Bobby Oroza, Benjamin James Bright
Tuesday, October 22, 19:30adv £11
8.20pm Benjamin James Bright
9.15pm Bobby
After years of grinding as a sideman in the Finnish music scene, Bobby Oroza has stepped up to make his voice heard. Always with an air of crude romanticism, Bobby pushes towards an expression transcending the borders of soul and rock balladry. His dark and intimate debut single ”This Love” didn’t take long to reach the ears and hearts of a worldwide soul music community and is already a proper classic amongst the lowrider and soul collector scenes. Bobby was born in Helsinki, Finland into a family of musicians and artists. During frequent family parties Bobby ́s Bolivian grandfather would pick up a guitar and sing Latin canciones and Cuban classics. Bobby ́s mother is a singer and his father a gypsy-style jazz guitarist. All his siblings work in show business and music. As a kid, Bobby was lucky to grow up surrounded by his parents’ record collection which included early jazz and blues, Motown hits, gospel ensembles, and doo-wop groups like The Drifters and The Clovers. The Soul records were balanced out by Brazilian ones, African ones, his mother’s collection of North and South American folk songs, and Nuyorican Salsa albums. All of these influences show up in Bobby’s music. Bobby started working professionally as a musician in his early teens. His main instruments are guitar and percussion. Before finishing high school Bobby decided he needed to experience the rhythmic source that had inspired him the most, and travelled to Santiago, Cuba. There he studied percussion and singing intensively for months. Since his return he’s been producing, recording and performing music to make a living for his family. Working behind Bobby on his new album is the recent Timmion Records house band Cold Diamond & Mink. Led by Jukka Sarapää and Sami Kantelinen of The Soul Investigators fame (as well as founders of Timmion Records), the group also features as a key element, the talents of guitarist/ composer Seppo Salmi, who has previously worked with afrobeat legends Orlando Julius and Tony Allen and also played with Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators from 2015. Their debut album will be out this spring on the Brooklyn based Big Crown Records.
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