Entour Entertainment

Here is a list of Entour Entertainment's featured artists for 2011! Visit us at www.entourent.net for our complete roster.

BIO RITMO www.bioritmo.com
Bio Ritmo, founded in 1991, is internationally recognized as one of the leading bands preserving the roots of "Salsa Clasica" while simultaneously taking this music to its next level. Compositions are original, inspired by 70’s Latin music plus incorporate many less common sonic influences such as Electronica, Afro-Beat, Brazilian and Middle Eastern grooves. Bio Ritmo’s music has gained the highest respect of Latin-music connoisseurs and dancers plus attracts a wide variety of fans from across the listening spectrum. Their latest release “Bionico”, ranked in the “Top-Ten iTunes Latin Tropical Albums for 2008 & hailed by the San Franciso Bay Guardian as “one of the best Latin releases of the year!”

SPANGLISH FLY www.spanglishfly.com
This is what Spanish Harlem was rocking to forty years ago. What Sharon Jones did for old school soul, what Antibalas did for Afrobeat and what Chicha Libre is doing for chicha, Spanglish Fly is doing for bugalu. It’s what happened when Cuban son melodies collided with Stax/Volt and Motown, with fiery horns and a fat midtempo groove over a latin beat. It was a Nuyorican phenomenon and very popular back in the day. If you know Bang Bang by Joe Cuba, this is the same kind of thing. It’s about time somebody brought this stuff back and it’s a good thing it’s this band because they have authentic sabor with a 5-piece horn section, three percussionists, piano and a rhythm section plus Erica Ramos’ casually alluring, soulful voice soaring over it when there’s room. As dance music, it’s irresistible. Lucid Culture

MIRAMAR locutormusic.com/miramar
Miramar brings love and anti-love songs about longing to a new generation. They revive the bolero, a traditional Latin American song form, by following in the footsteps of the great Puerto Rican troubadours of the 1950's and 60's, performing a mix of original and classic songs. These nostalgic melodies are passionately sung in intricate harmonies by the mesmerizing vocalist Laura Ann Singh and veteran Salsa singer Reinaldo Alvarez, who doubles on maracas. Their voices are augmented by acoustic guitar, bass, just the right amount of percussion and the eloquent flourishes of leader Marlysse Simmons who alternates between piano and a haunting B3-like organ.

NO BS BRASS www.myspace.com/nobsbrass
No BS! Brass Band is a powerful brass band that embraces the spirit of New Orleans into its original East Coast modern funk. Their danceable arrangements are outstandingly well thought-out and organized, drawing inspiration from funk, jazz, klezmer, calypso, and Led Zeppelin. Nearly every member has had conservatory training, holding various Bachelors and Masters degrees in music. Based in Richmond, Virginia, this band has quickly earned a reputation as a premiere band to see for an evening of heart-pounding energy and uncontrollable dancing.

DEBO BAND www.deboband.com
Since 2006, Debo Band has presented their unique interpretations of classic Ethiopian popular music to Boston-area audiences. Made popular through the renowned Ethiopiques series, the musical inspiration behind Debo Band is an unlikely confluence of Ethiopian pentatonic scales and vocal styles, American soul and funk, and the instrumentation of Eastern European brass bands, including accordion, violins, horns, and drums. Founded by Ethiopian American Danny Mekonnen, a Harvard University educated ethnomusicologist, Debo's performances bring together the best of the last forty years of Ethiopian funk, jazz, and pop, with a reverence for the vintage sounds of the 1970s and a commitment to discovering contemporary gems, mostly fronted by the group's crooning vocalist, Bruck Tesfaye, a native of Addis Ababa. More recently the group has begun developing new compositions, and in 2009, Debo wrote an original score for the award winning Ethiopian short film, "Lezare" (For Today). In May 2009 and February 2010, made two pilgrimages to East Africa for performances at the 8th Ethiopian Music Festival and the 7th Sauti za Busara music festival in Zanzibar.

CHEICK HAMALA DIABATE www.cheickhamala.com
Cheick Hamala Diabate is a West African historian in the Griot tradition, and a world-recognized master of the ngoni, a Malian traditional instrument. A sought after performer, lecturer, storyteller and choreographer throughout Africa, Europe, Asia and Canada, Cheick Hamala began touring in the U.S. in 1995. His performances have been featured at such notable venues as The Smithsonian Institute, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest and many of the top festivals across the US. Whether playing solo, in a traditional trio, or rocking with his full 10-piece orchestra, Cheick Hamala always reflects the historical integrity of an important art form with a rich tradition stretching back hundreds of years to the formation of the Great Malian Empire.