the Article

MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS CREATIVE INDUSTRY
FELIPE ALBERTO
Canadian Peruvian Musician
releases a new album
and music video
PHOTOGRAPHY Jeremy Marucot
ARTICLE Jill Robinson and
Delanie Nightingale
_ 50 _
standoutpublications.com / Summer 2015
T
he first thing you notice about Felipe Alberto is his
demeanour and the confident way he carries himself.
We met up with Felipe Alberto, Canada’s youngest rising
Latin musician, to talk about his new album Alma del Ayer, which
means – Yesterday’s Soul. Felipe is a dark handsome cultured
man with Spanish flare. When he first strolled into 500 Cucina in
Inglewood, Calgary for our meeting, we immediately noticed his
intense eye contact as he came towards us. We were hooked
right away! He had a suave and classy way about him that was
instantly unforgettable.
With his unique yet old-world style we could almost picture
him on horseback, but instead he was wearing a long designer
burnt orange tweed jacket with dress shirt and jeans. And yet, in
the music video of his first single, he portrays a handsome Latin
hero riding up on a horseback –every woman’s fantasy! When
you see his music video, La Apañadora, you’ll know what we
mean.
Talking to him for a few minutes led to an enthralling
conversation about why he recorded Alma del Ayer. Sipping
an espresso and with a coy smile he described his family and
childhood. We were swept into thoughts of an old and romantic
way of life, reminiscent of the movie The Mask of Zorro, exported
onto modern Canadian soil. Felipe was born in Canada and he
grew up living between Canada, Peru, and Spain. His heritage
is apparent at first glance. He now lives in Calgary and is truly
one of the most interesting and captivating people we have
interviewed.
As we chatted he gave us a sneak peak of a final draft of
his music video before its launch. The video was shot by L & C
Style, a well-known Calgary based production company, and it
is a one of a kind creation. Felipe, who wrote the video, explains
that he wanted to produce something that seamlessly blends the
modern world with the old music. “Young people are no longer
drawn to this old sound. Without changing the musical style, I
decided to change the vehicle of its presentation, to appeal to
a younger crowd” he states. Before the song starts, there is a
witty dialogue in English (subtitled in Spanish) between Felipe
and his ladylove. There is then a split screen for a telephone call,
with dialogue in Spanish.
His rendition of La Apañadora, written decades ago by Peruvian
composer Alicia Maguiña, shows off Felipe’s deep and beautiful
singing voice, paired with syncopated guitar rhythms, percussion
on cajon, and clapping. The result is simple and sensual warm
tone reminiscent of a bygone era irresistible to anyone.
His music video is a story woven between the modern and
old worlds in which he ends up winning the heart of a lady. He
had been searching for the perfect “look” in a woman, “a sweet
and beautiful Mediterranean look,” he stated. He found her in
Jill Maria Robinson, an up and coming talent from Romania. The
two worked well together and have since become good friends.
There was a crew of 7 people for the shoot and despite the
November temperatures the crew made it through by putting on
parkas between takes. Felipe shared that he couldn’t be happier
about how the video came out. The story is very clear even for
people who don’t speak Spanish.
Felipe is not your usual starving Artist/Musician. He holds
a Master’s degree in medieval history and literature from the
University of Toronto and a Juris Doctor degree by which he
practices corporate and entertainment law. He has studied in
Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Ireland. He is the only
person we have ever met who reads Latin. This explains why
he is so articulate and draws you in as he shares his story. He
is an intellectual and thus sees things from many perspectives.
He jokes and says that he sold his soul to pay the bills but his
true love is in music and literature. There is an obvious passion
within him to share his music and explain its rich history in a
manner that touches the soul of any listener. For Felipe music
is more than selling CDs – it is the vessel he uses as a cultural
ambassador.
For years Felipe wanted to record a CD in tribute to his
Peruvian background. He finally began this project in 2013. His
new CD has 10
tracks, which are
in the genre of
what is called
Música Criolla.
It’s a traditional
sound from his
grandfather’s
generation,
which he’s trying
to bring it back
into today’s
world. While
the visuals and
presentation
may be modern
the sound remains as romantic and full of feeling as 100 years
ago.
