Julio Zelaya is one of the most important contemporary composers in Central America. He plays original compositions using the unique Honduran garifuna rhythms and exposes them to the musical complexities of other African rooted music such as jazz, Caribbean, Brazilian and world.
Having lived a good part of his life in North America (Canada and the United States), he has been able to assimilate the main elements of American music from pop to jazz and has found his very own musical identity as he puts together all this background with his own Latin, Spanish and African roots.
Some of his compositions have been taken as a international symbol of the Honduras Caribbean on cable tv. and his music sounds in Central America, North America as well as in Europe.
Most of the songs of his CDs have been inspired by real experiences in the Honduran Caribbean ocean (mostly the Bay Islands: Roatan, Utila and Guanaja). The magic of singing mermaids , the dance of the dolphins, a delightful swim inside the coral reefs or a Bay Islands sunset. The work also describes a certain kind of nostalgia of the Garifuna people for their mother land Africa and in some songs you can hear the real jamming Garifunas do when they get together to celebrate the different events of life or death according to their tradition.
Discography:
Yurumen (Juzel Productions, 2002)
Ecos de Sirenas (Julio Zelaya, 2005)
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.