$65.00

 

“ Love + Creativity + Empathy

2018 Grammy nominee Melvis Santa and her group Ashedí (translated to ‘invitation’ in the Lukumi dialect of Cuba) bring powerful, ecstatic AfroCuban music to new spaces, transforming time and consciousness with its multilayered polyrhythms and hypnotic chants, taking us out of our ordinary state of mind and invoking the spirits of the Afro-Cuban pantheon of orishas. 

Born in Havana, Melvis Santa has been well known in Cuba since she was fourteen years old and formed the vocal group Sexto Sentido. In 2010 Melvis spread her wings and appeared as one of the lead vocalists of Interactivo, a seminal fusion band in Cuba, recording and touring worldwide. Based in New York since 2014, she continues to make a mark as a performer and educator teaching Afro-Cuban music and dance workshops at The National Jazz Museum in Harlem, NYU, CUNY Graduate Center, Yale University, Tulane University of New Orleans, and others. Melvis has also worked with a who’s who of the jazz and Latin communities, from Ravi Coltrane to the Buena Vista Social Club.

 

"Our voice is our first sound instrument. Through music I discover the power of my inner voice. Sharing my voice is telling my story and those of my ancestors. It allows me to bring tradition, culture, and community to new spaces, while healing and transforming social consciousness."


Melvis Santa: Singer l Composer l Bandleader l Educator

Singer, composer, pianist, Afro Cuban dancer, actress, and educator Melvis Santa was born and raised in the heart of an eclectic neighborhood in Havana, being exposed to multi-cultural traditions early on. Since age 4 she participated every weekend in the art programs offered by Gran Teatro de La Habana, Teatro Bellas Artes, and El Musical, three legendary theaters located in her hometown. At 7 she started playing classical piano. Years later she graduated of Piano and Music Theory from the prestigious Amadeo Roldan Conservatory

Our voice is our first sound instrument. Through music I discover the power of my inner voice. Sharing my voice is telling my story and those of my ancestors. It allows me to bring tradition, culture, and community to new spaces, while healing and transforming social consciousness. Melvis is part of the community of artists at The National Jazz Museum in Harlem. A Smithsonian Affiliate, this thriving center for jazz stimulates hearts and minds and reaches out to diverse audiences to enjoy this quintessential American music. The Museum was founded in 1997 with a mission to preserve, promote and present jazz by inspiring knowledge, appreciation and the celebration of jazz locally, nationally and internationally.

 

Love + Creativity+Empathy

 


Our artisan partners are entrepreneurs and agents of change. Each piece helps MAG (Mines Advisory Group) clear some of the 80 million unexploded bombs from their land.

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