Press Release : For Latin trio MAS Y MAS, their recording trip to Cuba was a very special one indeed: a time to reconnect with one of their chief musical sources; to Jam with some of the island’s musical practitioners; and to meet old friends and teachers. The resulting brand new album 'La Bala' captures all the energy and freshness of those heady encounters.
In 2008, armed with an album’s worth of new songs, the three members of Más Y Más - double bassist Wayne D Evans, conguero Richard Kensington, Spanish guitarist Rikki Thomas-Martinez - set off for Havana to collaborate with Riki’s long time teacher and mentor 'Chaguito'. They took along their own recording equipment, Rikki’s trusty AppleMac, along with instruments, gifts and dreams. The amount of luggage caused some interesting scenes at check-in terminals in various airports.
The band had the honour of using the studio of the Septeto Nacional to rehearse and record the songs. Guesting on the album are:
Melciades Fundora - Wooden Flute and founder member of Orquesta Sublime
Juan Carlos Tito Rojas- First Trumpet from Pachito Alonso y Sus Kini Kini
Arelys Catillo Bequer - Trombone from Coto y su eco del Caribe
Odalys Flores Armenteros - Vocalist from Ada Che
Adriana Lord Romero - Vocalist from Vocal Catarsis
Frank Garzon Rill — percussionist
Miguel Martinez Rosas — Trescero from Papa Oviedo y Sus Soneros
Rikki’s songs continue to provide an internal source of inspiration for the band. Half-Spanish, half-British, growing up, he lived at different periods in Alicante, La Cala, Cheltenham, London and Madrid. A cross-cultural traveller he was ‘El Ingles’ to his Spanish school mates and 'the Gypo' to the English ones. His nomadic formative years created a restless adult but one with a great respect and love of other cultures. Rikki grew up speaking English, Spanish and French-this is reflected in his song writing: most are written in Spanish, some in English and some in Spanish and English, and a few in French.
Rikki Thomas-Maainez has spent years honing his skills as a nylon string guitarist starting by setting off Into Europe with nothing but his guitar, a hitch hiker's thumb and a desire that he should find and pay for his way through his music. He travelled and played and played and travelled until he found himself in Calle Amor de Dios In Madrid where he met El Entri the great flamenco Master and teacher. Rikki studied with El Entri for many years always bringing what he had learnt back to the UK and making it his own in Más Y Mãs.
Wayne D Evans, plays double bass in the band bringing four decades of knowledge and experience of punk, latin, new wave, country and reggae. He has worked as a musician since he was 13 years old when he made his first TV appearance on a show called "Come Here often?" which was the pilot show that preceded "Magpie" back in the days when there were only two television channels. He now also plays with Stiff Records old time legend Harry Stephenson in The Last Pedestrians as well as making occasional appearances with slide guitar legend Johnny Dickenson
Richard Kensington, new boy — just joined 10 years ago, ace percussionist who has developed an original set up of congas, bass drum, cajon, woodblock, cymbal and guiro which he can pretty much play most of the at the same time! RK has contributed to the Más Y Mas sound by adapting his knowledge and experience of Cuban drumming to a trio setting changing and developing what he has learnt to suit the needs of a three piece.
The addition of the Cuban musicians, and the location and creativitiy of Havana, have added a whole new dimension to the music of Mas Y Mas, one that communicates it’s joys with each new listen to ‘La Bala’.
La Bala is released on Luminoso Records, February 2010 in the UK. More details from the Mas Y Mas website
Buy a copy of La Bala
