The Emaginario Group with Cihtli Ocampo & Flamenco singer Juan Peña Bacán

The Emaginario Group |SUN NOVEMBER 20th | 7:30pm Doors Open. Concert begins 8:00pm

The roots-oriented yet experimental guitarist/vocalist Ethan “Emaginario” Margolis presents his world jazz trio featuring virtuoso Cuban drummer, Raúl Pineda and bassist, Ric Fierabracci. Also featuring this evening will be Spanish and Modern dance maestra, Cihtli Ocampo alongside Roma/Gitano Flamenco singer, Juan Bacán of the Pinini Clan of Flamenco singers. Enjoy a night of traditional and avante

• *Ethan “Emaginario” Margolis – guitar/vocals
• *Cihtli Ocampo – Flamenco/modern dance
• *Juan Bacán – Flamenco song
• *Raúl Pineda – drums
• *Ric Fierabracci – bass

BYOB allowed. $25 or a discount companion pass for $40.

Ethan “Emaginario” Margolis has a long musical career spanning between Spain and the USA. He comes from a singer-songwriter household but later transitioned to Flamenco music within the Roma improvisational school of Andalucía. He lived in Seville and Lebrija, Spain for 11 years and upon his return to the USA, he began fusing roots Roma rhythms with Jazz and Blues. He has a long list of credits and collaborations including: director of Arte Y Pureza Flamenco Company, producer of the Grammy featured “Say Their Names” production, composer for Spanish Day with artwork by Bill Watterson,performance and/or production credits with Macy Gray, Judith Hill, Herb Alpert, Larry Grenadier, Pedrito Mártinez, Chano Domínguez, Eric Harland, Munyungo Jackson, Miguel Funi, Inés Bacán, Rycardo Moreno, Caramelo de Cuba, and more. He currently has 2 albums in production which are both set for release in 2023….both are completely original and one is a vocal-oriented, song-based studio album alongside Dave O’Donnell, prouducer for James Taylor and Keith Richards. The other is an acoustic trio instrumental album with bassist, Larry Grenadier and drummer, Eric Harland.

Cihtli Ocampo – Described as a “…powerful dancer” by Dance magazine, Cihtli Ocampo began her dance studies at the age of eight and moved to NYC at seventeen to study Dunham, Horton, jazz, tap, modern and ballet at the Ailey School and Steps On Broadway. In 1999, she moved to Spain on a Fulbright Scholarship for the study of Flamenco and Spanish Dance. She spent the next eleven years immersed in Gitano (Spanish Roma) culture where she trained primarily with the legendary Farruco Family as well as Concha Vargas, Manuela Carrasco, Belen Maya, Eva La Yerbabuena and Yolanda Heredia. She has performed and toured with many of the world’s most important flamenco artists including the Farruco family, Ines Bacan, Montse Cortes, Miguel Funi, Chano Dominguez, & Manuel Molina.

In 2004 Ms. Ocampo was the featured female dancer in Tony Gatlif’s film Exils (Best Director, Cannes Film Festival 2004). Ms. Ocampo now lives in Los Angeles where she continues her life-long commitment to cross-cultural understanding through the arts. In addition to performing, Ms. Ocampo works as a guest choreographer, teacher & movement coach for UCSB, Cal Arts, UCSD, Pomona College, Santa Monica College & independent studios and productions worldwide. She has choreographed over 30 original works for stage and film and taught thousands of students; teaching flamenco rooted in an understanding of its rhythm, song, improvisation and history.

Juan Peña Bacán- born in Lebrija, Spain in 1960 is the son of Bastián Bacán and Ana la del Pelao, brother of singer Inés Bacán and guitarist Pedro Bacán, great-grandson of Pinini, nephew of Fernanda and Bernarda de Utrera, and first cousin of El Lebrijano, El Funi and El Turronero. It is precisely within this legendary family of Gypsy singers that Juan learned his particularly intimate form of cante gitano hablado (spoken Gypsy song). His singing is characterized by precise rhythmic nuances along with a deep knowledge of the roots of the main Gypsy cantes, the solea, the siguiriyas and the bulerias. Juan’s voice, much like the older flamenco giants Juan Talega and Tio Borrico, has a deep, rich quality and rebels against the modern tendency in flamenco to yell or scream out verse. His voice is like an aged wine that becomes increasingly more satisfying with every drop. Juan Bacán’s discography includes: Que Nos Queda (Sevilla Ediciones) and Soleángeles.

Raúl Pineda – Grammy award-winner and 3-time Grammy-nominated, RAUL PINEDA, has been named one of today’s best and most innovative Latin drummers in the world. Raul’s unique style of playing — a result of a coveted blend of Afro Cuban and contemporary influences applied to the modern drum set — have catapulted him into being one of Cuba’s most influential drummers of his generation. Born and raised in Havana, Cuba, Raul’s musical foundation was cultivated by his challenging socio-economic surroundings. As a young boy, Raul created makeshift drum kits by staking discarded steel rods into the ground and attaching old tin cans that had been used to store cooking oil. His first drumsticks were made from branches of a nearby orange tree. Pineda’s credits include: Chucho Valdés, Michel Camilo, and Giovanni Hidalgo amongst many others.

Ric Fierabracci is an American bassist who has toured and/or recorded with such artists as Frank Gambale, Chick Corea, Sir Tom Jones, Dave Weckl, Billy Cobham, Bradley Joseph, Shakira, Nancy Sinatra, Planet X, The 5th Dimension, The Beach Boys, and Yanni. He is featured on Yanni’s live concert videos and albums Live at the Acropolis, Live at Royal Albert Hall, and Tribute, most recently touring during the 2003 Ethnicity world tour. He also appears in Shakira’s music video “Inevitable” Fierabracci had performed as the house bassist at the L.A. jazz club “The Baked Potato” until he relocated to New York City, and has also contributed to numerous TV and film jingles.