Juanes to Perform for Pope Francis at World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Juanes is about to have an experiencia religiosa…

The 42-year-old Colombian superstar will perform for Pope Francis as part of the World Meeting of Families on September 26.

The event, which takes place every three years, will mark the first time Pope Francis visits the United States during his papacy.

Juanes joins a roster that includes Andrea Bocelli and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

“Our most important mission in this voyage of life is learning how to love, and what better way to do it than through family,” said Juanes. “I’m deeply honored to sing for Pope Francis.”

The World Meeting of Families is a triennial event that seeks to strengthen family bonds globally. In choosing who would perform at the Festival, the notion was to “bring together performers that represented the world,” said executive director Donna Crilley Farrell.

Performing for the pope has been a big goal for many acts through the years, particularly acts from predominantly Catholic Latin America.
Those who’ve performed for popes in recent memory include Gloria Estefan (for Pope John Paul II in 1995), Argentina’s Diego Torres (In 2003 for John Paul II) and Mexico’s Lucero (also for Pope John Paul II in 1997).

Last year, Argentine Martina Sotessel, who plays Violetta in the popular music-minded Argentine soap opera, sang for Pope Francis in Rome.

Nazario Among This Year’s Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame Finalists

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Ednita Nazario may soon earn a special spot in Latin music history…

The 59-year-old Puerto Rican singer-songwriter has been named a finalist for the third annual La Musa Awards 2015. The eventual winners will be inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame in a ceremony on October 15 at the Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami Beach.

Nazario, a Latin Grammy nominee, received the Latin Heritage Award from ASCAP in 2004, as well as the Recording Academy Honors from NARAS in 2005.

A total of 12 nominees were announced in both the performers (or singer/songwriters) and non-performers categories. Other names included Joan Sebastian, Diego Torres, Juan Gabriel Myriam Hernandez, Roberto Carlos and Ruben Blades in the performers category and Lalo Schifrin, Gustavo Santaolalla, Leo Brouwer and Ramon Arcusa in the composers category.

Voting, which is open to LSHOF members at latinsonghall.com, began January 28, immediately following the finalist announcement during a press conference at the YoungArts Jewel Box in Miami, and will close March 15 at midnight. The artists and composers chosen for induction in the Hall of Fame will be announced during the 2015 Billboard Latin Music Conference in April.

Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization founded by renowned songwriter/producers Desmond Child and Rudy Pérez in 2012 to honor and celebrate Latin music creators. Created under the auspices of the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, its nominating committee is comprised by songwriters, performers, musicians, producers, engineers, music critics, and industry executives.

Many of these were present during the press conference announcing the nominees. Those in attendance included Latin Grammy winner for best new artist Mariana Vega, Colombian singer/songwriter Cabas, singer/songwriter Yunel Cruz, composer/producer Julio Reyes and both Child and Perez.

LSHOF 2015 Full List of Nominees

PERFORMERS

Diego Torres               (Argentina)
Roberto Carlos             (Brazil)
Caetano Veloso            (Brazil)
Myriam Hernandez      (Chile)
Pablo Milanes               (Cuba)
Álvaro Torres                (El Salvador)
Juan Gabriel                  (México)
Joan Sebastian              (México)
Rubén Blades                (Panamá)
Ednita Nazario              (Puerto Rico)
Camilo Sesto                 (Spain)
Franco de Vita              (Venezuela)

NON-PERFORMERS

Chico Navarro (Argentina)
Gustavo Santaolalla                            (Argentina)
Lalo Schifrin (Argentina)
Erasmo Carlos (Brazil)
Alberto Plaza                                       (Chile)
Héctor Ochoa Cárdenas (Colombia)
Leo Brouwer                                       (Cuba)
Rubén Fuentes                                    (México)
Ramón Arcusa                                     (Spain)
Luis Gomez Escolar                             (Spain)
Jose Maria “Chema” Puron (Spain)
Jose Enrique “Chelique” Sarabia (Venezuela)

Santana to Release Live CD/DVD Package for His Hit Spanish Project “Corazón”

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Santana is bringing his corazón to live…

Following the success of his first-ever all Spanish-language album Corazón, the 67-year-old Mexican musician and 10-time Grammy-winner is set to release a live CD/DVD package titled Corazón, Live From Mexico: Live It to Believe It.

