Jorge Villamizar brings rock en español to the Arsht Center
Five years after the break up of Grammy Award-winning rock en español outfit Bacilos, former frontman Jorge Villamizar reflects on the leap of faith he took. “It was a difficult bet,” he assures. “It’s hard to come out of [Miami] as an artist, but Bacilos somehow made it.”
It has been tough, however, to step out of the shadow of the band which spawned hits like “Mi Primer Millón” and “Caraluna.” “After all the time I spend promoting my own name or whatever I’m doing, it’s a name that always comes back into people’s minds when they see me and hear the music.”
That’s not to say that he would have done things differently, “I’ve been able to see the mark we’ve left on the Latin Music scene. And that’s beautiful. I am grateful for what happened with Bacilos.”
Since the break up, the Morningside resident has put out a solo album in 2008, co-wrote his way to a Latin Grammy for Luis Enrique’s smash single, “Yo No Se Mañana,” and took home another for his collaborative project, “Alex, Jorge y Lena,” a 12 track album that he produced with Spanish singer/songwriter Alex Ubago and singer/songwriter Lena Burke, granddaughter of legendary Cuban singer Elena Burke. He and some associates opened a bar in the Design District called The Blue Piano. Not to mention his wife is pregnant with their second child.
Villamizar, who came to Miami via Colombia, says he stays motivated through collaboration. Recently, he spent time working on hip hop tracks with Young Juve, son of rapper Juvenile. Villamizar’s most recent single, “Todo lo que quieres es bailar,” which was picked up for an ad campaign by Corona, comes from a group of songs he wrote with Cuban singer/composer Descemer Bueno, former frontman of Yierba Buena.
This Saturday Villamizar will take the stage at the Arsht Center, performing a career’s worth of songs – from his beginnings with Bacilos to songs that have been pushed around on hard drives and performed only for friends. He affirms, “No one will leave the show thinking, ‘Why didn’t he play that one song?’ ”
The concert, billed Jorge Villamizar & Friends, will be a tribute to local talent, featuring a roster of some of Miami’s finest musicians including Lena Burke, Descemer Bueno, Pedro Alfonso, bassist Armando Gola, and renowned trombonist Roman Benitez. There’s even a possibility that his former Bacilos band mate André Lopes could join him.
“Miami is the residence to some of the best musicians in the world. You just have to pick up the phone and call them,” he says. “It’s home cooking, but don’t ever underestimate home cooking.”
This story was originally published April 29, 2012 at 10:04 PM.