Gerardo Contino y Los Habañeros
Latin, Salsa, World Music, Cuban, Dominican, Fusion, Puerto Rican, 2010s
Gerardo performs up to 5 times a month at The Rainbow Room in New York City with the Max Weinberg Orchestra. Max is most widely known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O'Brien on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.
Gerardo is now available for concerts, casinos, clubs, meetings, conventions and special events across the US.
Please see below for translation in Spanish
"A joyful, gyratory salsa celebration" - Time Out New York
'Judges and audience alike were blown away by this charismatic bandleader and his new Cuban music. "People who can't even dance were trying," said Alicia Olatuja. Beyond the band's energy and charisma, the band played so well together, with musicianship that led Olatuja to remark that they were "the biggest band and the one with the best balance."' - NPR/WNYC
"The individual playing on the album is superb and the rhythm section displays a level of comfort with all the styles contained within the album with fluidic ease. From the Timba perspective, “Somos latinos” is a treasure trove of state of the art bass, piano and percussion work laid down by some the very best instrumentalists in the genre." -Ian Stewart, Timba.com
"Somos Latinos (Gerardo's first album) is a very refreshing sound," Vicki Sola, "Que Viva La Musica" Radio Host, 89.1FM.
"Somos Latinos has great arrangements, vocals, musicianship, quality and versatility, or what [Gerardo Contino y] Los Habaneros call 'Sentimiento con Sabrosura.'" - George Velez, Jr. (Grupo Arcano).
"Gerardo’s music is refreshingly authentic and original...The music in this CD [Somos Latinos] is superb, anchored in the strong rhythm (piano, bass) and percussion (conga, bongo, timbal) sections. This CD showcases Gerardo Contino’s talent as a singer and as a producer..." -- Hector Aviles, Latino Music Cafe.
Selected by NPR/WNYC as Manhattan's best band of 2015, gritty, witty and streetwise, the Havana-born Gerardo Contino, "El Abogado de la Salsa," is a Cuban singer and songwriter. This former lead singer of the Cuban mega-group NG La Banda is a party onstage: he loves to improvise, to pull the audience into call & response, and to provoke fans into hip-shaking abandon.
Since moving to New York City, Gerardo started his own band, "Gerardo Contino y Los Habaneros," with Axel Tosca Laugart, Luisito Quintero, and John Benitez. They released their debut album, Somos Latinos, in 2013 to very high critical acclaim. He has toured all over the world and in his new hometown, NYC, he has performed in Brooklyn Academy of Music, Sounds of Brazil (SOBs), BB King Blues Club, Le Poisson Rouge, the Bronx Museum, Live at the Gantries, Roulette, Gonzalez y Gonzalez, Taj, and many others.
With his own project, as well as with NG La Banda, and his other bands, Son Yoruba, and Charanga Forever, Gerardo has toured in Italy, France, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Venezuela, Mexico, Peru, and Canada. He has played in international festivals of salsa and jazz such as: Toulouse Festival, France; Latin American Festival of Milan, Italy; Festival Fiesta, Rome, Italy; Festival of Múnich, Switzerland, Copenhagen Festival, Denmark; Salsa Festival of Verona, Italy; and, Afro-American Roots of Maracay, Venezuela.
Gerardo has also shared the stage with such artists as Oscar de Leon, Roberto Roena, El Gran Combo, La India, Los Van Van, Xiomara Laugart, Carlos Varela, Alexander Abreu, Frank Fernandez, Osdalgia, Giovanni Hidalgo, Kelvis Ochoa, David Torrens, and Jose Armando Gola.
Gerardo is a recipient of the 2014 Lower Manhattan Cultural Council grant for Manhattan Community Arts Fund. Gerardo is endorsed by Gorilla Ears, is an active member of Musicians on Call, and was an invited speaker and performer for TEDMED 2014 in the Kennedy Center for the Arts, Washington, DC.
Gerardo received his education in Law at the University of Havana and his Master's in Law (LLM) at Cardozo School of Law in the prestigious Intellectual Property Program.
En Espanol
Gerardo Contino “ EL Abogado de la Salsa” es cantante y compositor cubano, quien ha formado parte de orquestas renombradas en La Habana, Cuba desde su juventud. Antes de partir de Cuba en el 2009, Gerardo fue cantante líder de NG La Banda, una de las mas reconocidas orquestas de Salsa y Jazz de Cuba, bajo la dirección del maestro José Luis Cortes “EL Tosco.”
Desde su llegada a Nueva York en el 2009, Gerardo comenzó su propia banda, “Gerardo Contino y Los Habaneros”, bajo la dirección musical de Axel Tosca. Contando con músicos de renombre como John Benítez ganador de 5 Grammys americanos y el maestro Luisito Quintero.
Con su propio proyecto, y demás orquestas de las cuales formo parte en Cuba como NG la Banda, Son Yoruba, y Charanga Forever. Gerardo ha participado en innumerables giras internacionales en Italia, Francia, España, Dinamarca, Suiza, Venezuela, México, Perú y Canadá. Participando en Festivales de Salsa y Jazz como por ejemplo: Festival de Salsa de Toulouse, Festival Latinoamericano de Milán, Festival Fiesta Roma, Festival de Múnich, Suiza, Festival de Jazz de Copenhague, Dinamarca, Festival de Salsa de Verona, Italia, Festival de Salsa de Vancouver, Canadá, Feria Internacional de Turismo y Festival de Raíces Afroamericanas en Venezuela, entre otros.
Gerardo ha compartido escenario con artistas de nivel internacional como Oscar de León, Roberto Roena, El Gran Combo, La India, Giovanni Hidalgo, Los Van Van, Xiomara Laugart, Carlos Varela, Alexander Abreu, Frank Fernández, Osdalgia, Kelvis Ochoa, David Torrens y Armando Gola.
En la ciudad de Nueva York, Gerardo ha participado en conciertos en La Academia de Música de Brooklyn (BAM), SOBS, Le Poisson Rouge, El Museo del Bronx, Live at the Gantries, Roulette, Iguana, Gonzales y Gonzales, D’ Antigua, Guantanamera, entre otros.
Gerardo se graduó de abogado en la Universidad de La Habana en el 2005 y realizo su Master en Leyes en La Escuela de Derecho Benjamín Cardozo, Universidad de Yeshiva, en su prestigioso programa de Propiedad Intelectual.
