“Ogguere is a master of rhythm and of the harmonics that are wrought from the expert dissection of the jazz metaphor and the clave of Cuban son. Using this shamanistic knowledge of the soul of these musics, the vocalist and impresario imbues his vocalastics with a special bronzed colour and a riot of tonal shades and a multiplicity of textures.”
~ Raul da Gama, The World Music Report
Ogguere (aka Edrey Riveri) is one of the leading lights of the Havana Norte phenomenon which has so brilliantly shone upon Toronto’s musical landscape since the mid 2000s. This luminously talented singer and jazz poet unites contemporary and traditional Afro-Cuban music forms — rumba, son, salsa, timba and more — with styles from around the world such as jazz, funk, rock, disco and hiphop into a voice uniquely his own. It seems only fitting that an artist whose name is a Yoruba word for “soul of the earth” has chosen to make his home in the global crossing of Toronto....
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“Ogguere is a master of rhythm and of the harmonics that are wrought from the expert dissection of the jazz metaphor and the clave of Cuban son. Using this shamanistic knowledge of the soul of these musics, the vocalist and impresario imbues his vocalastics with a special bronzed colour and a riot of tonal shades and a multiplicity of textures.”
~ Raul da Gama, The World Music Report
Ogguere (aka Edrey Riveri) is one of the leading lights of the Havana Norte phenomenon which has so brilliantly shone upon Toronto’s musical landscape since the mid 2000s. This luminously talented singer and jazz poet unites contemporary and traditional Afro-Cuban music forms — rumba, son, salsa, timba and more — with styles from around the world such as jazz, funk, rock, disco and hiphop into a voice uniquely his own. It seems only fitting that an artist whose name is a Yoruba word for “soul of the earth” has chosen to make his home in the global crossing of Toronto.
In recent years, Ogguere has released two full-length albums and developed an international profile as a member of Gilles Peterson’s world-renowned Havana Cultura. A native of Havana, Edrey began his career in 1995 when he met the Amenaza Group — who were performing under the name Orishas and became the best-known Cuban rap group of all-time –and collaborated with them as a guest performer on some of the top stages in Cuba. By 1996, Edrey had formed his own group, 100% Original, and shared the stage with top international hiphop artists such as The Roots, Mos Def, Common Sense, Montel Jordan, and La Mala Rodriguez among others. He quickly became known and respected as one of the pioneers of the Cuban rap scene — recording his own songs as well as highly innovative covers for international producers, organizing radio broadcasts and events such as the Havana Hiphop MCs street festivals, and capturing the attention of major media such as The Washington Post and Boston Globe among others.
In 2001, Edrey recorded the song ‘Cha Cha Cha – The Aragon’ with foundational Cuban ensemble Orquesta Aragon de Cuba, for their seminal album En Route. The record received international acclaim, including a Grammy nomination for Latin Music Artist of the Year alongside the likes of legendary vocalist Celia Cruz. The following year, Edrey decided to rename his group Ogguere, a Yoruba word that means tierra fertil (Soul of the Earth), and presented a new single to his fans called ‘Como Esta el Yogurt’ that was greatly received throughout Cuba.
His first album as Ogguere, Llena de Amor el Mambo, was recorded in 2006 at Abdala Studios, the top recording facility in Cuba. Released on the Acere label, it included collaborations with his native country’s top artists including: Maria Caridad Valdez, Aidé Milanes, Diana Fuentes, Roberto Hernandez, and Oscar Valdez (formerly of Irakere). This record achieved the highest recognition awarded by the Academy of Cuban Music, the Premio Cuba Disco award in 2008, and led to Ogguere sharing the stage with greats such as Chucho Valdes and Roberto Fonseca. Also in 2008, Edrey co-wrote songs with Spanish star Beatriz Luengo for her album Carrousel, which sold over 250,000 copies and went platinum in Europe. On September 20, 2009, Ogguere performed in front of close to 1.5 million people at the Concert for Peace in Havana, joined byi Grammy winners such as Juan Formell y Los Van Van Juanes, Olga Tanon, Miguel Bose, Orishas, Jovanotti and Danay Suarez.
Over the past several years, Ogguere has grown immensely on the international stage through his association with Gilles Peterson’s Havana Cultura. As an integral part of this groundbreaking global collaboration, Ogguere has performed across North America and Europe. His most recent full-length album, Solar, was nominated for a Cubadisco Award, and since moving to Toronto in 2010 he has become recognized as a vital voice within La Havana Norte’s Latin jazz, Cuban, hip-hop and rap scenes that are teeming with cross-pollinations. To date in 2013, he has performed at a sold-out Koerner Hall with Heavyweights Brass Band and Giovanni Hidalgo as well as Lulaworld 2013 with fellow jazz poet Telmary; previously in 2012, Ogguere headlined the main stage of Manifesto at Yonge Dundas Square.
Now, Ogguere is hard at work with his band comprised of Toronto’s top Cuban and Canadian musicians on his third full-length album; with the goal of taking his unique hybrid of contemporary & folkloric Cuban music, North American and world music to the next level artistically, and on the road to stages where his musical soul of the earth may shine the brightest.
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