- Roni Benise
Infobox Musical artist
Img_size = 150
Name = Roni Benise
Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Born =Nebraska
USA
Instrument =Guitar
Genre =Flamenco
Rock
Occupation =
Years_active = 1999 – present
Label = Rosanegra Music
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.benise.com Benise.com]Roni Benise (best known as Benise and pronounced Buh-ness-say),cite news |first =Chuy |last =Varela |date=2006-04-16 |title =Benise Fires Up Spanish Guitar |url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/04/16/PKG2LI4OEV1.DTL&type=music |publisher =San Francisco Chronicle (sfgate.com),
San Francisco, California |accessdate =2007-10-16 ] is an American self-taught and self-described "Nouveau SpanishFlamenco Guitarist". Benise left his family to move 1500 miles away to Los Angeles with a dream of pursuing a rock-type stardom. Then one day, when he was at a crossroads of his life, he had an epiphany after hearing flamenco on the radio. He tossed aside his electric guitar in favor of a classical nylon stringer.cite news |first =Michael H. |last =Margolin |date=2006-05-10 |title =Fire flight: Roni Benise's improbable combo of Vegas show and Spanish guitar |url = http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=9197 |publisher =Metro Times (metrotimes.com),Detroit, Michigan |accessdate =2007-10-16 ]With a lack of viable venues, he and a group of friends took the music literally to the streets as a
busker , playing everything from neighborhood theaters to flea markets where he quickly established a following.cite news |first = Carson L. |last =Pierce |date=2007-10-10 |title =Benise returns to the valley with New Age flamenco, vocal show |url =http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2007/10/10/features/arts_and_entertainment/doc470c1a8406545782085639.txt |publisher = The Napa Valley Register (napavalleyregister.com),Napa Valley, California |accessdate =2007-10-16 ] Together, they came up with an act that married Latin rhythms to a near-Cirque du Soleil atmosphere.cite news |first =Jennie |last =Rodriguez |date=2007-10-11 |title = Benise turns on the heat with his Spanish guitar. Benise brings new heat to instrument with 'Nights of Fire' at Bob Hope Theatre |url=http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071011/A_ENTERTAIN/710110302/0/A_ENTERTAIN03 |publisher = RecordNet.com |accessdate = 2007-10-16] He takes world music (specifically, strongly Latin-flavored pieces such as flamenco, salsa, tango, andsamba underscored by African tribal rhythms) and fuses it with rock, creating an entirely new sound that appeals widely to mainstream music fans and aficionados ofworld music .cite news |first =Dolly |last =Penland |date=2007-10-05 |title =Strings on Fire |url =http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2007/10/08/tidbits4.html |publisher =Jacksonville Business Journal (jacksonville.bizjournals.com),Jacksonville, Florida |accessdate =2007-10-16 ]The mixture caught the attention of the
Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and led to his 2006-2007 "Nights of Fire!" production that has aired on many PBS-affiliated stations,cite web |url= http://pressroom.pbs.org/programs/benise_nights_of_fire PBS.org |title=Nights of Fire |publisher=PBS (pressroom.pbs.org)|accessdate=2007-10-16 |format= |work= ] for which he won anEmmy Award .cite news |first =Danny |last =Langhorne |date=2007-10-11 |title =Why Benise Is Spicy Hot|url =http://independent.com/news/2007/oct/11/why-benise-spicy-hot/ |publisher =Santa Barbara Independent (independent.com/news),Santa Barbara, California |accessdate =2007-10-16] The show is a blend of theater and music drawing from the Spanish flamenco,Argentine tango , and Brazilian samba traditions.To date Benise has produced eight CDs (seven studio, one live) and 2 DVDs. He owns an independent record label, Rosanegra Music.
