Virtuoso Cuban musician, flutist, saxophonist, composer, arranger, vocalist and educator, Maestro Bobby Ramirez was born in Camajuani, Santa Clara, Cuba. His father was a black mulato of African heritage and mother a descendant of Spanish European heritage. For more than four decades, his style has been distinctive and unique, forming a perfect harmony between the rhythms of his Cuban Creole heritage, Jazz, and classical music.
For more than four decades, his style has been distinctive and unique, forming a perfect harmony between the rhythms of his Cuban Creole heritage, Jazz, and classical music.
Maestro Bobby Ramirez is a unique and charismatic artist that performs Cuban music (Danzón, Contradanzas, traditional Cuban dance music, and Afro-Cuban Jazz), and Jazz (swing, bebop, free jazz). Ramirez's repertoire includes original Cuban inspired works for small Cuban charanga-style ensemble, as well as full string and Big Band orchestra formats.
A powerful performer and improviser on the saxophone and flute, Ramirez maintains an unequivocal equilibrium holding a firm command of the language of jazz and Cuban rhythms drawing from an intensive vocabulary of colorful sounds that inspire and tell his unique musical story and Cuban heritage.
With over 40 music releases, his creative talent also sets him apart as a solo flutist performing free Jazz as well as classical music; including great collection of free Jazz improvisational solo flute works, including: "Celebrating John Coltrane", and 4 releases recorded on location in Puerto Rico. His recordings can be found on iTunes and Amazon.
Bobby's main influences on flute are Hubert Laws, Herbie Mann, Jose Fajardo, Antonio Arcaño, Jean-Pierre Rampal and James Galway. On saxophone, his main influences have been Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Phil Woods. Bobby's vocal talent is exclusively traditional Cuban dance music influenced by Benny More, Barbarito Diez, Compay Segundo, Miguel Matamoro, Celia Cruz, and Arsenio Rodriguez. Bobby's favorite composers include Manuel Saumell Robredo (Cuban - 1817 - 1870), Ignacio Cervantes (Cuban - 1847 - 1905), Gonzalo Roig (Cuban - 1890 - 1970); JS Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, Chopin, Brahms, Handel, Wagner, Debussy, Liszt, and Stravinski. Maynard Ferguson, Stan Kenton, Duke Ellington and Chico O'Farrill where significant influences in his early development as a composer/arranging.
Bobby's teachers included Mr. Rhodes (1975 - Allapallah Middle – beginnings 6th grade); Don Chippinelli (Filer Jr High - early development - first exposure to Jazz 7th grade); Jene Greco (Miami Springs Sr. High School band (10-12th grades Althea Kaplan (Classical flute at Miami-Dade College); Lisa LaCross (private lessons - classical flute); Ed Meina (private lessons - Jazz Saxophone); Tom McCormick (private lessons - Jazz Saxophone); Richard Dumbscum (theory, arranging/composing - Florida International University); Gary Campbell (FIU - Jazz saxophone); JB Dyas (Jazz studies - Miami-Dade College); Brian Cook (saxophone - Miami Dade College); Dra. Mercedes Cros Sandoval, PH.D (Historia Cultural de Cuba)
REVIEWS:
Bobby Ramirez, included as "some of the most prominent Latin musicians who live or have lived in Florida." Bill Dean, The Ledger Lakeland Florida (published October 8th, 2002)
"Ramirez's brand of Afro-Cuban Jazz is quite appealing and his flute playing is quite fluid and creative within the genre." Scott Yanow, Cadence magazine
"Bobby Ramirez is one of the best flutists and saxophonists from Cuba. His recording (Pan Con Bistec) is an example of a new and fresh sound in Latin Jazz fusion." Elvira Dominguez, El Diario La Prensa (NYC)
"What an incredible performance by Bobby Ramirez tonight at Arts Garage! Thank you for an exceptional and very memorable night." Alyona Aleksandra Ushe, Executive Director, The Arts Garage in Delray Beach
"If this stirring little hurricane of an album is any indication, Ramirez may one day inherit Dave Valentin's throne as top Latin flute player." Jonathan Widran, AMG
"Ramirez exhibits the strength found in some of the already established Latin Jazz musicians." Egidio Leitao, JazzTimes Magazine
