Amanda Martinez – Vocals
Alexander Brown – Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Osvaldo Rodriguez – Violin, Piano
Kevin Laliberté – Guitars, Keys, Drum & Bass Programming
Drew Birston – Upright & Electric Bass, Ukulele,
Accordion, Piano
Rosendo ‘Chendy’ León – Drums, Percussion, Backup Vocals

Featuring:
Aviva Chernick – Vocals in Hebrew (5)
Donné Roberts – Vocals in Malagasey (9)
Waleed Abdulhamid – Vocals in Bamo, Guitar (6)

Described by World Music Central as “one of the great new voices in Spanish language Latin music,” Amanda Martinez has been embraced by audiences all over the world. Born to a Mexican father and South African Jewish mother, Martinez brings a unique cultural blend to her music. With Recuerdo, her adventurous fifth album, Martinez begins a new  musical chapter. Produced by her long-time guitarist and co-writer Kevin Laliberté and her husband, bassist Drew Birston, it is a daring and adventurous recording that incorporates elements of world music, jazz fusion, Latin rhythms, and with an injection of pop. It is her most personal album to date.

Recuerdo – which can be translated as “I Remember” in English – is Martinez’s response to the recent passing of her father Gustavo, from whom she inherited her love of music and zest for life. Gustavo arrived in Canada in 1956, riding his bicycle all the way to Toronto from Mexico City in 83 days. He landed in Canada speaking no English, but still managed to graduate at the top of his engineering class at the University of Toronto at age 30. Despite being an artist at heart, he still encouraged his daughter to pursue a more practical path: Martinez studied biology as an undergraduate and completed her masters in international business, which eventually lead her to a job as Associate Director for Trade Finance for Latin America at TD. Despite her success, Martinez knew this wasn’t the path for her. Taking inspiration from her father’s leap of faith years before, she decided to change directions at age 30, pursuing music full time. His inspiration doesn’t stop there: The song Todavía is penned with her father’s words in mind.

As you listen to Recuerdo you’ll find plenty to savour: it’s a passionate and emotional musical journey, with lyrics and rhythms thoughtfully planted in the past and melodies that point towards a brighter future ahead.

amandamartinez.ca

Release Date: Friday, July 5th 2024