Carlos Villalobos
Encyclopedia
Carlos Jonathan Villalobos, Jr. is an American composer
, studio musician, recording engineer, and multi-instrumentalist
.
Allmusic said of the group: "Mixing flamenco-styled guitars with contemporary dance rhythms, La Esperanza (is) led by songwriter, producer and session ace Carlos Villaloba, who assembled guitarist Andre Barboza, keyboardist Randy Wheeler and drummer Danny Cruces to record the group's self-titled 1998 debut LP. Esperanza II appeared three years later."
released La Esperanza's debut self-titled album on September 22, 1998. JazzTimes
said of the album:
La Esperanza released "Esperanza II" on July 17, 2001, again on Higher Octave. Amazon.com
said the record was "The freshest take on flamenco since the millennium flipped over..." and Allmusic said the album was "One of the best worldbeat releases of the year.".
On December 12, 2006, Esperanza released a holiday album entitled "Songs For The Season."
Other compilations featuring music from Esperanza include:
, "Ex and the City" (aired on October 3, 1999) featured four Esperanza songs "La Punta", "El Loco", "Love & Lust", "Cara Mia."
.
, The Real World: Paris
and Road Rules Challenge: The Gauntlet.
US Cellular chose to preload the band's song "Please" onto the company's Motorola
ROKR z6m phones.
/Army of Anyone
fame at Solid Sound Recording Studio in Hoffmann Estates, IL.
2001 album Liquifury
. He is credited with co-writing track seven on the album, entitled "Bleed For Me," with Kelly Hansen
(Foreigner) and Jay Schellen
(ASIA). He also performed guitars on the recording.
Villalobos contributed a remix track entitled "In Dreams (Chase The White Rabbit Into Pakistan)" to Fliter's first independent album "Anthems for the Damned," released November 4, 2008.
bestowed a Hoku Award for Best Pop CD to Villalobos for his work on "Jalen."
Villalobos won a second Hoku Award for Best Reggae Album for his work on "O-shen" in 2000.
He also won an IBA Award presented by the Hollywood Radio and Television Society honoring the world’s best radio and television advertising in 1999 for a spot called “Kaneohe."
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, studio musician, recording engineer, and multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
.
La Esperanza
La Esperanza is Villalobos's Latin-new age project.Allmusic said of the group: "Mixing flamenco-styled guitars with contemporary dance rhythms, La Esperanza (is) led by songwriter, producer and session ace Carlos Villaloba, who assembled guitarist Andre Barboza, keyboardist Randy Wheeler and drummer Danny Cruces to record the group's self-titled 1998 debut LP. Esperanza II appeared three years later."
Albums
The record label Higher OctaveHigher Octave
Higher Octave is a sub-label imprint of Narada Productions, which is part of EMI's Blue Note Records label group, located in New York.Higher Octave was founded in 1986 as an independent record label specializing in a wide variety of uplifting music, including smooth jazz, New Age music, Latin music...
released La Esperanza's debut self-titled album on September 22, 1998. JazzTimes
JazzTimes
JazzTimes is a magazine that dates back to Radio Free Jazz, a publication founded in 1970 by Ira Sabin when he was operating a record store in Washington, DC. It was originally a newsletter designed to update shoppers on the latest jazz releases and provide jazz radio programmers with a means of...
said of the album:
Swirling, fleet flamenco guitar work meets modern dance rhythms on La Esperanza (Higher Octave HOMCD 46227; 63:06), a sometimes dizzying romantic showcase for multi-instrumentalist Carlos Villalobos. Unlike many of his Latin-strumming contemporaries, Villalobos doesn't overdress melodies like the lightly walking, cornered "Gabriella's Lullaby," allowing his dynamic strum and fleet fretwork to shine through. He also avoids the everything-sounds-the-same pitfall by reaching for a variety of textures and styles, from "Spanish Eyes," which amps up a heavy flamenco stomp with rattling, dancing contemporary percussion, to "Para Mi Nicole," a cinematic, dreamy piece which echoes Sting's touching "Fragile." Industrial-to-"house" type rhythms resonate with the chant-and-clap traditionalism of "Guapa." The only slight misfire here is a pop-soul ballad, "What Would Love Do Now," marred by a somewhat melodramatic Glenn Medeiros vocal... and a tendency to introduce other tunes with new agey, keyboard effect-heavy opens. Make it past those intros, however, and there are many rewarding layers to uncover.
La Esperanza released "Esperanza II" on July 17, 2001, again on Higher Octave. Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
said the record was "The freshest take on flamenco since the millennium flipped over..." and Allmusic said the album was "One of the best worldbeat releases of the year.".
