Born: January 29, 1968 Primary Instrument: Guitar, acoustic
Jazz guitarist, Noel Lorica exciting new songs stems from his & Treebo band's diverse cultural backgrounds to blend a subtle but wayward style of jazz which transports you from the jazz clubs of America to the sun drenched beaches of Brazil & South Fl.
Wayward Latin Jazz artist, Noel Lorica has been critically acclaimed for his skill & artistry garnering 21 Grammy Ballot entries. In addition, his songs have charted well and ClearChannel has him on their New Music Network. Because of his talent he has been chosen to have, not one but, two 1 hour telecasts of Comcast's PBS New Music Showcase to be taped in their Springfield, Mass. studios. This includes a coveted Christmas program. Along with this, Noel and his band Treebo have performed at Major Festivals & conventions including West Palm Beach's Sunfest, Latin Heritage festival, Jazzfest, City Place Friday Nights and many others. Their upcoming schedule will include repeat requested performances at Sunfest on May 2nd opening for Marcus Miller and City Place, Sat May 22nd 2010.
Recently on Famecast, Mr. Lorica was the only instrumentalist voted in the Top 5 on any stage and was first in the Latin stage with his songs “Warm Winds” & “Midnight Dreams”. He then was one of the featured artists on the back cover of Billboard's Magazine. He has many fans which he keeps updated through Twitter, Youtube, Myspace, Facebook & his own website.
His third album “Second Glance” won his song “Tell Me Now” with female vocalist Becky Espulgar, Jazz Song of the Year at IACmusic and in addition, his album are selling widely on ITunes. He is currently in preparations for a national tour next year to coincide with the release of his fourth album.
His songs also have been chosen to appear on several compilation CDs and was featured in the Italian Jazz Magazine.
In addition, he is also getting great reviews. SmoothJazzandMore has awarded him in the top 10 albums of the year. And, Karl Stober of Ejazznews states that his debut album is “one of the rare stunning pieces of Latin jazz to hit the scene today”.
Noel Lorica cultural background brings out subtle & sensual diversions to Jazz, combining, Latin rhythms & Asian precision into melody rich songs. Born in Manila, Noel played in a rock band as a teenager, though his mother urged him to take piano lessons. But his love was always the acoustic guitar. He also loved caring for animals & pursued a career in veterinary medicine. Musicially at that time he got exposed to the music of George Benson, Wes Montgomery, Paul Desmond, and the modern jazz instrumentalists. Leaving the Philippines Noel first migrated to San Francisco then decided to go East. He worked in New York & around Philadelphia. Later moving to South Florida where Latin Beats & Jazz influences were all around. There he found his perfect musical fit with a little Wayward style.He started to concentrate on perfecting his craft through tireless practice and soulful dedication. His music today is an expression of his musical and personal journey.
Each song of Noel has it's own character and touches each person differently, that's what seems to set them apart and what keeps more than one song on radio playlists.
Noel Lorica is distributed nationally by Victory Multimedia & Baker & Taylor. He is also on ITunes, Napster, Rhapsody, MSN Music, MusicNet, Yahoo, with many more in negotiations.
