La Mano Ajena
Encyclopedia
La Mano Ajena is a Chilean band founded in 2002 that mixes rhythms from Eastern Europe
, Latin America
, France
and Russia
, blending all these sounds in a pastiche that also unites the tendencies of each member of the band: rock, punk, Latin American folklore and theater music. This musical project is unique in Chile
, and its hybrid sound has been called "klezmer a la chilena" by press.
Its first references were Jazz manouche, Klezmer
, Balkan and Gypsy music, rhythms to which later they would incorporate Latin influences like Cumbia
, Mambo, Cha-cha-cha, Tango and Rumba; creating a cosmopolitan sonority.
From its beginning, the band was a precursor in spreading the Gypsy, Balkan and Klezmer rhythms in Chilean stages; and today, after almost a decade, they are one of the most important and celebrated bands from the so called “new culture of musical carnival” that has taken place in Chile in the last years.
La Mano Ajena has played in many stages abroad and inside of Chile, in countries as Denmark, Spain, Serbia and Argentina. In Santiago, they have shared stage with bands as Gogol Bordello
and Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra.
In January, 2009, they became the first and only Latin American band to participate in the Küstendorf Film and Music Festival in Serbia, created by the twice Palm d’Or winner in Cannes and world famous filmmaker Emir Kusturica
, whose band The No Smoking Orchestra is the main and most important reference concerning Balkan and Gypsy music in the world.
La Mano Ajena incorporates in its work a traditional repertoire sung in diverse languages: Gypsy language, Yiddish, Hebrew, French
, English
and Spanish
. Its members are 8 multi-instrumentalists: Rodrigo Latorre, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, guitar, piccolo flute, keyboard and theremin; María Fernanda Carrasco, vocals, keyboard, melodica and minor percussion; Danka Villanueva, violin and marimba; Gabriel Moyla, accordion, alto saxophone and baritone saxophone; Jair Moreno, clarinet; Álvaro Sáez, drums, darbuka and djembe; and Cristian Aqueveque, electric bass and double bass. Most of them have been part of important Chilean theater companies.
and his No Smoking Orchestra asked La Mano Ajena to join them on stage during their show in Santiago, on October 13. During that occasion, the band was also invited to participate in the Kusturica’s Küstendorf Film Festival
2009, annual event held in Mokra Gora, Serbia
, where the Chilean musicians shared stage with bands like Haydamaky from Ukraine and Leb I Sol from Macedonia. They were the first Latin-American musicians to play in the music section in the festival.
The show given by La Mano Ajena was praised by some of the most important guests of the festival, like the American director Jim Jarmusch
and Thierry Frémaux, head of Cannes Film Festival
.
Since then, there’s a close bond of friendship and musical affinity between both groups. In February 2009, La Mano Ajena was invited once again to share stage with The No Smoking Orchestra during their 10th anniversary tour, in which they played in Viña del Mar, Chile. About the Chilean musicians, Kusturica said to local press that there’s a “special connection” between both bands, while Nelle Karajlic
, the singer and leader of the Serbian group, stated that in Serbia La Mano Ajena members were “heroes”.
and Spain
. On that same year, their first album was released in Spain by the Fundación Autor record company. In 2008, on their second European tour, they played 19 times in different Danish cities.
On November 2009, La Mano Ajena opened the concert of the world famous New York gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello
, on their first visit to Chile.
In Chile, they have played in some of the most important stages of the country, and their versatility has led them to create original music and songs for television shows. In 2009, they participated in “Leche para Haití” a charity concert created to raise funds for children in Haití; and they were part of the cultural program “Creando Chile en mi barrio” (“Creating Chile in my neighborhood”), organized by the Chilean Ministry of Culture, where, as a cultural delegation, they travelled around the country playing in different stages, recording new tracks, teaching lessons and sharing their experiences with new musicians and bands from different corners of Chile.
In 2010, they created the Music School Escuela Ajena, in which all the band members shared their musical knowledge with children, teenagers and adults. This idea was related to the band's interest for teaching to younger generations specially, and it was also a result of the musicians' social concerns.
La Mano Ajena is currently recording their third album in studio, a works that should be released by the end of 2011.
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, blending all these sounds in a pastiche that also unites the tendencies of each member of the band: rock, punk, Latin American folklore and theater music. This musical project is unique in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, and its hybrid sound has been called "klezmer a la chilena" by press.
Its first references were Jazz manouche, Klezmer
Klezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
, Balkan and Gypsy music, rhythms to which later they would incorporate Latin influences like Cumbia
Cumbia
Cumbia is a music genre popular across Latin America. The cumbia originated in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, where it is associated with an eponymous dance and has since spread as far as Mexico and Argentina...
, Mambo, Cha-cha-cha, Tango and Rumba; creating a cosmopolitan sonority.
From its beginning, the band was a precursor in spreading the Gypsy, Balkan and Klezmer rhythms in Chilean stages; and today, after almost a decade, they are one of the most important and celebrated bands from the so called “new culture of musical carnival” that has taken place in Chile in the last years.
