María is now living in Santiago, Chile. This is what I wrote some time after we made this record: while she is not producing spell-binding rhythmic virtuosity for Quijeremá, the brilliant Venezuelan drummer, percussionist and cuatro player María Fernanda Acuña also teaches Spanish through music to children in the San Francisco Bay Area in a program called “Viva el Español”.
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As part of that effort she produced this excellent CD that has been a big hit with the under-10 set. The record includes members of Quijeremá and a number of other special guests. In addition to having the great opportunity to play saxophones on this record, I got to make a variety of animal sounds! This is a great CD musically, and fun for kids of all ages. María is an essential part of the sound of Quijeremá and a great musician in her own right. I really look forward to hearing more recordings from María and it’s been my privilege to work with her. Recorded at Musiquito in Oakland, CA, mixed by Jeremy Allen, produced by Maria.
