DO (featuring Omar Sosa & Greg Landau) Downloads

DO (Day Off) reflect a new vision of Latin American music - a portrait capturing the evolution of blended African and European indigenous traditions painted with new technological tools and textures. DO is the brainchild between longtime collaborators, producer/musician Greg Landau and Cuban piano... Learn More »

DO (Day Off) reflect a new vision of Latin American music - a portrait capturing the evolution of blended African and European indigenous traditions painted with new technological tools and textures. DO is the brainchild between longtime collaborators, producer/musician Greg Landau and Cuban piano star Omar Sosa. The Day Off recordings came to fruition during Sosa’s visit to Landau’s garage recording studio.  On a random day off, Sosa immersed himself in front of  Landau’s computer and began elaborating on his raw sonic sketches.  The result is ten laid out tracks beautifully crafted into 21st century Latin American electronic soundscapes.

Greg Landau and Omar Sosa first met in Nicaragua in the 1980’s, where they shared stages during the Nicaraguan revolution as a part of the innovative “Nueva Cancion” movement that fused revolutionary messages with a spirit of innovation based on the folk traditions of Latin America.  Landau toured extensively throughout Latin America with Luis Enrique Mejia Godoy and Mancotal, while Sosa with Vicente Feliu, a founder of the Cuban “Nueva Trova.”  This experience gave both artists a view of the diversity of Latin American cultures and the idea that music should reflect the social and political realities of the moment.

In the 1990’s, Landau returned to his hometown San Francisco where he began to produce a series of innovative recordings including two Grammy nominated recordings with Carlos “Patato” Valdes and the groundbreaking debut of Afro-Peruvian singer Susana Baca.  His recordings of inventive Cuban musicians have been included in over 12 Cuban compilations.  Landau collaborated with Buena Vista Social Club’s Juan de Marcos Gonzalez on the production of timbalero Amadito Valdes’ Grammy nominated release in 2003 and the Afro Cuban All Stars DVD, Live in Japan.  Most recently he has produced albums for a variety of innovative Latin American artists from Chicano funksters, Quetzal, Cuban diva Bobi Cespedes, barrio rockers Los Mocosos, Mexico’s Maldita Vecindad, Sambada, Santero and many others.

Omar Sosa and Greg Landau began working together in 1996, collaborating on recordings with legendary Cuban percussionists Carlos “Patato” Valdes and Pancho Quinto.  Later they recorded Oaktown Irawo with Cuban musicians Jesus Diaz, Yosvany Terry, and Tower of Power’s drummer Dave Garibaldi.  In 1997, Omar Sosa began to expand his horizons digging into the diverse paths that African cultures have evolved in the African Diaspora.  His music began to challenge the musical boundaries of Latin Jazz by using elements of hip-hop, North African rhythms, and diverse Latin American styles.  His live performances are legendary for their theatrical elements and the flowing streams of this improvisational genius.  He has played the great concert halls of the world with royalty of world music and has recorded 15 CDs of his own compositions and has received two Grammy nominations and numerous awards as one of the world’s most innovative musicians.

Day Off includes collaborators such as percussionist Michael Spiro, Cuban saxophonist Luis Depestre, the voices of the Herrera family, DJ Mr.E, hip-hop legend One Drop Scot, and guitarist Camilo Landau.
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