Gary Núñez & Plena Libre
Founded in San Juan by bass player/composer Gary Núñez, Plena Libre is well into a 15 year voyage that has seen the orchestra re-invent the sound of Puerto Rico's plena and bomba traditions. During that time, Gary and his group have recorded 12 stellar albums which have garnered four Grammy nominations. In taking their unparalleled live show to the World, the group has spread the gospel of their unique Afro-Rican sound on international jazz festival stages from Montreal to Milan and Denmark to Veracruz as well as to Performing Arts venues like the Kenny and Lincoln Centers and the Dartmouth College's prestigious Hopkins Centre all the way to obscure outposts in the likes of Lake Okoboji, Iowa. Recent years have seen Gary and the band blend contemporary cumbia, merengue, salsa, and other Afro-Caribbean sounds into their mix to create a unique sofrito borinqueño that is pushing the plena and bomba well into the future. With Gary securing some of the Island's top players for his band, Plena Libre has aptly transcended their humble beginnings - evolving into a powerhouse force that is undoubtedly one of the elite heavy-weight live orchestras on the current Latin music scene.
Reviews
The biggest band to play plena, which is a folkloric music out of Puerto Rico, PLENA LIBRE known the tradition but aren't afraid to draw upon stuff from outside the genre to keep it fresh". . The Village Voice, April 2006
Plena Libre has given a new era to this wonderful rhythm plena" - Daily News, NY
"Plena Libre takes "plena" to its maximum expression." - Osceola Sentinel, Florida
Plena Libre made a strong impression becasue of their musicality, togetherness, growth and dynamism on stage." - El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico
"Tres chic . . ." - Liberation, France
(Plena Libre) was the night's best." - Crónica de Cancún, Mexico
"Young talented and spicy and full of young followers, Plena Libre is the new face of the Puerto Rican plena." - Latin Beat Magazine
"The crowd went wild." - Sun Sentinal, Florida
"Today Plena is hip thanks to (Gary) Nuñez' 12-piece band . . . the people keep dancing and asking for more." - Miami Herald
"An outstanding live act." - MIDEM Convention Magazine
"Tropical music will never be the same after the emerging of the vigorous group, Plena Libre." - The San Juan Star
Plena Libre (at Sculler's Jazz Club) . . . a mad weave of polyrhythms that simply sizzle. - The Boston Globe
"This group with it's unique personality has placed plena in places only reserved for merengue and salsa." - Diálogo Monthly, Puerto Rico
"Where would the contemporary bomba and plena be without Gary Nuñez (of Plena Libre) 5 Stars Review -- The New York Post, November 2005
"the CD ROCKS!. It's the best they've ever done, in fact I would rate it in my top 10 for the year". . . KECG, El Cerrito, CA
"It has been more than a decade since Gary Nuñez baptized the group with the name plena libre, aiming to break musical and cultural boundaries. THeir new CD and tour dates are now more borders crossed this extraordinary group". World Music Central www.worldmusiccentral.org