He learned this sound as a boy spending countless hours with
his father singing Latin American songs of the early 20th century
and listening to old vinyl records. Enamoured with the legacy
of Hispanic music, he taught himself guitar chords from an old
songbook and learned strumming patterns from his uncles. In the
summers, as a child, Felipe would go to Peru and spend his time
with family in the city of Lima as well as the Andes Mountains of
Chachapoyas. He has thus remained tied to the land. His earliest
memory of playing music was clapping along and signing with
his father and uncles, as they would sing and play guitar long
into the night. As such his greatest musical influences remain
his family.
This young musician has been playing since he was 16
years old. As his appreciation for Latin guitar grew, so too did
his desire to discover more. On his summer vacations he began
to take guitar classes with Master Pepe Torres at his academy
in Lima, Peru. There he began to better understand the interplay
of the different sounds in traditional music, while appreciating
stories and anecdotes of the composers and original singers of
the songs he loved so much. In his first album, Alma del Ayer,
Felipe hopes to offer a fresh take on Peruvian music while >
(continued page 60)
standoutpublications.com / Summer 2015
_ 51 _
MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS
“I JUST WANT TO KEEP SINGING OLD SONGS AND TO KEEP THEM ALIVE. I WOULD
LOVE TO COLLABORATE WITH MORE MUSICIANS AND WORK ON OLD SONGS
FROM ALL ACROSS THE SPANISH SPEAKING WORLD.”
maintaining the the authenticity of the art form.
Felipe says, “I think everybody is searching for
their identity. Because I live in Canada I looked for
something to hold onto and vindicate myself, that
thing was this music.”
Felipe comments, “Immigration is an interesting
phenomenon. We live in a land of immigrants here
in Canada, and for the second and subsequent
generations of immigrants there is a tie to
their ancestral land that often times remains.
Moreover, such people become time capsules for
the traditions their parents and grandparents held
in the country of origin – traditions that are many
times kept alive only in the land to which they are
exported, simply because of nostalgia. Music is
the best example. The history of any culture could
be taught from the perspective of music. It is an
imprint, the mirror image of the idiosyncrasy of a
culture at the time it was created.”
Beyond the scope of his family, some of his
musical inspirations are artists like, Diego el Cigala
for re-popularizing the old Latin-American songs
that people were beginning to forget; Oscar Avilés
and Pepe Torres for bringing Peruvian guitar styles
to the world stage; and Carlos Gardel because of
his unforgettable classic style.
What’s important to Felipe is to build and
preserve the legacy of culture, which is so close
to his heart. He shares, “I don’t want this style
to die. Playing and performing this kind of music
is a life-style and recognition of a history that I
don’t ever want to let go. My ancestors are there
with me when I play.” Indeed, many of the props
in the video are as authentic as they come: the
hat, sashes, and shawl Robinson wears, are from
Chachapoyas, and the horse bridle is belonged to
father’s godfather.
When we inquire into future projects he smiles
and says, “For the moment I want to produce a
few more videos for this album,” (we are told that
there is already another one fully produced waiting
to be launched). “In the long run” he states “I
just want to keep singing old songs and to keep
them alive. I would love to collaborate with more
musicians and work on old songs from all across
the Spanish speaking world.” Felipe launched
Alma del Ayer on March 6th with an initial show
in Saskatoon. In less than a month Pasache Music
of New York noticed him. Felipe has just returned
from the Big Apple where, on April 18th, along
with several other Latin artists, including Manuel
Donayre, two-time Latin Grammy nominated Jorge
Pardo, Julio Andrade, and Alejandro Velásquez,
he performed at Homenaje a Pasache, a tribute
concert to Peruvian Música Criolla.
His Calgary release party is June 27th 2015.
Pasache Music will present it at Lolita’s Lounge
in Inglewood, Calgary. Come to be transported to
another place and time. His album Alma del Ayer
is available on Amazon.com and iTunes!
_ 60 _
standoutpublications.com / Summer 2015
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