History
Benise hails from a small farm an hour from
Grand Island, Nebraska . The self-taught guitarist started playing at age 11 and got into local bands as a teenager. He whiled away hours by plucking rock 'n' roll on his guitar. His parents figured he would join the family business but then came a moment of inspiration and the idea of pursuing a rock-type stardom. Given the remote location of his home, he reached a point where he felt as if he was going nowhere, so he moved to Southern California in 1999. He cleaned swimming pools by day, playing guitar in various rock bands at night. In an interview with Varela Chuy of the "San Francisco Chronicle", Benise countsJimmy Page ,Jimi Hendrix , and "all the greats" among his influences.Benise stumbled into Spanish guitar listening to the radio, and something clicked. "I think there are times in everyone's life when everything changes," he said. "Hearing the Spanish guitar in the car was that moment for me because the sound takes you away to an exotic place, and it was a perfect fit, especially when I was in this crossroads of my life."cite news |first =Justino |last =Aquila |date=2006-04-19 |title =Roni Benise Finds Fame in Flavor of Spain |url =http://media.www.dailycollegian.com/media/storage/paper874/news/2006/04/19/Entertainment/Roni-Benise.Finds.Fame.In.Spain-1860087.shtml |publisher =The Orange County Register (dailycollegian.com) |accessdate =2007-10-16 ] He went out and got a nylon string guitar and started relearning the instrument. No effects, whammy bars, tremolos or wah-wah pedals -- "it's just you and the guitar". Benise retired his electric guitar and focused exclusively on his new instrument. He meshed his rock background and the Spanish guitar in a combination he calls "rockmenco", pouring out "intoxicating" Spanish flamenco-inspired guitar riffs with the intensity of a rock player.
But he was turned down by almost every club in the city. ("Spanish guitar? Forget about it!" was the reaction Benise recalls hearing).cite news |first =Fred |last =Shuster |date=2006-04-20 |title =Spark of genius: Spanish guitarist, 40-member cast fire the imagination |url =http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/music/article/0,2792,DRMN_54_4634513,00.html |publisher = Los Angeles Daily News (rockymountainnews.com) |accessdate =2007-10-16 ] So began Benise's street team. They would play around 225 shows a year and would be anywhere there were tourists, grabbing people's attention before they walked away, performing original songs that would engage people on the street so they would stop to buy a CD. Soon clubs liked the combination and he and his band were getting noticed. "Before I knew it, people would line up on the street for our performances," Benise said. "It's been seven years since I started with the Spanish guitar. We started playing for tourists, then we began renting out theaters and building on that momentum." Benise began promoting his own concerts at 2,000-seat theaters throughout the area. He subtitled his all-instrumental show "Love, Music, and Life!".
"Nights of Fire!"
Benise's initial efforts at producing an evening of Latin entertainment proved successful, leading to the "Nights of Fire!" production which is broadcast on PBS nationwide. It was taped at the art deco
Arlington Theatre inSanta Barbara, California . The idea for "Nights of Fire!" blossomed out from his self-produced concerts, which he called "Viva Spanish Nights". Featuring cirque performers, samba dancers and African drummers, the show packed 2,000-seat venues.Offers came in from record companies, but Benise turned them down, refusing to compromise his music or downsize his show. He finally found the right management who wanted to make his show "larger than life" in manager
Doc McGhee who discoveredBon Jovi , Kiss,Motley Crue , and others. Benise's ascension into the PBS limelight was a big jump for a musician withMidwest ern roots andCzechoslovakia n ancestry who a couple of years ago was a Southern California street musician. From the start, Benise knew what he was doing was different.Observing how PBS introduced mass audiences to
Yanni ,Sarah Brightman , andRiverdance , he decided that hooking up with the network seemed like a logical next step. He created the equivalent of a stage musical, with instrumental guitar pieces that allow the rhythms and melodies to create a wordless story line, all with the romance and mysterious flamenco quality that poetFederico Garcia Lorca called duende (the Moorish sounds of North Africa).It has been called a "dazzling" show of singers and dancers that incorporates the musical heritages of Spain, France, Africa, Egypt, Brazil, and the Caribbean islands of Puerto Rico and Cuba. The mixture of material in "Nights of Fire!" includes Brazilian samba, Cuban salsa, Spanish flamenco, Argentine tango, even African tribal chants and drums. The production’s costumes were acknowledged with an Emmy Award. Benise says, "I appreciate music from all over the world and I believe that feeling has allowed me to embrace them all, to incorporate them into the songs that I write, the music we sing, the shows we perform. When people ask what it is, I tell them it’s a combination of blues, jazz, salsa, rock and more, but in a hipper style." Some have described Roni Benise's "Nights of Fire!" as a cross between Latin Riverdance and Cirque du Soleil. It incorporates a "world-class" group of musicians and "elaborately choreographed" dancers. Surrounding him on stage is a 40-person cast that takes in exotic drums,
Gypsy violin, flamenco dancers, Cirque performers, Brazilian samba dancers and percussionists, African tribal drummers, Havana horns and brilliant lighting. The music also fits into new age and smooth jazz radio formats."Nights of Fire!" musicians
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