Cocomama: Bio
Cocomama
CoCoMaMa is the name of the goddess of health and joy in Incan mythology who brought health and happiness to the men of that era. In modern times CoCoMaMa is the name of a dynamic eight-piece all-female Salsa band who is giving happiness and health to ALL who hear them!
Seasoned veterans of the New York jazz and Latin music scenes, these fine musicians have come together to form one of the tightest bands in the city. Their repertoire ranges from 70's salsa dura to original, cutting-edge Latin Jazz.
Andrea Brachfeld - Flute
Flutist Andrea Brachfeld, is a graduate of The High School of Music and Art and Manhattan School of Music. Her most recent accolade was that she won the “Chico O’Farrill Lifetime Achievement Award“ from Latin Jazz USA in October of 2006. Over the past 20 years she has recorded more than a dozen CD’s with many artists including, Bobby Carcasses, Africando, Noel Pointer, and Timbalaye. Her breakthrough performance as the flutist for the popular Latin band Charanga ‘76, catapulted her into Salsa history and fame as the first female flutist to play this music in the United States. While in high school she received the “Louis Armstrong Award for Outstanding Student” from Jazz Interactions. Study with Hubert Laws, Jimmy Heath, and Mike Longo helped her develop her own style. Downbeat magazine referred to Andrea as “one of the finest jazz flutists around”. She has twice been the recipient of the Latin New York Music Award as a flutist. She has performed with Dave Valentín, Nestor Torres, and Ray Barretto among others. While in Venezuela, she had the honor of opening for Chick Corea and Paco de Lucia. Her first Latin Jazz CD, “Remembered Dreams”, combines Latin originals with contemporary jazz cuts. Her second CD, “Back With Sweet Passion”, is a dynamic Salsa recording featuring Grammy winner Oscar Hernandez on piano, and Alfredo De La Fey on violin. Her latest CD, “Beyond Standards”, is a collaborative effort with Chembo Corniel, featuring jazz greats Hilton Ruiz on piano and Steve Turre on trombone.She recently appeared with the Winnepeg Jazz Orchestra as a soloist performing her own compositions as well as those of Mike Longo, longtime musical director for Dizzy Gillespie. She is currently performing with her own groups, including Phoenix Rising, Beyond Standards, as a co-leader with the talented Chembo Corniel, and the newest group CoCoMaMa!
Mayra Casales - Congas
Mayra Casales is considered to be one of the most versatile and well-rounded percussionists of her generation. Born in Havana, Cuba and raised in Miami, Florida, Mayra is the second middle child of four, all of whom are musicians. While very young, Mayra immersed herself in the Afro-Cuban musical culture of her environment. She proved her talents and passions, and gained respect as a percussionist; instruments normally reserved only for male musicians. Mayra has a fiery and loving spirit which can be felt in her enthusiastic playing.
In Miami, Mayra studied with Carlos “Patato” Valdez. Before long she was performing with some of the biggest names in Latin and Cuban music such as Celia Cruz, Machito, Joe Cuba, Miguelito Valdez and Tito Puente.
In 1978, Mayra moved to New York where she continued her musical journey, working with such legendary artists as Dizzy Gillespie, Wayne Shorter, Ray Baretto, Angela Bofil, Walter Bishop Jr., Jon Lucien, Phyllis Hyman, Carmen Lundy, Tania Maria, David Amram, and Grady Tate. She has contributed to recordings by Regina Bell, Kiara, Miki Howard, and Lita Gallaway. She has toured with artists such as Sophie B. Hawkins, Women of the Calabash, and Mauricio Smith.
Some of Mayra’s other credits include playing the score for the movie “On Broadway” written and produced by Joe Brooks. She has done several jingles produced by H.E.A. Production Company by Bernard Drayton, as well as music for the “Cosby Show” on NBC television.
Mayra has been touring and recording with Regina Carter for the past 8 years. She is also playing with Dave Stryker, Carmen Lundy, and Jon Lucien. Mayra has just released her first CD “Woman On Fire/Mujer Ardiente” on the Afraisa Label which has made it to #19 on the world charts. She is currently working on the music for her next CD.
Nicki Denner - Piano
Pianist/composer/arranger Nicki Denner has been a part of the New York Latin and jazz music scene since 1999. Before that, she was an active member of the Minneapolis music community for ten years. She has performed with Sheila E., Savion Glover, Candido, Doc Severinsen, Bobby Sanabria, Harvie S., Ray Vega, Pedro Martinez, Manolo Badrena, as well other jazz and Salsa artists in the United States and Europe. She has been a pianist for Lincoln Center's "Meet the Artist" program, Chicago City Limits (a New York City based improv comedy group) and "Broadway Underground" (an Off-Broadway production featuring New York's finest tap and hip-hop dancers). She has also composed for award-winning film and was commissioned by the New Jersey Tap Ensemble in 2004 to compose music for a piece choreographed by Savion Glover.