Noel Lorica: Composer
Noel Lorica: Acoustic Guitar- Electric Guitar Bass/Rhythm Guitar - Steve Constantino Drums: Arturo Afanador Percussions: Eric Sabinano Keyboards: Sylwester Butzik Accent Percussion / Lyrics - Dee Lorica Vocals: Becky Espulgar Additional Vocals: Jane Waldmann Additional Vocals: Ziarra Washington Additional Percussion- Georgette Afanador Flute: John Hollis (special guest can be requested) Sax: Paul Magersuppe (special guest can be requested)
Discography Distributed by Victory Multimedia 460 Hindry Avenue, Unit D Inglewood, CA 90301
Debut CD: Noel Lorica- First Dance Back in Five Samba in A My Favorite Things El Viento First Dance Midnight Dreams Forgiveness Sarong Bangi Last Dance Scent of Cinnamon Warm Winds
Noel Lorica- Second Glance Second Glance Passing By Tell Me Now All I Want Echoes of Segada, American Journey Amargosa Crazy Nights Tears of Green Your Eyes Novadelic Azul
Christmas CD: Christmas Jazz- On the Smooth & Wayward Path God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Santa Claus is Coming to Town Christmas is Here (Pasko Ay Sumapit) The Christmas Song We Three Kings Scent of Cinnamon (reprised) Angels We Have Heard on High Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas SilverBells
Upcoming Releases: July 2010 - (Single) Painted Wing August 2010 - (Single) Senoras al Fuego Sept 2010 - (Album) Christmas Guitars - No Drums Allowed Feb. 2011 - (Album) Jazz Along the Way....ward
CD Distribution:
Victory Multimedia Baker & Taylor Super D distributors Amazon CD Baby Barnes & Noble Borders
MP3 Distribution:
Apple I Tunes Napster Yahoo MusicNet MSN Music MP3Tunes Sony Connect Broadjam LoudEye Rhapsody BuyMusic Bitmunk Chonda MusicNow Passalong American Idol Underground Walmart.com
More in negotiation
Links http://www.noellorica.com Noel Lorica - Facebook Official Website More of Noel's Video Songs - YouTube Noel Lorica on Twitter ABC News Clip (Noel Lorica & Sunfest)
Awards:
Jazz Song of the Year at IACmusic Entries in the 2007 Grammy awards including : Record of the Year (El Viento, Midnight Dreams, Samba in A & Scent of Cinnamon) Album of the Year (First Dance) Best New Artist (Noel Lorica) Best Jazz Instrumental Solo (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen & My Favorite Things) Best Jazz Instrumental Album (Christmas Jazz - On the Smooth And Wayward Path) Best Instrumental Composition (Scent of Cinnamon & Midnight Dreams) Best Instrumental Arrangement (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen) 2008 Ballot entries: Record of the Year (American Journey, Novadelic, Second Glance) Album of the Year (Second Glance) Song of the Year (Tell Me Now, That's How It Is (Crazy Nights)) Best New Artist (Noel Lorica) Best Pop Instrumental Album (Second Glance) Best Jazz Instrumental Solo (Amargosa) Best Instrumental Composition (Passing By) Best Instrumental Arrangement (Wouldn't it Be Loverly) Best Engineered Album Non-Classical (Second Glance- Chuck Hemann) Great American Song Contest - Award Winner -Honorable Mentioned -"Back in Five" John Lennon Song Contest for Latin category -Top 10 - "Second Glance" Broadjam - 4 Songs voted #1 for Contemporary Jazz, Latin Jazz, All Genre (Florida) & Fan Pick (37-50) Independent Artists Company (KIAC) - #1 (El Viento) & 6 others top 20 in Jazz ITunes (Japan) #15 Christmas Album (Christmas Jazz - On the Smooth & Wayward Path) MP3 tunes - Album (First Dance) #5 in Latin Jazz & #15 in Smooth Jazz. Radiowave - 7 songs charted Prime Movers and Hot Sheet in Jazz, Latin & UrbanAllow me if you will a moment to just sum up one of the rare stunning pieces of Latin jazz to hit the scene today. As fresh as the morning after as elegant as the women the night before, “First Dance” is by all standards a cascade of sensations orchestrated by one Noel Lorica. The passion and fire of the strings just come alive in audio illustrations, illuminating the musical mind.
