La Sonora Libre

"CONGA, TUMBA, SENTIMIENTO Y SABROSURA, TAMBOR
DE LA RUMBA DURA”

LA SONORA LIBRE was founded in March 2011 by Mauricio Ochoa, its director, percussionist and head composer. Although based in Barcelona, Spain, its first concerts known as “La Descarga” took place during the months of April & May of 2011 in Quito, Ecuador, birthplace of Mauricio Ochoa, receiving a warm reception from the public.

The Orchestra is made up of twelve talented Barcelona based musicians from Ecuador, Colombia, Cuba, Venezuela, Chile, Spain and Italy who are known locally, nationally and internationally on the salsa, jazz, flamenco, world music & fusion circuits amongst others. Such a diverse musical background nourishes the sound of La Sonora Libre, whilst their original compositions maintain the essence and traditions of salsa and latin jazz at it’s finest.

In June of 2011 La Sonora Libre received a grant from the Ecuadorian Ministry Of Culture which helped fund the recording of their first album “Salsa Dura & Jazz Latino Pal´Barrio y Pal´Bailador” and in November of 2011 they entered the studio to record eight original compositions where conscious salsa dura and latin jazz meets high quality musicianship with a potent urban sound. After the official release of their debut album on the 2nd February 2012, La Sonora Libre was quickly ranking highly in the many charts and was Top 10’s of websites, magazines, blogs, radio stations, music distributors and other medias specialized in salsa, latin jazz and world music on a truly international scale. “La Negra Salsa”, the most visited online salsa magazine in Barcelona, named La Sonora Libre the “Orquesta Revelación” and the CD remained 16 consecutive weeks at the “Top 10 Latin Jazz albums” of ‘CD Baby’, the international music distributor.

The music of La Sonora Libre has spread rapidly and it has become one of the favourites orchestras amongst djs, music lovers and dancers. La Sonora Libre has created its own cultural identity within the Spanish and Worldwide salsa scenes and it has been invited to play in many national and international festivals and events.

SONORA is a Spanish word used for something that produces sound, something that sounds good, and something that makes a lot of sound and obviously sounds pleasant. It is a common word that DJs and Orchestras in Latin America popularly use. SONORA is also a format of orchestra, which is commonly used in groups of Cumbia and Salsa, characterized by the use of three trumpets in the brass section. Even though La Sonora Libre does not use this format, it takes this word because it represents the voice and the sound of the people.

LA SONORA IS LIBRE (free) because it remain true to its Afro Latin heritage and culture, well versed in the origins and traditions of the genre, it does not try formulas and it is not scared to cross musical boundaries. LA SONORA is LIBRE (free) because it has a complete freedom of expression. La Sonora Libre speaks its mind and speaks of issues we deal with every day from a frank, honest, unified, critical and positive perspective.


With an emphatic drive of 12 pieces on stage, this band leaves no one indifferent. Their energy, dedication, charisma and their high musical standards are alive in every concert. They bring the rhythm and joy of Afro-Latin music that embraces the audience and that invites everybody to dance. Their music flows and vibrates.