Eliane Correa, La Evolución - Signo de fuego (2022) [Hi-Res]

Signo de Fuego is the first album by Eliane Correa's most recent project, La Evolución - a fresh, high-energy 14-piece Cuban timba fusion orchestra consisting of some of the top Cuban and Latin musicians in the UK and Europe. The whole album was written and recorded during the pandemic and recorded in 7 countries over 3 continents by 23 musicians including the likes of Yuri Hernández (Nathy Peluso, NG La Banda) in Barcelona, Ernesto Marichales (Jordan Rakei, Larry Harlow) in London and Dani Morales (Patax, Alain Pérez). After selling out 3 shows in a row at the legendary Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club and headlining the Latin stage at Glastonbury Festival, the orchestra is releasing their album, Signo de Fuego, on April 8th 2022 with Somos Más Records.

One of the most established Latin musicians of the UK despite her young age, Eliane Correa is a Latina powerhouse pianist and composer most known for her multi- award-winning Latin fusion project WARA and her experimental Afrocuban jazz project En El Aire, who has MD'd for the likes of Mayito Rivera from Los Van Van and Maite Hontelé and written for Mixael Cabrera among others, as well as touring the world as a soloist with The World Of Hans Zimmer and composing for screen and stage productions.

Barcelona-based powerhouse Yadira Ferrer sings lead vocals on five of the 10 tracks of the album; the remaining 5 songs are fronted by an array of salsa and Cuban music heavyweights such as Josbel Figurita and Mandi Miranda from Mercadonegro.

La Evolución started out inspired by the modern Havana sound of large-format Timba (“Cuban salsa”) orchestras and soon found its own London-infused voice, featuring electric guitars and synths over powerful, distinctively Cuban grooves. “My innovative contribution to the genre is most importantly in the lyrics. I wanted to broach the topic of romance and sensuality from a non-misogynistic standpoint within the genre, and ended up writing Flores de Cristal (“Glass flowers”) after reading an article on Women's Day in the national Cuban newspaper that compared women to delicate flowers.” Eliane Correa is one of very few women leading large-format mixed gender Cuban timba-style bands.

Correa's powerful yet intricately weaved arranging style lets the listener dance to the groove without compromising the compositional complexities of true Timba music as written by El Tosco and Alain Pérez, also paying her respects to soul and funk music and modern jazz pianists such as Robert Glasper and Herbie Hancock. The fusion element is most audible in Flores de Cristal, Parará and Signo de Fuego. Interpreted by some of the best Cuban musicians in the world and mixed by the legendary salsa engineer José Mendoza, the album Signo de Fuego is a unique fusion spilling out of the Cuban timba sound towards the world.

Production, composition, arrangements, lyrics*: Eliane Correa
(Except rap lyrics in 4 by La Reyna y La Real)

Mixed by José Mendoza
Eliane Correa – piano, keys, synth, BV Yadira Ferrer – lead vocals (1, 3, 4, 5, 6) & backing vocals
Yasmeen Quintana – lead vocals (10)
Josbel Figurita – lead vocals (2)
Mandi Miranda “El Moro” – lead vocals (7)
La Reyna y La Real – rap (4)
Marina Molina – lead vocals (9) & backing vocals
Yoan El Salsa – lead vocals (8) & backing vocals
Jannier Rodríguez – backing vocals
Yuri Hernández – trumpet & flugel Landy Díaz – trombone
Frank Portuondo – bass & double bass (1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
Jimmy Martínez – bass (4, 10)
Dimitris Christopoulos – bass (3)
José Manuel Ortiz – electric guitars
Will Fry – congas (1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9), udu (4) & misc percussion
Erik Castillo – congas (9, 10)
Miguel Elián Hernández – percussion (3) Edwin Sanz – percussion (7)
Ernesto Marichales – timbal (1, 2, 6, 8, 9), bongó, percussion (5)
Michel Castellanos – drumkit (1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10) Dani Morales – drumkit (4)

Tracklist:
1/10 - Eliane Correa, La Evolución - La Reina (5:40)
2/10 - Eliane Correa, La Evolución - Habana (6:00)
3/10 - Eliane Correa, La Evolución - Signo de fuego (5:15)
4/10 - Eliane Correa, La Evolución - Flores de Cristal (4:57)
5/10 - Eliane Correa, La Evolución - Caí (3:09)
6/10 - Eliane Correa, La Evolución - Prefiero perderte (4:37)
7/10 - Eliane Correa, La Evolución - Cuando te acuerdes de mí (5:14)
8/10 - Eliane Correa, La Evolución - La guayaba (3:26)
9/10 - Eliane Correa, La Evolución - Promesa (5:06)
10/10 - Eliane Correa, La Evolución - Parará (3:37)