Aurelio Martinez

AURELIO MARTINEZ with YOUSSOU N’DOUR

Acclaimed for both his preservation and modernization of the Paranda musical tradition, Aurelio’s virtuosity is found in his distinctive, penetrating vocals and his talent as a composer. Aurelio was born into a family possessing a long and distinguished musical tradition in the small Garifuna community of Plaplaya in Honduras. Aurelio began playing guitar as soon as he was old enough to hold the instrument. By the age of six he was regularly playing drums at social gatherings. Inspired by his grandmother and his father, Aurelio gathered a vast repertoire, which later enabled him to develop his own style.

Thanks to a mentorship with Afro pop legend Youssou N’Dour as part of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, Martinez found himself in Senegal learning from the stunning singer, rethinking his arrangements and as you will hear in “Labaru Wanwa”, the result is a lush journey marked with thoughtful reflections that Garifuna music is alive and well, and that artists are moving it forward.

SONG: ~Labaru Wanwa~ http://tinyurl.com/UnitedInSong2 [pwd: garifuna]

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