On December 12, 2006, Esperanza released a holiday album entitled "Songs For The Season."
Compilations
In 1999, the group appeared on the compilation album "Chicago Rapid Transit: Grooves 99" with a remix track named "Spanish Eyes/Flamenc Tronic Mix."Other compilations featuring music from Esperanza include:
- Music for the New Millennium (Virgin)
- Nuevo Flamenco (Higher Octave/Virgin)
- Rendezvous: Echoes Within the City (Higher Octave/Virgin)
- Tabu: Mondo Flamenco (Narada)
- Gypsy Magic: Nouveau Flamenco (EMI)
Placements
The season finale of Sex And The CitySex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
, "Ex and the City" (aired on October 3, 1999) featured four Esperanza songs "La Punta", "El Loco", "Love & Lust", "Cara Mia."
Angry Chiwawah
Angry Chiwawah is Carlos Villalobos's heavy rock project. The band released their album "Unleashed" through Rhodium Records on April 30, 2002. The cover art for "Unleashed" features model/actress Brande RoderickBrande Roderick
Brande Nicole Roderick is an American model and actress known for her appearances in Baywatch and Playboy.-Personal life:...
.
Placements
MTV featured the band's music on The Real World: Las VegasThe Real World: Las Vegas
The Real World: Las Vegas is the twelfth season of MTV's reality television series The Real World, which focuses on a group of diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras follow their lives and interpersonal relationships...
, The Real World: Paris
The Real World: Paris
The Real World: Paris is the thirteenth season of MTV's reality television series The Real World, which focuses on a group of diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras follow their lives and interpersonal relationships...
and Road Rules Challenge: The Gauntlet.
US Cellular chose to preload the band's song "Please" onto the company's Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
ROKR z6m phones.
Starting From Zero
In 2008, Villalobos began production on "Starting From Zero." Villalobos tracked drums with producer/engineer Rae Dileo of FilterFilter (band)
Filter is a rock group formed in 1993 in Cleveland by singer Richard Patrick and guitarist/programmer Brian Liesegang. Filter has released five studio albums, the most recent being The Trouble with Angels, which was released on August 17, 2010....
/Army of Anyone
Army of Anyone
Army of Anyone was a supergroup formed by Filter frontman Richard Patrick with two of the then-former members of rock band Stone Temple Pilots. In addition to Patrick on vocals, the band featured Dean DeLeo and Robert DeLeo on guitars and bass, respectively, and Ray Luzier on drums...
fame at Solid Sound Recording Studio in Hoffmann Estates, IL.
Other Projects
Villalobos is featured on the band Hurricane'sHurricane (band)
Hurricane was a 1980s heavy metal / glam metal rock band originally featuring current Foreigner lead vocalist Kelly Hansen , Robert Sarzo , Tony Cavazo , and Jay Schellen...
2001 album Liquifury
Liquifury
Liquifury is the fourth studio album released by the hard rock band Hurricane. It arrived eleven years after the band's previous release, and it can be considered a "reunion" effort from the band, although two of the original four band members are absent....
. He is credited with co-writing track seven on the album, entitled "Bleed For Me," with Kelly Hansen
Kelly Hansen
Kelly Hansen is an American singer, best known as the current frontman of the rock band Foreigner. He started his career as an independent studio singer. He later met guitarist Robert Sarzo and bassist Tony Cavazo , with whom he formed the hard-rock band Hurricane in 1984...
(Foreigner) and Jay Schellen
Jay Schellen
Jay Schellen is a U.S. drummer who is best known as a member of the hard-rock band Hurricane. Schellen has also worked and currently working with a number of other heavy rock and progressive rock bands, including with Asia World Trade, CIRCA:, Unruly Child and several members of Yes.-Career:in...
(ASIA). He also performed guitars on the recording.
Villalobos contributed a remix track entitled "In Dreams (Chase The White Rabbit Into Pakistan)" to Fliter's first independent album "Anthems for the Damned," released November 4, 2008.
Accolades
In 1998, the Hawai'i Academy of Recording ArtsHawai'i Academy of Recording Arts
The Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts is a nonprofit organization formed in 1982 to stimulate interest in the local recording industry and the music of Hawaii.-External links:*...
bestowed a Hoku Award for Best Pop CD to Villalobos for his work on "Jalen."
Villalobos won a second Hoku Award for Best Reggae Album for his work on "O-shen" in 2000.
He also won an IBA Award presented by the Hollywood Radio and Television Society honoring the world’s best radio and television advertising in 1999 for a spot called “Kaneohe."
External links
- www.carlosvillalobos.com − official website