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The
Plaza Stage at el Pedregal in Scottsdale will open
its concert series with an exclusive performance by
the legendary José Feliciano.
(Click
picture for full size image)
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| Courtesy
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Musician
José Feliciano, best known for his distinctive versions
of “Light My Fire” and “Feliz Navidad,” will perform
at el Pedregal Oct. 7. Born in Puerto Rico, raised
in New York City and a citizen of the world, Feliciano
has been a major force in the crossover of Latin music
into mainstream American music.
(Click picture for full size image)
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José
Feliciano lights his fire at el Pedregal
Legendary
guitar sensation launches Plaza Stage concert series
SCOTTSDALE
– Behind those famous sunglasses, he’s got a sound
and soul bigger than The Boulders. And José Feliciano
will be sharing his soulful sound in the very shadows
of The Boulders when the legend performs in the
first event of el Pedgregal’s 2006‑07 Plaza
Stage concert and event series Oct. 7.
With
more than 70 albums, of which 45‑plus have
gone gold or platinum, José Feliciano is a crossover
household name. Feliciano, with his six Grammy awards,
became an international musical force who paved
the way for the integration of Latin music into
the American mainstream.
Recording
artists such as Santana, Julio Iglesias, Gloria
Estefan, Marc Anthony and Shakira followed in his
footsteps, creating a Latin sound in contemporary
music that is alive, festive and significant.
It
comes as no surprise, then, that Feliciano was honored
with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hispanic
Heritage Foundation at the John F. Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on Sept.
7, where he performed on stage with his two sons.
Feliciano’s
crossover journey has taken him through a variety
of musical forms and styles, just as his early musical
development progressed through a series of musical
instruments and locales, beginning with him banging
on a tin cracker can at the age of three, accompanying
his uncle in Puerto Rico, where he was born. From
there he took up the concertina at six, and then
panhandling guitar on the streets of Greenwich Village
in his teens. When he heard Elvis sing in the 1950s,
he followed suit. His breakout performance finally
came in Buenos Aires in 1966, when he was noticed
by RCA records.
“They really didn’t know what to do with me in the
studio,” Feliciano recalls on his Web site. “So
I suggested that we record a number of old boleros–songs
I had heard from the time I was a kid.” His first
record, “Poquita Fe” was a huge hit, and his second,
“Usted,” did even better. From then on, he launched
headlong into his stellar career.
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It
was at RCA, under the tutelage of producer Rick
Jarrad, that Feliciano recorded the song that
catapulted him into the popular culture of this
country, a Doors’ song, “Light My Fire.” He put
so much of himself into that song (a song The
Doors has already done to perfection), that it
serves as a tribute to this Latin entertainer’s
virtuosity.
He
pulled off a similar feat with the holiday standard,
“Feliz Navidad,” which during any Yuletide season
you’d be hard‑pressed to miss. ASCAP, The
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers,
in fact, has categorized the song among the 25
Greatest Holiday Songs of the Century.
And
he’s even taken the classical stage, where he
has performed with some of the world’s most prestigious
orchestras and conductors, including noted arranger
Jimmie Haskell, who, according to Feliciano’s
Web site, had this to say about their collaboration:
“We
have magical moments during our symphony concerts.
The orchestra can see my baton at those moments
while José must psychically feel the next entrance
of music, and he always does. He’s awesome.”
He
has a new CD which features his talent as a symphonic
composer called “Six String Lady,” his first all‑instrumental
album. In recent years though, Feliciano has mainly
been focusing on the music of Mexico. He has a
new Latin album due for release this fall, according
to an e‑mail from his manager, and in 2004
controlled the Billboard Latin Charts with his
CD “A Mexico ... con Amor,” a loving 12‑song
tribute to romantic mariachi music.
Feliciano
has been bringing people together for more than
30 years with his passion for life, his dedication
to blending culture and, most importantly, through
his music. In the courtyard at el Pedregal in
Scottsdale on the evening of Oct. 7, he’ll be
doing it again. And one cool Arizona night will
get a little warmer and a little brighter when
José Feliciano lights a few of his famous fires
in the musical souls of everyone lucky enough
to attend this exclusive performance.
José
Feliciano will perform on el Pedregal’s Plaza
Stage at Scottsdale Rd. and Carefree Highway in
Scottsdale on Oct. 7. Doors open at 6 p.m. Cave
Creek Coffee Company is promoting the event. Tickets
are $45 in advance and $48 the day of the show.
Call (888) 512‑7469 or visit www.cavecreekcoffeecompany.com
for tickets. For further information on the concert
and the Plaza Stage series, visit www.elpedregal.com.
For information on José Feliciano, visit www.josefeliciano.com.
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