For the first time the band moves away from English to offer a tribute to great Latin American voices at the Centro de Arte Theater.
It was in 2015 that The Crooners saw the light thanks to the initiative of Guido León Suárez, a musician born in the United States of a Guayaquil family. “It all started at an event where they invited me to pay tribute to Frank Sinatra and at that time they asked me to name the concept and I couldn’t think of anything else but to think of Sinatra, big band, jazz. So The Crooners is also a tribute to the great Sinatra, considered the crooner higher. After that show we did more and I always had the idea that it was something that could work beyond just doing a show for just one night. I worked on it until I met with Robert Bosch, the group’s saxophonist, and later two more members joined: Robertto Zalamea, our keyboardist and arranger and, at that time, Marcel Jaramillo, who was our main guitar ”.
Croon is an English term that means a soft and murmuring way of singing, without projecting the voice. It is generally applied to the solo singer who exploits these characteristics. Names that have stood out as ‘croonero’, apart from Sinatra, son Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Andy Williams, Tom Jones, Tony Bennett, Fred Astaire, Luis Miguel, Michael Bublé, José José, among others. “The idea of The Crooners from its inception was precisely that, pay tribute to the great voices of the jazz, bossa nova, of the big band, but later we were expanding the concept and we have concentrated on other genres such as soul music -highlighting big guys from Motown Records-, smooth jazz and also classic rock and pop, but always in the line of paying tribute to the musical excellence of great artists ”, highlights León, who was born in New York but grew up in Texas and has lived in Guayaquil for ten years.
He says that his first influences were from his family. “My grandfather was a musician, my brother Juan Carlos Coronel has his musical group. So it is not strange to me or strange to be away from the musical environment. And the genre that most influenced me and continues to be is soul music and the standard jazz, among others”.
The Crooners classic lineup is a trio, that is, Robert Bosch-Robertto Zalamea-Guido León. “We have alternated with great guitarists like Marcel Jaramillo, Carlos Vera (Los Corvets, De Luxe, Francisoc Echeverría Trío) and now with Manolo Castro”, explains León.
It is the first time they will do a show in Spanish. “Two years ago we paid a tribute to the composer and guitarist Joao Gilberto, which coincided with his death (2019), and to another great Brazilian artist Antônio Carlos Jobim. We made one more concept of bossa nova and we add some boleros ”.
At the show Unforgettable, The Crooners will pay tribute to the great composers and artists such as Armando Manzanero, Luis Miguel, Alejandro Fernández, Alejandro Sanz, among others, and a special tribute to José José. The musical group has performed in different stages in Ecuador, especially in Guayaquil and Samborondón. “Stevie Wonder is my biggest influence, both as a songwriter, producer and singer; George Michael also influenced my style, he had an impressive acting ability; of course, Sinatra and many others ”, says Guido.
Why go see The Crooners? “Those nuances of songs that we have prepared for the show and that we are going to sing bear our stamp. It is not simply repeating something, but giving our interpretation arrangements of musicians of great trajectory, to offer a moment in the time of the music and, something that is very important, to keep this music current because the public is eager that it does not disappear and Always have a space, ”says León, adding that they chose the Experimental Room of the Centro de Arte Theater because it offers a more intimate atmosphere and brings the concept for the show closer together. “We want the public to feel that intimacy of the bohemian that we are going to represent in each song.”
Event file
Show: Unforgettable
Group: The Crooners (Guido León, voice; Robert Bosch, saxophone, and Robertto Zalamea, keyboards). Manolo Castro, guitars. Date: Thursday, October 28
Place: Experimental Room of the Centro de Arte Theater
Hour: 20:30
Value: $ 25
Bookings: 096-923-6927 (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