From RCA Records/Sony Latin Iberia, the package will be released on September 9 and include a live CD and DVD, plus a documentary film shot in different Mexican locales.

The track listing for Corazón Live From Mexico includes many of the artists featured in Santana’s original Corazón, including Juanes, Gloria Estefan, Miguel, Romeo Santos, Lila Downs, Diego Torres and Niña Pastori.

But it has also been expanded considerably to include new versions of his standards like “Black Magic Woman” and “Smooth” and collabs like “Corazón Espinado,” featuring Fher Olvera (lead singer of Maná) and Cindy Blackman Santana.

The set will be available for digital download and in three different physical packages: DVD, DVD/CD and Blu-Ray/CD.

Corazón debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart in April and spent six weeks at the top of the chart. It’s currently No. 6 on the chart and was the third top-selling Latin album for the first six months of the year, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

But the upcoming live version was conceived from the onset as part of the overall Corazón project. The album, with all its featured artists, was recorded in the studio and released last April, but a live component was always part of the proposal.

With sponsorship from Mexico’s Tourism Board, the live show was taped in December 2013 in Santana’s home state of Gaudalajara, a documentary was filmed in different locales and a special aired on HBO Latino both in the U.S. and Latin America in the spring.

Corazón was a seminal project on many fronts. The HBO airing marked the first time ever that HBO Latino (which operates in the U.S.) and HBO Latin America joined forces to premiere a concert event.

HBO Latino to Air Two Specials Dedicated to Santana’s ‘Corazon’

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Santana is preparing to celebrate his Mexican heritage on television…

HBO Latino will celebrate the legendary career of the 66-year-old Mexican American musician and guitar legend, a 10-time Grammy award winner, and his forthcoming first-ever Latin music album entitled Corazon, through a two-part event: a special called Santana: De Corazon and the airing of his mega concert and documentary Santana-Corazon: Live From Mexico, Live It To Believe It.

The Santana: De Corazon special will be broadcast in Spanish with English subtitles on Monday, April 21 at 9:30 pm ET, exclusively on HBO Latino.

The Santana-Corazon: Live from Mexico: Live It to Believe It concert and documentary will air exclusively in the U.S. on HBO Latino on Saturday, May 3, at 8:00 pm ET. It will also be simulcast in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Cited by Rolling Stone as #15 on the magazine’s list of “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time,” Santana will entertain Hispanic and mainstream audiences in HBO Latino’s airing of the once-in-a-lifetime tribute concert that took place at a sold out Arena VFG in Guadalajara, Mexico this past December.

Santana-Corazon: Live from Mexico: Live It to Believe It presented a star-studded concert to music lovers who enjoyed Santana’s electrifying sound, along with performances by musicians and friends.

Lila Downs, Gloria Estefan, Juanes, Nina Pastori, Romeo Santos, Soledad and Diego Torres were among the Latin music stars who accompanied Santana during his performance, most of whose collaborations have been recorded on Santana’s first ever Latin Music album entitled Corazon, set for release May 6 via RCA/Sony Latin Iberia.

The Santana: De Corazon half-hour special spotlights the iconic music legend through a collection of interviews by his musical peers, fellow Santana-Corazon: Live from Mexico: Live It to Believe It concert performers, mixed with touching insights from members of his most intimate circles.

Corazon, the concert and album project brings Carlos back to Guadalajara near his birthplace, and celebrates Carlos’ love of his musical heritage, as well as showcases Carlos’ own personal influence on Latin music and on today’s generation of Latin superstars. Many genres of Latin music are represented in these collaborations including pop, rock, salsa, hip-hop, R&B, reggae, and more.