Since 2001, she has led her own trio which features Jennifer Vincent on bass, and Willie Martinez on drums. In 2006, the trio released their debut recording, "Moliendo Café", which was named one of the "Top Ten Picks of 2006" in Latin Beat Magazine.
Ms. Denner has released two other Latin jazz CD’s as a leader, “Don’t Just Stand There” and “El Médico de Coquí” featuring Julian Llanos, former singer with Latin music legend Arsenio Rodriguez. “El Médico de Coquí” spent six months in Latin Beat magazine's Top 20 Hit Parade. In 2007, it was re-released on Consilience Productions, a new record label promoting "progressive music for the socially curious".
Along with performing, Nicki is also a devoted educator. As well as having a private teaching studio, she has served on the piano faculty of the Stanford University Summer Jazz Workshop, the Montclair State University Jazz Prep Summer Program and the New York City Tap Festival.
Christelle Durandy - Vocals
Vocalist, percussionist and songstress Christelle Durandy aka Crissysoul made her debut as a percussionist at the age of 7 with her family's band DINA GROUP’ (Gwoka, traditional music of Guadeloupe) but she soon realized that her voice could be a beautiful bridge to the world.
While attending The National Conservatory of Music of Rennes, she studied vocal technique with Vladima Tchovitskin or Oleg Afonin and studied percussion with Juan Bauste Granda and Celestino Lopez.
In 1994, the jazz bass player Philippe Dardelle brought her on stage with the collective Heat Wave. This is the launch of her career and Christelle has emerged as a startlingly impressive singer and a charismatic peformer on the jazz scene.
Ivan Darroman Montoya, on tour in Europe in 1997, was so taken with her talents that he hired her for his debut album as a leader "Son del Fuego".
This collaboration led her to Cuba for a residency of three months. In the mean time, trombonist Frederic Burgazzi asked her to take part of Ze Big Band project which features internationally renowned soloists. In 1998, Christelle received a silver prize at The Vocal Artist category of the Vannes Jazz Festival.
She earned in 2000 the Grand Audience Prize at Jazz Live Festival.
Her different travels to Cuba allowed her to study traditions of the Afro-Cuban folklore with members of the Conjunto Folklórico de Oriente, with Ernesto Gatel, Alberto Villareal and Maximino Duquesne.
In 2004, the legendary Cuban trumpeter, Carlos “Bola” Betancourt (Issac Delgado, Paulito F.G…) chose her to be the lead vocal of his project “Bola y sus complices”. The following year, Aziliz Productions (France) has signed Christelle Durandy to a long-term touring agreement. Since then, she has been touring and recording throughout Europe and United-States with world class artists the likes of Carlos Betancourt, Paula West, George Mesterhaze, Collective Mas Bajo, Paul Carlon, Edouard Leys, Karl W. Davis, Jo Benotti, Barbaro Teuntor Garcia (Buena Vista Social Club), Company Erebe-Kouliballets, just to name a few.
Considering herself as a vocalist, citizen of the world, with a repertoire that draws upon a rich variety of material from jazz, folk, Caribbean and soul influences, Christelle Durandy has established a jazz identity that is her own.
Jessica Rodriguez - Timbales
Jessica Rodriguez, age 21, has been studying timbales for the past five years at Harbor Conservatory. She was a student of Jose Madera, Johnny Almendra, David Oquendo, Gustavo "Chacho" Schartz, Pablo Major, and is currently studying with Mauricio Herrera.
In less than three years, Jessica has been invited to perform on stage by some well known musicians such as Ralph Irizarry y Son Criollo, Jimmy Bosch y Orquesta, Johnny Almendra y Los Jovenes Del Barrio, Michael Stuart y Orquesta, Willie Villegas y Orquesta, Ray Sepulveda y Orquesta, Spanish Harlem Orquesta, Nelson Gonzalez y Orquesta, with special guest Little Johnny Rivero “Pequeño Johnny” and Nicky Marrero, Chino Nuñez and Friends, Los Hermanos Morenos and just recently, Ocho Y Mas.
On October 21, 2003, Jessica was one of seven students awarded a scholarship from the Celia Cruz Foundation. On April 29, 2004, she along with four other students joined Oscar D'Leon in a live performance at the Latin Billboard Awards in Miami Florida.
"Fully aware of the reality that Latin music is for the most part a male dominated field, Jessica is determined to become one of the best professional percussionists."
