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Los Ciegos Del Barrio is an all blind multi-genre Latin American music band, based out of the New York City Tri-State area. They specialize in bachata, merengue, salsa, cumbia and rock among others in both English and Spanish. They have recorded several albums and singles since 2000. Los Ciegos Del Barrio translates from Spanish to mean "the blind boys from the neighborhood." ==History== Los Ciegos Del Barrio actually started in 1997, though the members of the group had been performing together well before then. The name, "Los Ciegos Del Barrio," was adopted jokingly by Jaime Diaz, who is Machete's cousin, during their first ever rehearsal in the summer of 1997. Without having agreed on an alternative name, the group decided to let the name stick as an ice breaker. In 1992, before becoming Los Ciegos Del Barrio, most of the current members (Alvin Suarez, his identical twin brother, Derek Suarez, Jimmy Fontanez and Machete spent some time playing Latin music in Russia with a non-profit organization called "Project Troubador". Project Troubador's founder and Artistic Director, Eliot Osborn came across the very talented group of friends during his teaching stint at the New York Institute for the Blind, and has since then helped develop the act. In 1996, also through Project Troubador, Machete and the Suarez twins embarked on a two-week trip to the Dominican Republic, playing for a wide variety of audiences of all ages. This trip is believed to have inspired Alvin Suarez to form Los Ciegos Del Barrio a year later. In 1998, they released their first self-titled demo album on cassette tape, and, in 2000, released their first full-length album, "No Lo Dude," which features their first underground hit "Dime Donde Estas," their first song to get radio airplay, and first to hit #1 on the former MP3.com website. In 2003, they released "Dominando," which features a bachata version of "I Will Survive," which remains their most downloaded song to date. This CD also features their first Merengue to get radio airplay, "Y Sigues Hablando," which to date is their most downloaded original, and is one of their most popular songs. In 2006, again through Project Troubador, Los ciegos returned to the Dominican Republic for another two-week tour; playing in all types of venues such as parks, schools, marketplaces, night clubs, nursing homes, orphanages and theatres. In 2007, another Los Ciegos del Barrio track, a bachata version of "Brown Eyed Girl," appeared on "Sound insight: Volume 1," a compilation CD recorded and sponsored by the Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind (United States), which features different blind artists from around the US. In December 2009, Los Ciegos released their third album "Por Que?...PorQue!" which features the track "Quitate del Medio," their first recorded salsa using brass; and "Ciegueton," their only reggaeton. In 2010, Los Ciegos Del Barrio recorded a single, "Buscando La Luz," which is featured on a compilation CD put together by the Visionary Media Company, called "Songs About Blindness." This compilation also features a collection of blind artists from around the United States. In 2011, through Project Troubador, Los Ciegos Del Barrio played a two-week tour of Havana, Cuba. They played in numerous cultural venues as part of the annual week-long "Fiera de Libros" (book Fair). Los Ciegos Del Barrio also made appearances on radio, television and newspapers. they were the first ever United States band to appear in the Book Fair's annual main event, which is a nationally televised concert held in La Plaza San Francisco in front of an estimated 11,000 people. Some of these performances were selected as part of their fourth CD released in 2012, a live album called "Los Ciegos Del Barrio: Live in havana, Cuba." This album was also released on download cards and features a few tracks from some of the Cuban artists that the Ciegos befriended during their trip. In the Fall of 2012, due to personal and creative differences, it was announced by Alvin Suarez that the band would finish any remaining commitments through 2013, then go on hiatus. In March 2013, the Ciegos embarked on their second trip to Cuba, which turned out to be an overall disappointing experience, as many of the performances were in the same locations as in the 2011 trip. Current events also exacerbated matters, as due to the death of Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez on March 5, Cuba observed several National Days of Mourning in memory of their ally, cancelling all musical and entertainment events nationwide. An announcement of Chavez's death was made in the middle of the band's performance in a children's music school, putting an abrupt end to the show and the rest of the performance itinerary. The Ciegos continued performing until late Summer of 2013 before officially going on hiatus. The hiatus was short-lived, however, as due to popular demand, the Ciegos decided to put their differences aside and resume performing in late 2014. In the Spring of 2015, the Ciegos released a single, a salsa version of the 1982 hit, "Mama Used to Say" originally performed by Junior. The band's overall growth and ability is even more noticeable in this track, which exhibits a heavy Cuban influence. Los Ciegos Del Barrio is expected to release their next album later in 2015. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Los Ciegos Del Barrio」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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