MANUEL MONESTEL - Costa Rica
In 1974 he founded his first group, Erome,… Read Full Bio ↴MANUEL MONESTEL - Costa Rica
In 1974 he founded his first group, Erome, dedicated to Latin American music, later he became part of Tayacán directed by Luis Enrique Mejía Godoy. Manuel is one of the founders of the New Song Movement in Costa Rica, along with Luis Enrique, Rubén Pagura, Bernal Monestel, Dionisio Cabal, among others. He has attended festivales and concerts in different countries in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia, alternating with artists like Pete Seeger, Silvio Rodriguez, Mercedes Sosa, Pablo Milanés, Gabino Palomares, Tito Fernandez "the Temucano", Daniel Viglietti, Chico Buarque , Paul Kantner.
In 1980 he founded Cantoamérica with which he has recorded several discs and traveled the world during 25 years. Since the early 1980, he has done musical and social research on calypso limonense, music that represents the identity of the Afro Costa Rican population. As a solo singer and with Cantoamerica he has participated in festivales like Vancouver Folk Music, Paul Masson Summer Series in California, Latin American Musical Festival in Puerto Rico, April in Managua, Olof Palme - in memoriam- in Costa Rica and Guatemala, Festival of Culture of the Caribbean 95 in Can Cun, World Festival of Youth in Cuba 1978, Festival 5 de mayo in San Francisco, Festival International de las Artes in Costa Rica. He also has performed in different places like Peña and Ashkenatz in Californian Berkeley, Latin Cesar´s Palace and Paradise Californian Lounge in San Francisco, Het Arsenaal in Woerden Holland, the Jazz Cafe in Costa Rica, Marin County Peace Center in California.
In 2003 he writes the book ", Song and Identity: the Calypso Limonense " published in 2005 by the EUNED. After recording a dozen of discs with Cantoamérica, in 2003 he recorded a solo cd as as a result of a trip to the Jazz and Heritage Festival of New Orleans, accompanying Manuel Obregón and the Orchestra of the Papaya. The disc One Pant Man is recorded in the studio of Papaya Music. At the moment he prepares a new commemorative disc of the 25 anniversary of Cantoamérica and a new solo cd.