Latin hybrid band Fusionando fuses genres of Latin, jazz and rock
Miguel Pasillas plays the guitar during one of Latin acoustic group Fusionando’s performances. Fusionando performs tonight in Fowler Museum Courtyard.
Courtesy of Manae Nishiyama
Fowler out loud: Fusionando
Today, 6 p.m.
Fowler Museum Courtyard
By Melissa Martin
Feb. 2, 2011 11:57 p.m.
Seldom does a band name tell you anything about the sound the band’s instruments produce. But when the band is blending Cuban beats, salsa and Lauryn Hill’s “Killing Me Softly,” the name Fusionando gets right to the point.
This evening, Latin hybrid group Fusionando will perform an acoustic mix of Latin, jazz and rock in the Fowler courtyard as part of the museum’s ongoing Fowler Out Loud series.
The seven-member band, six of whom are ethnomusicology students at UCLA, are Miguel Pasillas, Vanessa Sanchez, Marcos Ruedas, Andrew Perez, Satoru Yamamoto, Travis Barnes and Remi Spiro.
“(The show will be) a mix between Cuban style boleros, Mexican boleros and a couple cha-cha songs,” said Pasillas, a fifth-year ethnomusicology student who plays guitarron and trumpet in Fusionando. “It’s mostly downtempo stuff like you would hear at a cafe. Think lounge jazz with a Latin flavor.”
Fusionando is a continuation of a project Pasillas began before arriving at UCLA as a transfer student. He approached Ruedas, a friend from class, with a few songs and an idea to expand the project revamped with new members and continuous experimentation with Latin fusion.
From there, the band grew with more material and musicians with talents ranging from guitarron to piano and violin.
“We basically kept adding musicians to the group … and it built off of just adding our friends,” said Ruedas, a fifth-year ethnomusicology student who plays guitar and accordion in Fusionando. “Most of us are friends and roommates, and it grew out of that. We all are interested in Latin American music and playing those styles, and we’re just trying to explore that.”
Ruedas said the band’s fusion of Latin, jazz and rock stems naturally from the band members’ diverse backgrounds as musicians. As ethnomusicology students, many of the members have backgrounds in music from South America, including mariachi. Many of their songs are past Latin hits made fresh with new interpretations, coupled with a few originals of their own.
Sanchez said the challenge of reinvigorating sounds and songs from the past is something that makes the band’s music enjoyable to play and interesting to perform.
“It’s especially a challenge to me because there’s a lot of improvisation,” said Sanchez, a fourth-year ethnomusicology student who plays violin in Fusionando. “The guys always say “˜Alright Vanessa, take a solo!’ … They’ll just keep playing until something comes out. I’ve been learning to come out of my comfort zone and just let it rip.”
Sanchez said while playing violin is mainly reading music off a page, Fusionando allows her to challenge her improvisational skills while singing and playing.
Sanchez said that she hopes the Fowler Out Loud audience will not only enjoy the music but leave with a refreshed sense of appreciation for music not normally heard by college students or on the radio.
“There’s going to be something for everyone to enjoy,” Sanchez said. “I hope people leave with respect for the music. Because we’re ethnomusicology majors we cover things from all around the world. … We’re taking that … and making a show out of it.”