Mr. Lorica’s compositions have a deep inner purpose to them however gambling with innovation every step of the way. The string manipulation is tenacious and strong. Beats, which are Latin by design, do digress into other ambiances throughout the project. For those who know of Mr. Lorica, his passion for the craft is part of the reason his spirit reveals itself from the music sheets. Listeners will feel this through his composition on the debut project. “Forgiveness” with its angelic introduction of strings mates with the ivory to form a balladesque gem. Lorica’s diversification opens up in this piece, a cut of celebration for those fans of his work. It would be an injustice to push past “Scent of Cinnamon” a wonderful salute of energetic yet subtle sound. From a passive kiss of tones to an upbeat stroll, it’s the way this should have been performed. “First Dance” is pure joy melted on a disc. Take it and make it a standard listen within your four walls. Mr. Lorica needs to get busy! Karl Stober is an international freelance columnist and broadcaster
LA's Super Estrella 107.1 Mariana Diaz ”We'll never be tired of Mr. Lorica's genius arrangements. Each piece sound like they already had lyrics”
4 stars SmoothJazzandMore 4 Stars & Top 10 Albums of the Year. Lorica is a native of Manila, The Philippines and currently resides in South Florida. He's a Classical trained guitarist whose style resembles well established guitarists such as Peter White, Marc Antoine and Earl Klugh. His debut album has much promise. The recording has a variety of jazz rhythms which ventures from Asian to Flamenco to Brazil. His production is high quality and his original compositions are lovely. I personally enjoyed “Samba in 5” as well as “Midnight Dreams”. He also holds his own on American standards such as Rogers & Hammerstein's “My Favorite Things”. I see very good things for Lorica happening with this CD release. This is a hidden gem. It's a musical journey you'll enjoy.
Unsigned Magazine Review Carolina Jones .... definite acoustical jazzy treat. There's an energy so alive and glowing on this CD that it cannot be missed. Seriously folks, Lorica's talent just saunters up and slaps you in the face. No denying it. Track 'El Viento' is the perfect seductive end to a sizzling summer day as Lorica's guitar sings in perfect melody, pitch and temperment to the the track. This is an album for wine and cheese tastings and helpful for adding the right romantic touch where as a mere mortal you might otherwise be lacking.
Fan Reviews Garageband Sexy Guitar Vehicle The guitars are outstanding, and the solos actually carry a tune rather than be wasted as dead air.
The mood is excellent and I feel like drinking a Corona in a Carribbean tiki bar right now. Great job on capturing the mood! Five stars! Reviewed by: Karma_Diver from Tallahassee, Florida
Groovy Ride The tune starts out with guitar on nylon strings. Sophisticated groove. The mood spins a latin tale laid back and in the pocket. Relaxing. Great music for a rainy day like is here is Carolina today.
The 2 guitars have some very interesting interactions. The bass is soft and gentle. Supports the melody nicely. The precussion laying down some latin rhythms. Cool and sweet.
The production was excellent. The song was a solid musical statement. I enjoyed the ride very much. Great job!
Amazon Fan Review JohnnyLightning I'm not as eloquent as some when it come to describing music. All I can say is that this is the best CD I've purchased in a long, long, time...
Mayor's Compliment Mayor Frankel ...some beautiful music today and a special song dedicated to West Palm Beach. http://www.youtube.com/westpalmtv#p/u/18/xrEdN9bV1xY
Amazon Fan Review D.liman After seeing Noel perform live in Orlando and South Florida, I was excited to see his first CD hit the market. I was not disappointed! The CD is a blend of mostly original samba/latin and smooth jazz . The samba and latin oriented songs were the highlights of the CD. If you like Bossa Nova (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bossa_nova), this CD most definitely has tracks that you will love. While I liked the CD as a whole, here are the tracks that are my favorites: Track 1 -- Back in 5 Track 2 -- Samba in A Track 4 -- El Viento Track 5 -- First Dance Track 6 -- Midnight Dreams Track 8 -- Sarong Bangi Track 9 -- Last Dance Track 11 -- Warm Winds If you are looking to discover a new instrumentalist/song writer I recommend you try this CD.
Fan Review Ashley I was busy clicking through cd baby when this album popped out....so I decided to buy it.. the album definitely lived up to the hype...Mr Lorica can squeeze those notes out of the acoustic guitar...that comes out so clear and pure...can't wait for the next one...Ashley
Featured Article Basta Pinoy News A meticulous artist and composer, Lorica’s self-imposed discipline provides his fans what they want. “You have to give your best every time whether your playing for a person or thousands. I think the great artists do this.” http://www.bastapinoy.com/entertainment_music_noel_lorica_200610160007.htm
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