• Tuesday, Aug 30, 2011

    Carnegie Hall Presents Honduran Singer & Guitarist Aurelio Martinez in Zankel Hall on Saturday, October 15 

    On Saturday, October 15 at 10:00 p.m., Honduran singer and guitarist Aurelio Martinez brings the music of the Garifuna tradition—a century old fusion between West African and Central American rhythms and harmonies—to Zankel Hall for a concert presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership with the World Music Institute. Martinez is noted as a central figure in the recent resurgence of the music of the Garifuna—an Afro-American community whose culturally threatened population lives primarily along the Caribbean coasts of Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. For this performance, Martinez showcases his bittersweet vocal style with guitar-accompanied ballads and other traditional song forms.

    Martinez’s debut album, Garifuna Soul (Stonetree Records), was released in 2005 to worldwide critical acclaim. In addition to his own projects, Martinez is a member of The Garifuna Collective, a multi-generational group of musicians whose work with the late singer Andy Palacio on the Cumbancha/Stonetree album Wátina is now legendary in world music circles. Martinez also fronted the Andy Palacio Tribute Tour, promising to carry the torch for Garifuna culture after Palacio’s tragic and untimely death in January 2008. His latest record, Laru Beya (Sub Pop Records, 2011), showcases both traditional Garifuna rhythms, and his continued exploration of the Garifuna connection to Africa through performances with Senegalese Afropop legend Youssou N’Dour, whose unique vocals can be heard in several songs. In 2008, Martinez was selected by N’Dour to be his protégé as part of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative which pairs talented young artists from around the world with great masters in the performing and visual arts for a year of creative collaboration in a one on one mentoring relationship. The program allowed Martinez to travel to Senegal and explore West African music in preparation for the release of Laru Beya.

    To hear selections from the album or to see a short documentary about the making of the album, please click here.

    Prior to Martinez’s performance, at 9:00 p.m., ticketholders are invited to enjoy a laid-back pre-concert experience in the Zankel Hall lounge and meet others who share their passion for music. The first 200 concert-goers to arrive will receive a complimentary drink courtesy of Carnegie Hall.


    Program Information
    Saturday, October 15 at 10:00 p.m.
    Zankel Hall
    AURELIO MARTINEZ
    Aurelio Martinez, vocals, guitar and percussion
    Rolando "Chichiman" Sosa, percussion
    Carlos "Pichi" Castillo, bass
    Eduardo "Guayo" Cedeno, guitar
    Carlos "Bodoma" Norales, Garifuna drum
    Onan "Sambo" Castillo, Garifuna drum

    Presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership with World Music Institute.


    Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.

    Ticket Information
    Single tickets, priced at $34 and $40, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800, or online by visiting carnegiehall.org.

    For more information on discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts.     
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