María Ochoa was born on September 24, 1944 in Gran Piedra, Alto Songo, Santiago de Cuba. Her parents were both singers and treseros that transmitted a profound love of Cuban music to their six children. In 1968, she became a part of the program Trinchera Agraria. She has appeared in Festivales del Son, Festivales de la Música Campesina and Festivales de la Cultura Caribeña. These appearances have allowed her to become a recognized artist to the general public, especially in the eastern part of the island (Santiago and Guantánamo).
In 1993 she began to work in the Casa de la Trova in Santiago, as a faithful exponent of the peasant genre, while promoting a representative repertoire of the people who work the land. She was invited by her brother, Elíades Ochoa and the Cuarteto Patria to participate in a musical tour to Venezuela and in 1998 to Colombia.
María Ochoa y Corazón de Son is the first truly modern Cuban Son music performed by artists who grow up where the son is pure, who understand the tradition of son, and who are now developing the forms and traditions for the next generation. Santiago, Cuba is where the son was born. Santiago is the cradle of son. Son is the foundation, the base of all Cuban music.
María Ochoa, with her group and her brother Elíades Ochoa perform their personalized versions of the songs she has grown up with. The group maintains their roots, rescuing genres that constitute the direct antecedents of the son and fuse them with a more contemporary style using their creativity, talent and the heart of each ensemble member. The songs demonstrate the spirit and soul of the people of the countryside, their traditions, the love of the land, nature and their own vision of the world.
Discography:
Asi quiero vivir (Blue Jackel, 2000)
Guajira Mas Guajira, with Eliades Ochoa (Tumi Music, 2014)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
