Vocal Sampling is an all-male
a cappella
''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
musical group
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
from
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
. They are distinctive for their rich ''a cappella'' adaptations of traditional Cuban
salsa music
Salsa music is a style of Latin American music. Because most of the basic musical components predate the labeling of salsa, there have been many controversies regarding its origin. Most songs considered as salsa are primarily based on son montun ...
,
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 ...
, and
Rumba
The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba ...
, such as their renditions of "El Cuarto de Tula" and "La Negra Tomasa", vocally imitating the
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
,
cowbell
A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. Although they are t ...
,
conga
The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...
,
bass, and
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
, used originally in such songs. Their 2002
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
''Cambio de Tiempo'' ( en, Change of Time) was nominated for 3
Latin Grammy Award
The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been r ...
s.
The six members of Vocal Sampling, all accomplished instrumentalists and arrangers, met at Havana's Instituto Superior de Arte while studying music. Looking for ways to provide music for ill-equipped house parties inspired to unorthodox solutions and soon the unique sound of Vocal Sampling was created.
Members
* René Baños
* Jorge Chaviano
* Oscar Porro
* Abel Sanabria
* Reinaldo Sanler
* Renato Mora
Discography
* ''Una Forma Mas'' (April 1995)
* ''De Vacaciones'' (July 1997)
* ''Live in Berlin'' (1998)
[CD liner notes: "Recorded 200% live on August 8th 1997 at the Heimatlklange Festival in Berlin, Germany." CD is copyright 1998.]
* ''Cambio de Tiempo'' (April 2002)
* ''Akapelleando'' (January 2008)
References
Cuban musical groups
Salsa music groups
Professional a cappella groups
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