Bio Ritmo ("Salsa Machine") is an American salsa band based in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

formed in 1991. The name Bio Ritmo is a

Spanglish Spanglish (a blend of the words "Spanish" and "English") is any language variety (such as a contact dialect, hybrid language, pidgin, or creole language) that results from conversationally combining Spanish and English. The term is mostly u ...

word play on the term Biorhythm, the hypothetical description for the rhythm of life.''Batanga'' - Issues 7-10, 2004 - Page 80 "Inside The Ellington is a different world as Bio Ritmo plays its sizzling salsa and the dance floor fills with cheerful dancers ... Formed in 1991, "just wanting to jam these rhythms," as lead singer and composer Rai Alvarez puts it, Bio Ritmo has ... The eight- to ten-member ensemble, led by Marlysse Simmons, is known for a classic

Nuyorican Nuyorican is a portmanteau word blending "New York" (or "Nueva York" in Spanish) and "Puerto Rican," referring to Puerto Ricans located in or around New York City, their culture, or their descendants (especially those raised or currently livin ...

salsa sound made famous by the

Fania All Stars The Fania All-Stars is a musical group formed in 1968 as a showcase for the musicians on Fania Records, the leading salsa music record label of the time. History Beginnings In 1964, Fania Records was founded in New York City by Jerry Masucc ...

in the 1970s, that combines

African Caribbean Afro-Caribbean or African Caribbean people are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern Afro-Caribbean people descend from the Africans (primarily from West and Central Africa) ta ...

rhythms from

son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current ...

, bomba,

plena Plena is a genre of music and dance native to Puerto Rico. Origins The plena genre originated in Barrio San Antón, Ponce, Puerto Rico, around 1900. It was influenced by the bomba style of music. Originally, sung texts were not associated wit ...

, and

samba Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...

with

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

and

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

brass. Founded in the early 1990s, they started out as a part of the Virginia college band scene that included other, then

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media *Independent media, media free of influence by government or corporate interests *Indie art, fine arts made by artists independent of commer ...

, acts such as

Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews Band (also known as DMB) is an American rock band from Charlottesville, Virginia. The band's lineup consists of Dave Matthews (lead vocals, guitar), Stefan Lessard (bass), Carter Beauford (drums), Tim Reynolds (lead guitar), R ...

and Fighting Gravity. In November 2004, the Salsa Machine won the Disc Makers Independent Music World Series (IMWS) Northeast finals held at The Lion's Den in New York City and earned the title of "Top Independent Act in the Northeast." They were finalists in the 2004 Independent Music Awards – Latin Category. Following their critically acclaimed 2003 self-titled release, Bio Ritmo released its EP, ''Salsa System'', produced by

Jon Fausty Jon Evan Fausty (February 20, 1949 – September 29, 2023) was an American multiple Grammy Award-winning sound and recording engineer best known for his work on some of the most successful Latin albums ever recorded. Fausty's career spanned ov ...

. In September 2008, Bio Ritmo released their LP ''Bionico'', recorded by Lance Koehler and mixed and mastered by Jon Fausty. In September 2011, Bio Ritmo released their LP ''La Verdad'', celebrating 20 years of original salsa music.

Band

*Rei Alvarez: vocals, guiro (original member) *Giustino Riccio: timbal, coro, clave, drumset (original member) *Bob Miller: trumpet, coro, synth (original member) *Marlysse Simmons: piano, Farfisa organ (leader) *Tobias Whitaker: trombone *Mark Ingraham: trumpet *Edward Prendergast: bass *Michael Montañez: bongó *Hector "Coco" Barez: conga *JC Kuhl: saxophone *John Lilley: saxophone *Gabo Tomasini: conga (original member)

Discography

*"Piraguero", 7" single, Merge Records, 1995 *''Que Siga la Musica'', Album, Shameless Records, 1996 *''Salsa Galactica'', Album, Permanent Records, 1997 *'' Rumba Baby Rumba!'', Album, Mercury / Triloka records, 1998 *''Bio Ritmo'' (self-titled) Album, Independent release, Locutor Records, 2004 *''Salsa System'', EP, Independent release, Locutor Records, 2006 *''Bionico'', Album, Locutor Records, 2008 *"Lisandra" / "Shoe Shine", 7" single, Locutor Records, 2009 *"Dina's Mambo" / "La Muralla", 7" single, Electric Cowbell Records, 2011 *''La Verdad'', Album, Electric Cowbell Records, 2011 *"Carnaval", Digital single, Vampisoul Records, 2014 *''Puerta del Sur'', Album, Vampisoul Records, 2014 *"Oriza", 7" single, Peace and Rhythm Records, 2015 *"Señor Locutor", Digital single, 2016

