The Zulian saxophonist and clarinetist based in the US, Francisco Quintero, has a very special gift for Venezuelans and in the happiest months of the year, releasing his new single titled “Feliz Navidad”; It is a version of the classic immortalized by José Feliciano, but performed to the rhythm of Latin jazz and tropical fusion. The song also has an animated video that highlights the message that the music brings.
The saxophonist, born in Maracaibo, who is also an excellent arranger, has been part of the bands and orchestras of stars such as Oscar D’León, Wilfrido Vargas, Sergio Vargas, Ronald Borjas, El Pollo Brito and Freecover Venezuela, among others, and He continues to steadily build his solo career. “Merry Christmas” is available on the main digital platforms and the video can be enjoyed at the following YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
“I chose this original classic by José Feliciano because it is an icon of Christmas and although for me these holidays have a nostalgic touch, the music is full of joy, with a very inspiring message, full of good wishes. For me, the main ingredient is the salsa tone that it has with the voice of Ronald Borjas, together with the sax melodies, I think it is a very good key and that the public is going to enjoy it,” expressed Francisco Quintero.
In the recording of “Feliz Navidad”, Francisco Quintero himself, in addition to playing the sax, made the arrangements and was in charge of all the musical production, with the mixing and mastering by the renowned Edwin Andrade. The piano and programming were provided by Jonathan Faria, Tomas Aquino Font was on bass, José “poke” Ferrer was on percussion, while Ronald Borjas recorded the vocals. The video animation was made by Michael Fernández (Monifatto Cartoon), with direction by Agatino Zurria.
Quintero, who also has academic musical training, has been part of orchestras such as the Miami Symphony, Bolívar Phil, Maracaibo Symphony, Venezuela Big Band Jazz, Big Band Maracaibo and the Zulia Typical Orchestra, considers that “Feliz Navidad” has a emotional charge because when you listen to it: “I really remember our family Christmas gatherings, that joy that our parents, uncles and grandparents gave us. She also connects me with that stage as a child and my daughter loves it, so much so that she asks me to watch the video.”
“I started preparing this version in 2021, with a Christmas EP that I released that year, but for some reasons it was left out of production. At first it would only be instrumental but then I had the idea of including the voice and since I had salsa in my mind, I immediately proposed the idea to Ronald, he liked it and accepted (…) I had the initiative to include an animated video after seeing the work of Michael Fernández on his Instagram account, he is an excellent Venezuelan animator based in Brazil whose work I was very satisfied with. Then the idea of recording the beginning of the video in real shots was added and I was able to count on the direction of Agatino Zurria,” he added.
Follow Francisco Quintero on his networks:
Instagram: @frank_sax
Official YouTube channel @franksaxmusic
Website: www.franksaxmusic.com