Orquesta GarDel is a thirteen-member ensemble that unites North Carolina’s finest Latin music artists. Founded in 2006 by David Garcia, a professor of ethnomusicology at UNC Chapel Hill, and singer Nelson Delgado, the band pumps new life into Nuyorican salsa standards and breaks ground with original tunes in the timba style of modern Havana. Orquesta GarDel’s members straddle multiple generations, combining Latino music veterans with African- and Anglo-American jazzers. Together, they are on a mission to bring their high-energy dance music to all audiences, having appeared at the Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival, the North Carolina Museum of Art, the North Carolina Salsa Festival, La Fiesta del Pueblo, and numerous Latino culture events.
Until recently, GarDel has existed solely as a live act. The band collaborated on “Translation” from 2009’s Silence Fiction by hip hop quartet, The Beast, of which pianist Eric Hirsh and bassist Pete Kimosh are also members. By this time Orquesta GarDel knew it was ready to make a recording, not of its favorite covers, but of original songs with music and arrangements by co-directors Hirsh and Andy Kleindienst, and lyrics by lead singers Nelson Delgado and Jamie Roman. On January 18th, 2011, GarDel will proudly release its debut album, Lo Que Tú Querías.