Cecilia Tenconi - Tenor Saxophone/Flute
Cecilia Tenconi is a multitalented vocalist, saxophone, flute and clarinet player. She holds a BA from Berklee College of Music and an MA from City College of New York. Her credits include live performances, recordings and tours with an array of internationally acclaimed stars, from the Latin, Jazz and Pop Music worlds, such as Ray Barretto, Chico O’Farrill Big Band, Diva, Tania Maria, Arrow, David Kikoski, Herbie Mann, Manhattan Transfer, Bette Midler, Frank Colon, Patato Valdez and Vickie Sue Robinson. She has traveled the world, performing at some of the best known music festivals, including, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Stockholm Water Festival in Sweden, Kennedy Center, Washington DC, Festival Musique de Rue in Nimes, France, St Kitts Music Festival in St Kitts, Standard Bank Jazz Festival in South Africa and the King’s Palace in Morocco.
Sofia Tosello - Vocals
Sofia Tosello has performed and recorded with a number of artists in a variety of different settings– in particular, the spectacular Pedro Giraudo Jazz Orchestra, Jose Conde y La Ola Fresca, Alex Cuba,Thalia, The Christos Rafalides Latin Quintet and Cocomama. The venues she has performed are at the top of the list of quality places to perform in NYC including the Jazz Gallery, the Jazz Standard, Joe’s Pub, Central Park, Madison Square Garden, and the Zinc Bar.
Sofia, a remarkable young singer hailing from Cordoba, Argentina, belongs to an exciting new group of South American artists who, by blending the traditional rhythms of their respective countries with a funky and sophisticated New York sensibility, are challenging the way Latin American song is done. In Sofia one hears the unmistakable imprint of the tango, the chacarera and zamba, but as an authentic daughter of the Diaspora from the South – having spent a good deal of her musical formation in the New York jazz/pop/Latin milieu – we also hear reflected in her voice an impressive range of sounds that only the global village of New York can produce: the downtown “world” jazz scene, bossa nova, Nueva Trova, son and the lesser known filin, an influential variation of the Cuban bolero made popular by Omara Portuondo and Elena Burke. Unlike many singers who define themselves via a national specific genre or a specific influence, Sofia prefers to see herself as a border-crosser, not bound by the logic of the genre. If pressed for a way to describe her musical aesthetic words like hybridity or mestizaje seem to suit her better. Sofia combines the best of today’s global currents in jazz and Latin American folk/popular music, while maintaining a profound respect for tradition – a feat seldom achieved in young artists in any musical field.
As a child growing up in a small province in Argentina, Sofia was exposed to a number of different regional, national and international musical traditions. She recalls listening to a broad range of music- from the tangos of Troilo, the boleros of Armando Manzanero, the rock poetry of Fito Paez, to the bossa nova of Caetano and Gal Costa, and the swing of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. It was her interest in jazz and her desire to explore the international dimensions of Latin music that led her to relocate to New York at the age of 17 – a decision that would mark her profoundly. Once in New York, she chose to study at City College in order to learn her craft under the tutelage of the legendary singer, Sheila Jordan, from whom she learned the art of making a song one’s own.
Sofia is now one of the most sought after vocalists in the field for club dates, concerts, and recordings.
Jennifer Vincent - Bass
Jennifer Vincent, bassist and cellist, has been an active force on the music scene in New York City for well over a decade. She plays and has played and toured with the likes of Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln, the famed Boy's Choir of Harlem, Willie Martinez y La Familia, Son Sublime, the Xavier Cougat Orchestra, the Roberto Rodriguez Septet, Carmen Lundy, Harry Whitteaker (longtime artistic director and keyboardist for Roberta Flack), Jon Hendricks, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and many other jazz and Latin notables.
Jennifer's sound has been characterized as "Cheerfully Blantonian" by the Village Voice. Her bass lines are featured on NBC's 75th Anniversary "Cosby Show Retrospective", and she can be heard on commercials for Lipitor, Marriott Hotels, and Olive Garden. She has played on many film soundtracks, including "90 Miles", a film which won Best Documentary at the 2003 Havana Film Festival. She has been featured on "City Arts", has traveled to South America as a Jazz Ambassador for the State Department, and plays for Lincoln Center's "Meet the Artist" series. All About Jazz has this to say about her: "Bass player Jennifer Vincent shows that she can stay with anyone when it comes to getting a bass to sing....."
Jennifer, who started as a classically-trained cellist at Oberlin Conservatory, is equally comfortable in the jazz, Latin-jazz, and traditional Cuban musical idioms. Her bass teachers include jazz icon Ron Carter, Andy Gonzales, Ed Bennett, Buster Williams, and Cuban bass legend Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez of the Buena Vista Social Club, with whom she traveled to Cuba to study with.
Jennifer delves into music that utilizes West African, Japanese, and Middle Eastern influences with artists such as Sogbety Diomande form the Ivory Coast, the Pan-Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble, and Algerian pianist Maurice el Medioni's "Descarga Oriental", which won the 2006 BBC Music Award for Best World Crossover. According to Songlines World Music magazine, "Vincent's thick, measured New York Latin Bass, so different from anything el Medioni has previously recorded with, is perfect!". For the past 5 years she has been touring the world over with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, carrying on the tradition of the longest-running and most legendary jazz orchestra in American history.