Estudiantina Ensemble

Line up

• Ben (tres)
• Dennis (paillitas)
• Martijn van der Schaaf (guitar)
• Oscar Lorient (vocals, claves, guiro & maracas)
• Paul van der Steen (clave & vocals)
• Remus Aussen (double bass)
• Ricardo Bekema (guitar & lead-vocals)
• Tole Emmelot (flute & vocals)

• country:
  Netherlands
• region:
  Cuba-Puerto Rico
• style(s):
  Danzón Son
• label:
  not signed
• type:
  Band
• gender:
  male
• instrumentation:
  instrumental, vocal
• artist submitted by:
  Jazzconexion

Back in Holland after several musical pelgrimages, singer/guitar player Ricardo "Arisides" Bekema founded the Estudiantina Ensemble in dedication, preservation and continuation of the traditional danzon music in the Estudiantina tradition from Santiago de Cuba and the Eastern Orient provinces of Cuba. The original Estudiantina groups were formed by students who roamed the streets and local festivities and played the popular version of the danzon during the late 19th century.

In addition to the vocals, this style uses two guitars, the tres-guitar, bass, trumpet or flute, claves, guiro, maracas and traditional pailitas cubanas, They recently obtained an original set of these very rare timpani from Santiago de Cuba. After a period of 'road testing' on several stages, the tight sound of the ensemble is recorded on their first Album 'Villa Palagonia".

And the CD was noticed. In 2007 the ensemble received an invitation from Buena Vista Social Club-member Eliades Ochoa to play at the prestigious 'Festival de la Trova Pepe Sanchez' in Santiago de Cuba. And so the Estudiantina Ensemble suddenly performed on legendary stages of the Casa de La Trova, the Plaza de Marti and the Casa de la Musica, in front of the camera's of the Cuban State Television and an ecstatic Cuban crowd.