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Bobby Ramirez
In 2018, Bobby Ramirez celebrated 40 years as a performing artist and community service. Virtuoso Cuban musician, flutist, saxophonist, composer, arranger, vocalist and educator, Maestro Bobby Ramirez was born in Camajuani, Santa Clara, Cuba. His father was a black mulato of African heritage and mother a descendant of Spanish European heritage. For more than four decades, his style has been distinctive and unique, forming a perfect harmony between the rhythms of his Cuban Creole heritage, Jazz, and classical music.
Maestro Bobby Ramirez is a unique and charismatic artist that performs Cuban music (Danzón, Contradanzas, traditional Cuban dance music, and Afro-Cuban Jazz), and Jazz (swing, bebop, free jazz). Ramirez's repertoire includes original Cuban inspired works for small Cuban charanga-style ensemble, as well as full string and Big Band orchestra formats.
A powerful performer and improviser on the saxophone and flute, Ramirez maintains an unequivocal equilibrium holding a firm command of the language of jazz and Cuban rhythms drawing from an intensive vocabulary of colorful sounds that inspire and tell his unique musical story and Cuban heritage.
With over 40 music releases, his creative talent also sets him apart as a solo flutist performing free Jazz as well as classical music; including great collection of free Jazz improvisational solo flute works, including: "Celebrating John Coltrane", and 4 releases recorded on location in Puerto Rico. His recordings can be found on iTunes and Amazon.
Bobby's main influences on flute are Hubert Laws, Herbie Mann, Jose Fajardo, Antonio Arcaño, Jean-Pierre Rampal and James Galway. On saxophone, his main influences have been Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Phil Woods. Bobby's vocal talent is exclusively traditional Cuban dance music influenced by Benny More, Barbarito Diez, Compay Segundo, Miguel Matamoro, Celia Cruz, and Arsenio Rodriguez. Bobby's favorite composers include Manuel Saumell Robredo (Cuban - 1817 - 1870), Ignacio Cervantes (Cuban - 1847 - 1905), Gonzalo Roig (Cuban - 1890 - 1970); JS Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, Chopin, Brahms, Handel, Wagner, Debussy, Liszt, and Stravinski. Maynard Ferguson, Stan Kenton, Duke Ellington and Chico O'Farrill where significant influences in his early development as a composer/arranging.
Bobby's teachers included Mr. Rhodes (1975 - Allapallah Middle – beginnings 6th grade); Don Chippinelli (Filer Jr High - early development - first exposure to Jazz 7th grade); Jene Greco (Miami Springs Sr. High School band (10-12th grades Althea Kaplan (Classical flute at Miami-Dade College); Lisa LaCross (private lessons - classical flute); Ed Meina (private lessons - Jazz Saxophone); Tom McCormick (private lessons - Jazz Saxophone); Richard Dumbscum (theory, arranging/composing - Florida International University); Gary Campbell (FIU - Jazz saxophone); JB Dyas (Jazz studies - Miami-Dade College); Brian Cook (saxophone - Miami Dade College); Dra. Mercedes Cros Sandoval, PH.D (Historia Cultural de Cuba)
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Hot Afro-Cuban Jazz Performance On WLRN's South Florida Arts Beat, NPR In SE Florida
Source:
Ed Bell
Please join our audience for another great musical performance on WLRN's South Florida Arts Beat Friday, April 1st, 2011 With PAN CON BISTEC Featuring BOBBY RAMIREZ Born in Cuba and raised in Miami, Bobby Ramirez has grown as a musician expressing his roots in Afro-Cuban rhythm, Latin music and American Jazz. His musical talents have blossomed within South Florida's multi-cultural environment. This multi-dimensional artist is also a writer, marketing expert, dancer and painter. His band includes Antulio Morapiano, Nicky Ortabass, ...
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Bobby Ramirez, Enrique Sendra Mix Jazz and Art This Saturday at WDNA Concert
Source:
JamaicaMusic Offbeat
WDNA 88.9 FM Fine Arts Concert series celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month with live Latin jazz this Saturday, September 25 featuring renowned flutist, saxophonist and Bata drummer Bobby Ramirez and his group Pan con Bistec together with a vibrant and surreal exhibition by Cuban visual artist Enrique Sendra. The works of the talented Cuban-born visual artist, who at age eighteen unveiled his first solo exhibition at the Amelia Pélaez Gallery in Havana, Cuba, has been shown at Miami's Vincent Gallery ...
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Jazz Flutist Bobby Ramirez Makes His New York City Debut
Source:
All About Jazz
Triad Music and Performance Space Wednesday September 25, 2002 And at the Blue Lounge on September 26th
New York, NY - Jazz flutist, saxophonist, vocalist, composer and arranger Bobby Ramirez is pleased to announce his debut appearance at the Triad Music and Performance Space, Wednesday September 25, 2002 (158 W. 72nd St. btw Columbus & Broadway 212. 362.2590) and at the Blue Lounge at Gonzalez y Gonzalez on September 26th (625 Broadway bet. Houston & Bleecker ...
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"If this stirring little hurricane of an album is any indication, Ramirez may one day inherit Dave Valentin's throne as top Latin flute player." Jonathan Widran, AMG
"Ramirez exhibits the strength found in some of the already established Latin Jazz musicians." Egidio Leitao, JazzTimes Magazine
"Bobby's alternating tenor sax and flute helm as fine a degree of hybrid steering as ever you're able to find." Ben Ohmart, LAritmo.com
"What an incredible performance by Bobby Ramirez tonight at Arts Garage! Thank you for an exceptional and very memorable night." Alyona Aleksandra Ushe, Executive Director, The Arts Garage in Delray Beach
Primary Instrument
Flute
Location
Miami
Willing to teach
Beginner to advanced
Credentials/Background
40 years performance experience performing on the flute and saxophone, classical and Jazz
Clinic/Workshop Information
The following topics can be presented as part of a special event at a school, community center, conservatory, church, or music festival. Bobby also specializes in inspiring young people with music. One-on-one instruction, Jazz workshop and seminars, mentoring and tutoring, also, leading small Jazz ensemble, big band or string orchestra, couching about the business of music, rehearsal can be scheduled as part of an event. Topics: • Exploring free Jazz • Jazz improvisation 101 • Jazz improvisation essentials • Developing scat-singing improvisation • Becoming a complete Jazz musician • Celebrating Charlie Parker • Celebrating John Coltrane • The Evolution of Latin Jazz • Developing a stylistic approach to Latin Jazz • Exploring the Jazz Blues • Working with a Jazz Rhythm Section • Essential listening for the Jazz musician • Developing good practicing rituals • Essential business of music • Developing a Jazz repertoire • Essential marketing techniques for the Jazz musician • Finding your unique Jazz "voice" • Jazz inspiration for young people • Exploring the Big Band era • Early Jazz development • Exploring the Brazilian Jazz Repertoire