This album by Brenda Hopkins Miranda titled "Recuerdos de Granada / Memoirs From Granada" blends jazz, Spanish, and Puerto Rican music styles. Hopkins draws on her two years living in Granada, Spain and composes pieces strongly inspired by flamenco but with Caribbean influences. The album received critical acclaim, being voted the #16 album of 2009 by a Puerto Rican cultural organization for its exceptional quality, beauty, and Hopkins' exquisite fusion of musical traditions.

1. Brenda Hopkins Miranda
Recuerdos de Granada / Memoirs From Granada
Voted the #16 album of 2009
by the Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular
1
Every
once
in
a
while
one
comes
across
an
album
of
such
quality
and
beauty
that
it
restores
your
faith
in
music.
Memoirs
from
Granada
is
that
kind
of
album.
A
music
jewel
from
beginning
to
end,
in
it,
Brenda
captivates
the
listener
with
an
exquisite
fusion
of
Jazz,
music
from
Spain
and
of
course,
music
from
Puerto
Rico.
In
fact,
there
is
no
other
recording
produced
in
Puerto
Rico
similar
to
‘Recuerdos
de
Granada’.
Product
of
her
two
years
in
the
Andalusian
city,
it
is
a
collection
of
her
own
compositions
strongly
inspired
by
flamenco
music.
But
it
is
flamenco
with
a
Caribbean
touch,
played
by
someone
who
is
proud
of
her
heritage.
The
music
on
the
record
is
exceptionally
visual
and
its
concept
is
intrinsically
associated
with
the
expression
of
dance.
She
offers
the
music
with
the
right
amount
2
of
authenticity
and
innovation
to
define
the
city
of
Granada,
which
she
wants
us
to
experience,
down
to
her
imitating
the
rasgueado
or
strumming
of
the
guitar.
Without
abandoning
her
style
–
frequently
percussive
and
intense,
and
with
phrases
or
melodic
patterns
that
almost
hypnotize
through
their
insistence
-­‐
in
the
most
natural
and
organic
way
possible
Brenda
Hopkins
has
incorporated
to
her
legacy
a
great
musical
tradition.
And
along
the
way
brings
us
one
of
the
best
jazz
recordings
that
have
ever
been
made
in
Puerto
Rico.
Musicians
Brenda
Hopkins
Miranda:
piano,
palmas
Enrique
“El
Peru”
Chávez:
percussion
Héctor
Matos
/
Efraín
Martínez:
drums
Samuel Morales/Aldemar Valentín:
bass
Carlos Sánchez: trumpet
Jeanne d’Arc S.: flamenco dancing steps
CREDITS
Producer, composer, director
and arranger
Brenda Hopkins Miranda
Recorded at
Playbach Studios
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Recording engineers
Carlos Velázquez
Ramón Martínez
Mixing
Ramón Martínez
Mastering
David Rodríguez
Digital Recording Services
AVAILABLE ON
Itunes, Amazon, CD Baby
RELEASE DATE
October 2009
br
brendahopkinsmiranda
@brendahopkinspi
management@brendahopkinsmusic.com
www.brendahopkinsmusic.com
Photography
Alexandra Ayala
Graphic Design
Jay Guadalupe
Digital Recording Services