VIVA NOLA November 2018

COLORES Y NOTAS
Mundo
tHEWORLDOF
ALEXEY
MARTi
By Jorge Fuentes
The presence of Alexey Marti is impressive. He has a
thunderous voice, he is a robust man with a guarded but
kind smile, a sincere handshake, and a pleasant and
entertaining conversation.
He arrived in New Orleans 10 years ago from Havana with
the music of Cuba in his arms. Alexey is a percussionist
and composer, and currently in high demand in the city.
He started playing the conga drums when he was a child
within his family environment, sharing with his uncles, but
he plays any percussion instrument placed in front of him.
He knows in depth the African traditions that are passed
from person to person on the island. "I'm self-taught," he
says. "I studied with Oscar Valdez, ex-vocalist and
percussionist of Irakere." As if that training wasn?t enough,
part of his education came by witnessing the rehearsals of
the members of the renowned Afro-Cuban fusion band,
and to rehearse by himself 10 or 12 hours per day. "The
virtuoso becomes," he says with great confidence adding
the saying "to eat fish you have to get wet."
Marti further studied in the jazz program at the University
of New Orleans (UNO). At the close of this edition, he is
putting the final touches to his second album, entitled
"Mundo."
This work is more accessible, more folkloric, and it shows
how many different things can be done with the root of
music," he explains.
The 14 singles that comprise Mundo include compositions
influenced by genres such as ballad, samba, bossa nova,
and salsa, as well as traditional African, Haitian and Cuban
rhythms.
"Anthropology plays a very important role for the
musician," he emphasizes. The making of the album also
reflects its cosmopolitan aspect, since it was recorded in
New Orleans, Miami, New York, Havana, Brazil, Puerto Rico
and Spain. The album is being published this November.
When saying goodbye, Alexey tells us that he has another
album to come. It will be a salsa one this time, coming in
January of next year, which clearly shows that he is a
prolific creator.
"A piece becomes universal when it can be played in
different genres and cultures," he concludes by adding
"and when it produces the same feeling in different
people," Marti concludes.
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When asked about the focus of his new work, Alexey
says that "it is an album of reuniting with the spirits.
W hatch W W OZ's video of
Alexey M ar ti's r elease
concer t for M undo >>