Performances

Bio Ritmo has toured the United States and has also performed in Canada, Puerto Rico, France, and the Republic of Georgia. Bio Ritmo has shared the stage with Mambo King

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – May 31, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, timbalero, and record producer. He composed dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz music. He was also k ...

, as well as

Poncho Sanchez Poncho Sánchez (born Ildefonso Sanchez, October 30, 1951) is an American ''conguero'' (conga player), Latin jazz band leader, and salsa singer. In 2000, he and his ensemble won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album for their work on the ...

Squirrel Nut Zippers Squirrel Nut Zippers is an American swing and jazz band formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, by James "Jimbo" Mathus (vocals and guitar), Tom Maxwell (vocals and guitar), Katharine Whalen (vocals, banjo, ukulele), Chris Phillips (d ...

, Timbalaye,

Tambo Tambo may refer to: People * Adelaide Tambo (1929–2007), South African anti-apartheid activist * Dali Tambo (born 1959), South African anti-apartheid activist, TV presenter and also son of Oliver Tambo and Adelaide Tambo * Oliver Tambo (1917� ...

Ozomatli Ozomatli is an American rock band, formed in 1995 in Los Angeles. They are known both for their vocal activist viewpoints and incorporating a wide array of musical styles – including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, hip hop, and others. The group ...

Steel Pulse Steel Pulse are a roots reggae band from the Handsworth area of Birmingham, England. They originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, and were composed of David Hinds (lead vocals, guitar), Basil Gabbidon (lead guitar, vocals), and Ro ...

Burning Spear Winston Rodney Order of Distinction, OD (born 1 March 1945), better known by the stage name Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer-songwriter, vocalist, and musician. Burning Spear is a Rastafarian movement, Rastafarian and one of the ...

Morphine Morphine, formerly also called morphia, is an opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin produced by drying the latex of opium poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as an analgesic (pain medication). There are ...

G Love and Special Sauce G. Love & Special Sauce is an American rock music, rock band from Philadelphia. They are known for their unique, "sloppy", and "laid back" sound that encompasses blues music, blues, hip hop music, hip hop, rock, and soul music, soul. The band fe ...

Wilco Wilco is an American Rock music, rock band based in Chicago. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo after singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently during its fir ...

Southern Culture on the Skids Southern Culture on the Skids, also sometimes known as SCOTS, is an American rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The band released their debut EP ''Voodoo Beach Party'' in 1984, followed by their self-titled debut album the following ...

, Frankie Vazquez, La Familia Quintero,

La Sonora Ponceña La Sonora Ponceña is a Puerto Rican salsa band, founded in 1954 by Enrique "Quique" Lucca Caraballo. Today Quique's son, Papo Lucca, directs the band. The band has stayed active for a remarkable amount of time, recording dozens of albums, incl ...

, Bloque 53, and Diabloson. On January 14, 2006, Bio Ritmo performed at the Inaugural Ball for

Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

Governor

Tim Kaine Timothy Michael Kaine ( ; born February 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party (United States ...

Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It had a population of 15,425 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern par ...

at the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public university, public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III of England, William III and Queen ...

. In August 2010, Bio Ritmo toured the Republic of Georgia and performed for President

Saakashvili Mikheil "Misha" Saakashvili (born 21 December 1967) is a Georgian and Ukrainian politician and jurist. He was the third president of Georgia for two consecutive terms from 25 January 2004 to 17 November 2013. He is the founder and former chair ...

. In September 2011, Bio Ritmo performed in Dax, France at the Toros y Salsa Festival. On September 23, 2011, Bio Ritmo celebrated its 20th anniversary.

References

External links

Bio Ritmo websiteBio Ritmo on myspaceIMWS Press ReleaseRock Paper Scissors Profile2006 Virginia Governor's Inauguration
{{Authority control Salsa music groups Musicians from Virginia Salsa musicians Musical groups established in 1991