[This article has been amended as of 5th May 2011 due to an error of the Author in the information published. Sincere apologies to all parties involved.]
Alma Latina ("Latin Soul") is a band brought together by Cuban vocalist, the lovely and talented Greisy Martin Pedron, who is joined by New Zealand's Hiran Benton on the keyboard, our very own Koh Keng Hui on bass and local top Conga man, Johan Abdullah on percussion. Alma Latina is currently promoted by non other than the extraordinary Fahmy Khai. For the uninitiated, Mr. Fahmy is a well-known, long-time figure in the Malaysian Salsa scene and his wide-spread influence includes teaching salsa as well as organizing and promoting various Latin music events.
Alma Latina ("Latin Soul") is a band brought together by Cuban vocalist, the lovely and talented Greisy Martin Pedron, who is joined by New Zealand's Hiran Benton on the keyboard, our very own Koh Keng Hui on bass and local top Conga man, Johan Abdullah on percussion. Alma Latina is currently promoted by non other than the extraordinary Fahmy Khai. For the uninitiated, Mr. Fahmy is a well-known, long-time figure in the Malaysian Salsa scene and his wide-spread influence includes teaching salsa as well as organizing and promoting various Latin music events.
From the moment you walk into Nero Fico located in Damansara Heights (http://www.nerofico.com/), the sound of Greisy's soulful voice fills your senses, and you are instantly transported to a film-noir dark and smoky bar, with glamorous beautiful women and men in suits and cold hard gazes.
I was informed by Fahmy that Alma Latina was only playing together for a couple of weeks. When I dropped by last Thursday I could see that they gel well. That's certainly a good sign for any medium to long term ambitions of the band. Being a musician and singer from time-to-time myself, I could definitely appreciate the authentic sounds the band brought with them and the chemistry was unmistakable.
I also found the location, Nero Fico, to be quite lovely. Food and beverage pricing were surprisingly affordable considering that the layout and ambience of the place totally reeked of class. I was actually surprised not to find a cigar humidor there. I didn't have the chance to eat something (although particularly hungry that evening!) but I did have a cappuccino which was very very good. I'm willing to return to the place on the goodwill of their cappuccino! It's been awhile since I sat down for coffee and Latin Jazz music but I did not regret doing so.
For more information of Alma Latina or Fahmy's upcoming events don't hesitate to contact me through this site. For more information on Nero Fico, you can click on the link provided above!
For those of you who like statistics:
Vital Stats for April: 10 posts 355 pics
Vital Stats So Far: 69 posts 2,788 pics
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