Santana Releases Cover Art for New Collaborations Album “Corazon”

Posted on March 2, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Santana is demonstrating his corazon…

The 66-year-old Mexican musician, heralded as one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, has released the artwork for his latest album Corazon, which will be released on May 6.

It’s the first Spanish-language disc that Santana has ever recorded, with more than a dozen Latin artists, including Pitbull, Juanes, Romeo Santos and Gloria Estefan, lending their voices to the album.

The new collaborative recording is being called a return to Santana’s Spanish-speaking childhood, having been born in the town of Autlan de Navarro in the Mexican state of Jalisco.

The colorful album cover, which shows Santana’s face with figures that appear to be Indians, was created by Boa Mistura, a Madrid-based artists’ collective that works principally on pieces of public art.

Corazon, produced by Lester Mendez, recalls the artist’s Hispanic roots and features the additional participation of the Fabulosos Cadillacs (Argentina), Ziggy Marley (Jamaica), Miguel (United States), Niña Pastori (Spain), Samuel Rosa de Skank (Brazil), Chocquibtown (Colombia), Lila Downs (Mexico) and Diego Torres (Argentina.

“All the artists, men and women, who have taken part bring their own light, their talent, their spirit, they want to work with me…I’ve surrounded myself with artists who see the invisible and do the impossible,” Santana told Efe in an interview in late 2013.

The album includes numbers like “La Flaca” by Jarabe de Palo, sung by Juanes, which was the first single from the album to be released from the album.

Torres: The Proud Father of a Newborn Girl

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Forget Latin pop music… Diego Torres will be singing lullabies for the next several months.

The 42-year-old Argentine Grammy-nominated singer/actor announced Tuesday that he and Argentine model/television host Debora Bello are the proud parents of a baby girl.

“Nina is born, our daughter we have so been waiting for, at 1:16 p.m. today. Thanks for the messages! She’s perfect and beautiful!” said the artist via Twitter, where he also posted a picture with the baby’s footprint.

Local media said that the 37-year-old Bello gave birth at Otamendi Hospital in Buenos Aires.

Torres, known for such hits as “Color Esperanza” and “Tratar de Estar Mejor,” is preparing to resume his acting career and has already begun filming the telenovela Vecinos en Guerra, which will air this year.

Ringin’ in the New Year with Latino Musicians…

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

From Selena Gomez to Carlos Santana, several Latino musicians helped ring in the New Year with high-octane performances on some of the night’s most-watched “say goodbye to 2011” television programs live from New York City’s Times Square and Hollywood.

In case, like me, you weren’t near a television this New Year’s Eve to catch the star-studded shows, including Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve on ABC and MTV’s NYE in NYC 2012, here’s a look at some of the night’s hottest performances:

Demi Lovato, “Give Your Heart A Break”
Selena Gomez, “Love You Like a Love Song” & “Hit the Lights”

Pitbull, “I Know You Want Me” & “Give Me Everything”

Justin Bieber & Carlos Santana, “Let It Be”

Diego Torres, “Creo en América”

Torres Added to New Year’s Rockin’ Eve Lineup

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

Pitbull won’t be the only Latino musician ringing in the New Year from New York City’s Times Square… Diego Torres will also participate in the New Year’s Rockin’ Eve festivities.

The 40-year-old Argentine singer/composer and Latin Grammy winner will join Mr. Worldwide, Justin Bieber, Alicia Keys and Lady Gaga as a performer at the annual televised event.

Torres will performed two undisclosed songs from his extensive repertoire live from the Big Apple during the 23:00 hour, as well as participate in a live interview during the 40th edition of the New Year’s Rockin’ Eve telecast.

In addition to Torres and Pitbull, guitar hero Carlos Santana will also be part of the 25-plus acts set to make an appearance on this year’s show.

New Year’s Rockin’ Eve will air on Saturday, December 31 at 10 p.m. on ABC.

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