La Mano Ajena has played in many stages abroad and inside of Chile, in countries as Denmark, Spain, Serbia and Argentina. In Santiago, they have shared stage with bands as Gogol Bordello
Gogol Bordello
Gogol Bordello is a Gypsy punk band from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, formed in 1999 and known for theatrical stage shows and persistent touring.Much of the band's sound is inspired by Gypsy music...
and Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra.
In January, 2009, they became the first and only Latin American band to participate in the Küstendorf Film and Music Festival in Serbia, created by the twice Palm d’Or winner in Cannes and world famous filmmaker Emir Kusturica
Emir Kusturica
Emir Nemanja Kusturica , is a Serbian filmmaker, actor and musician, recognized for several internationally acclaimed feature films...
, whose band The No Smoking Orchestra is the main and most important reference concerning Balkan and Gypsy music in the world.
La Mano Ajena incorporates in its work a traditional repertoire sung in diverse languages: Gypsy language, Yiddish, Hebrew, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. Its members are 8 multi-instrumentalists: Rodrigo Latorre, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, guitar, piccolo flute, keyboard and theremin; María Fernanda Carrasco, vocals, keyboard, melodica and minor percussion; Danka Villanueva, violin and marimba; Gabriel Moyla, accordion, alto saxophone and baritone saxophone; Jair Moreno, clarinet; Álvaro Sáez, drums, darbuka and djembe; and Cristian Aqueveque, electric bass and double bass. Most of them have been part of important Chilean theater companies.
Küstendorf Film and Music Festival 2009
In 2008, the famous Serbian filmmaker Emir KusturicaEmir Kusturica
Emir Nemanja Kusturica , is a Serbian filmmaker, actor and musician, recognized for several internationally acclaimed feature films...
and his No Smoking Orchestra asked La Mano Ajena to join them on stage during their show in Santiago, on October 13. During that occasion, the band was also invited to participate in the Kusturica’s Küstendorf Film Festival
Küstendorf Film Festival
Küstendorf Film Festival is an annual event held during early January in the town of Drvengrad in the Mokra Gora region of Serbia....
2009, annual event held in Mokra Gora, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, where the Chilean musicians shared stage with bands like Haydamaky from Ukraine and Leb I Sol from Macedonia. They were the first Latin-American musicians to play in the music section in the festival.
The show given by La Mano Ajena was praised by some of the most important guests of the festival, like the American director Jim Jarmusch
Jim Jarmusch
James R. "Jim" Jarmusch is an American independent film director, screenwriter, actor, producer, editor and composer. Jarmusch has been a major proponent of independent cinema, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s.-Early life:...
and Thierry Frémaux, head of Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
.
Since then, there’s a close bond of friendship and musical affinity between both groups. In February 2009, La Mano Ajena was invited once again to share stage with The No Smoking Orchestra during their 10th anniversary tour, in which they played in Viña del Mar, Chile. About the Chilean musicians, Kusturica said to local press that there’s a “special connection” between both bands, while Nelle Karajlic
Nele Karajlic
dr. Nele Karajlić a.k.a. Nele Karajlić, born on December 11, 1962 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, , is a Bosnian Serb rock and roll musician, composer, actor and television director living and working in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia.One of the founders of New Primitivism movement in Sarajevo,...
, the singer and leader of the Serbian group, stated that in Serbia La Mano Ajena members were “heroes”.
Past and present
During 2006 they went on their first European Tour, doing shows in several cities of DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. On that same year, their first album was released in Spain by the Fundación Autor record company. In 2008, on their second European tour, they played 19 times in different Danish cities.
On November 2009, La Mano Ajena opened the concert of the world famous New York gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello
Gogol Bordello
Gogol Bordello is a Gypsy punk band from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, formed in 1999 and known for theatrical stage shows and persistent touring.Much of the band's sound is inspired by Gypsy music...
, on their first visit to Chile.
In Chile, they have played in some of the most important stages of the country, and their versatility has led them to create original music and songs for television shows. In 2009, they participated in “Leche para Haití” a charity concert created to raise funds for children in Haití; and they were part of the cultural program “Creando Chile en mi barrio” (“Creating Chile in my neighborhood”), organized by the Chilean Ministry of Culture, where, as a cultural delegation, they travelled around the country playing in different stages, recording new tracks, teaching lessons and sharing their experiences with new musicians and bands from different corners of Chile.
In 2010, they created the Music School Escuela Ajena, in which all the band members shared their musical knowledge with children, teenagers and adults. This idea was related to the band's interest for teaching to younger generations specially, and it was also a result of the musicians' social concerns.
La Mano Ajena is currently recording their third album in studio, a works that should be released by the end of 2011.
Discography
- "La Mano Ajena" Sello Azul Records (2005)
- "Radio Galena" Sello Oveja Negra Records (2008)