Nil Lara (born 1964) is an American musician from
Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
who is a singer, guitarist and songwriter, playing the
tres
Tres may refer to:
* Tres (instrument), a Cuban musical instrument
* Tres, Trentino, municipality in Italy
* "Tres" (song) by Juanes
* "Tres", a song by Líbido from their album ''Hembra''
* TrES, the ''Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey''
* Templi ...
, the six-stringed Cuban guitar, and the
cuatro
Cuatro is Spanish (and other Romance languages) for the number four.
Cuatro may also refer to:
* Cuatro (instrument), name for two distinct Latin American instruments, one from Puerto Rico (see Cuatro) and the other from Venezuela (see Cuatro) ...
, a Venezuelan guitar.
Biography
Lara was born in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.[Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...]
,
[ moving to ]Caracas
Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
at the age of 7.[ At 8, he had mastered cuatro - a four-string Venezuelan instrument from which he graduated to the guitar. He moved with his family to Miami when he was in ]junior high
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...
.[ While studying electrical engineering at the University of Miami in Florida,][ he rediscovered his Cuban roots in guajiro, the Cuban equivalent of country, and "]Son
A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative.
Social issues
In pre-industrial societies and some current c ...
" - Cuban music's answer to the blues. This led him to the tres, a Cuban instrument with a unique sound and with the status of a grassroots instrument in Cuba.
Career
Lara's music is based on Cuban and Venezuelan folklore, with inspiration from Western musicians like Stevie Wonder and Pink Floyd.[ He formed a group called K.R.U. while at the University of Miami, with whom he released two albums before they disbanded, after which he became a teacher at ]New World School of the Arts
New World School of the Arts (NWSA) is a public magnet high school and college in Downtown Miami, Florida. Its dual-enrollment programs in the visual and performing arts are organized into four strands: visual arts, dance, theatre (comprising prog ...
.[
In December 1993 Lara released ''My First Child'' with his new band, Beluga Blue.][ He signed to Metro Blue/]Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
in 1995, releasing ''Nil Lara'' in 1996, produced by Susan Rodgers. He wrote little new material for the next few years, finally releasing ''Testimony'' and ''Da'' in 2004.
Live performances
Lara has been touring since 1995, from small acoustic performances to arenas. He has toured with Lenny Kravitz, Blues Traveler, Natalie Merchant
Natalie Anne Merchant (born October 26, 1963) is an American alternative rock singer-songwriter. She joined the band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and was lead vocalist and primary lyricist for the group. She remained with the group for their first se ...
and many others. In June and July 1996, Lara toured many festivals in Europe. In August 1996, Lara toured Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, England, Japan, and Spain. His 1999 summer tour covered 15 cities in the Southeastern USA. He often performs in the Miami area.
Television soundtracks
Lara's songs have appeared in television shows such as '' Scrubs'' (“Fighting For My Love”), ''Melrose Place
''Melrose Place'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex on Melrose Place, in ...
'' (“Fighting For My Love”), ''Mad About You
''Mad About You'' is an American television sitcom starring Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a married couple in New York City. It initially aired on NBC from September 23, 1992, to May 24, 1999, winning numerous awards including four Golden Glob ...
'' (“My First Child”), and ''Cold Case
A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or re ...
'' (“Vida mas simple”).
Discography
Albums
* ''Smile'' EP (1991)
* ''My First Child'' 7-Song EP (1993)
* ''The Monkey'' 3-Song EP (1994)
* ''Nil Lara'' (1996)
* ''Testimony'' (2004)[
* ''DA'' (2004)][
]
DVD
* Nil Lara - LIVE @ Sessions at W. 54th Street
References
External links
Official website is from the Wayback Machine 2010 and internal search on PeerMusic link has no information on Nil Lara.
Official website
1964 births
Place of birth missing (living people)
Living people
American male singers
Venezuelan cuatro players
Guitarists from New Jersey
Guitarists from Florida
Musicians from Newark, New Jersey
Musicians from Miami
20th-century American guitarists
American male guitarists
20th-century American male musicians
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