away from each other.
So then, all that's necessary to put the Bahians and other Brazilians within possible purview of the wide wide world is to include them among a wide wide range of artists around that world.
If, for example, Quincy Jones is inside the matrix (people who have passed are not removed), then anybody on his page — whether they be accessing from a campus in L.A., a pub in Dublin, a shebeen in Cape Town, a tent in Mongolia — will be close, transitable steps away from Raymundo Sodré, even if they know nothing of Brazil and are unaware that Sodré sings/dances upon this planet. Sodré, having been knocked from the perch of fame and ground into anonymity by Brazil's dictatorship, has now the alternative of access to the world-at-large via recourse to the vast potential of network theory.
...to the degree that other artists et al — writers, researchers, filmmakers, painters, choreographers...everywhere — do also. Artificial intelligence not required. Real intelligence, yes.
Years ago in NYC I "rescued" unpaid royalties (performance & mechanical) for artists/composers including Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Mongo Santamaria, Jim Hall, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd (for his rights in Bob Marley compositions; Clement was Bob's first producer), Led Zeppelin, Ray Barretto, Philip Glass and many others. Aretha called me out of the blue vis-à-vis money owed by Atlantic Records. Allen Klein (managed The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles) called about money due the estate of Sam Cooke. Jerry Ragovoy (Time Is On My Side, Piece of My Heart) called just to see if he had any unpaid money floating around out there (the royalty world was a shark-filled jungle, to mangle metaphors, and I doubt it's changed).
But the pertinent client (and friend) in the present context is Earl "Speedo" Carroll, of The Cadillacs. Earl went from doo-wopping on Harlem streetcorners to chart-topping success to working as a custodian at PS 87 elementary school on the west side of Manhattan. Through all of this he never lost what made him great.
Greatness and fame are too often conflated. The former should be accessible independently of the latter.
Matrix founding creators are behind "one of 10 of the best (radios) around the world", per The Guardian.
Recent access to this matrix and Bahia are from these places (a single marker can denote multiple accesses).
Across the creative universe... For another list, reload page.
This list is random, and incomplete. Reload the page for another list.
For a complete list of everybody inside, tap TOTAL below:
TOTAL
Nduduzo Makhathini
Susan Rogers
Julian Lloyd Webber
Clarice Assad
Kamasi Washington
Randy Brecker
Matt Garrison
RÁDIO MATRIX