By Imara Arredondo

The Sound of Miami is a mixture of notes and musical flavors that unties the passion of a rhythm which is crazy and provocative, authentic of its native  roots.

It is a fusion of sounds that surrounds the musical notes emerging from the soul of proud exiles.

Carlos Oliva is the bicultural product of a vibrant exile... a thriumphant performer, solid in the Latin American market as well as the Anglo for almost four decades, someone that being very young arrived here and became part of the Cuban exile in the late sixties.

He was carried away by the music that the new culture offered him. Carlos learned to incorporate the best of our legendary cultural traits, adding notes and folklore, fiber and rhythm. The rhythm and liveliness of Carlos Oliva and The Judge's Nephews is contagious and their performances in stages worldwide are memorable ... a rhythm born in the seventies that helped the emergence of various  musical groups.

Carlos Oliva with a solid and successful career, the magnetism of a super personality, a great sense of creativity, and a television image known to national audiences, have impressed millions of people.

Carlos Oliva's place in the history of Latin Music in the United States is guaranteed by his position, without a doubt, as one of the founders of the musical movement developed by the fusion of rock, jazz, samba, son, guaracha and other Cuban rhythms, known today as the "Miami Sound". Time Magazine credits Carlos Oliva as the precursor of this popular musical sound.

Carlos Oliva left Cuba in 1961 via Colombia. From an early age he had shown great ability in the congas, bongos, drums and everything that had to do with percussion..

He arrived in Miami at the same time the Pedro Pan exodus started. This was the group of 14,000 children that came out of Cuba without their parents, protected by the Catholic Church. Because Carlos was a member of the Cuban Catholic Youth, he began to work at camp 'Matecumbe', as a counselor and instructor to the children that were coming in.

 That is how he began to share his musical anxieties with other youths whose fondness of music was noticeable, and that is how he met Willy Chirino, with whom further on he travelled to New York, to play with the Julio Gutiérrez Orchestra.

Carlos stayed in New York, and in 1967, he created a musical group with Eddy Elmer and Héctor Fernández, who was later substituted by Javier Oliva. As we can see, Carlos Oliva’s group, Carlos Oliva y los Sobrinos del Juez (The Judge' s Nephews), is one of the Cuban groups that has lasted longest. The group moved to Miami and became entertainers for the "The Forge" Restaurant in Miami Beach, where they played some Latin American rhythms with songs such as 'The Guantanamera' as well as rock, which was the take off to the Sound of Miami. This experience was one of the most important in the musical career of Carlos Oliva and the Judge’s Nephews, carrying them all the way to stardom, the Mike Douglas Show of NBC.

From there on, everything positive happened. International fame came with his hit "Glorious San Antonio", where the sound of Miami was exposed to the world, as well as the talent and creativity of Carlos Oliva, who achieved a great hit out of a religious song.

In 1979, Oliva established his own record label "Common Cause Records/Causa Común", to continue producing talent, a job that had included not only "Miami Sound Machine", but also "Frankie Marcos & Clouds", Pedro Tamayo, Colombian pianist Hernán Gutiérrez and William Sánchez, musical director of "Sábado Gigante.

Carlos Oliva and Camilo Valencia have written the musical themes of many important television shows, including those of the Cristina Show (Univision) and Ocurrió Así (Telemundo). These were both awarded the prestigious BMI Award as well as the musical themes of the Sevcec Show, Padre Alberto, and that of Casa Club Magazine were also written and produced by this talented team. Their credits include the music of important television campaigns as well, including a campaign produced for Channel 23 (affiliate of Univision), which received an Emmy and has been one of the most successful for this network.

Carlos Oliva's recording and production credits include Miami Sound Machine (Audio Latino, 1974) , Frankie Marcos & Clouds (then recording for his record label COMMON CAUSE/CAUSA COMUN), Pedro Tamayo, Hernán Gutiérrez and William Sánchez, the musical director of SABADO GIGANTE

Production credits also include more than 100 radio and television commercials for Budweiser, Coors Light, McDonalds, RC Cola, Pollo Tropical, Entenman's, Bacardi Breezer, Sears,
Lipton, Brandsmart and the Ford Motor Company. Carlos Oliva was the Spokesman for South Florida's Hispanic Community for the Ford Motor Company.

The musical, talented and Cuban Carlos Oliva, has represented Miami year after year in the world renowned festival "Calle 8", of which he was founder-associate as a member of the Kiwanis Club of Little Havana. The many events of which Carlos Oliva and The Judge's Nephews have been part of, include "Viva Broward", "El Carnaval Latino de New Orleans", "Carnavales de Panamá", "La Parada de los Reyes Magos", and the "Orange Bowl Parade" in Miami. Performances in Disney World have been applauded in Pleasure Island's Main Stage, as well as in the Jazz Club and the America Theater of Epcot Center. As a great humanitarian, Carlos and LSDJ have always been part of the "Telemaratón de la Liga Contra el Cáncer", "Manos en Acción", "March of Dimes" and many others.

IA- ¿Why do they call you the Precursor of the Cuban music during the exile?

CO- "I would say that more than the precursor of Cuban music, the precursor of 'The sound of Miami', that is precisely the mixture of our music and our Cuban roots with the music to which we were exposed to upon arriving to the United States. {Rock, Jazz and to a little Brazilian Music, of which always I have been an admirer, and has always inspired me. That combination supported by voices in harmony and latin percussion developed what it is known as today, 'The Sound of Miami'. Just to mention a few that have followed that trend, Willy Chirino, The group Clouds of Frankie Marcos, Miami Sound Machine, Soul and others who followed this current that have identified us, and have influenced perhaps other caribbean rhythms in one way or another, being that Miami is the place where everyone looks up to for new trends,”

IA- Carlos Oliva and the Judge’s Nephews … why that name? What does it mean?

CO- "The name ‘The Judge’s Nephews’ came at a time when musical groups had very strange names, such as, The Beatles, The Turtles, Mamas and the Papas, Strawberry Alarm Clock, and so on. There was a T.V. show whch was very fashionable named "Laugh in", and Sammy Davis Jr. had a phrase that went: "Here comes the Judge" ... that is the story behind the name. When we came to Miami, we started using the translation and were called ‘Los sobrinos del Juez’ or just the nephews, depending on the degree of bilingual nature fans had."

IA- ¿What are your plans  now?

CO- "Right now we are promoting our new CD, "Crossing Over",  that is an exponent of our style and of our Sound of Miami.  Camilo Valencia, Milton Salcedo and Omar Hernandez, from the group, have been themusical arrangers, who they paved the land so that the interpretive individualism of each one of the members is emphasized, obtaining as a result a  mixture of cultural influences, causing an explosion of spontaneous creativity, real team work. On the other hand, we continue working, travelling often, working at conventions and corporate festivals of high level, as well as local events, festivals, anniversaries, etc

On January 28th we are travelling to Cancun for three days to act in a convention in the Ritz Plaza. On February 4 we will perform at the party of celebration of the Miami International Film  Festival in the Bayfront Park Parcel B, and on February 11 we will be in concert at Key Biscayne Park to celebrate Valentine's Day.. A very nice event that we do  every year, people come with  their blankets, lay them on the grass and come with their children to enjoy good music... a very nice environment, very quiet... they come to celebrate and listen  The Judge's Nephews, and  of course some cannot endure and they find a way to dance the night away..."

IA- Have you ever composed for other performers?

CO- "I have written many songs not only for our group, but for other artists such as, Gilberto Santarosa, Gloria Estefan, and many more. Songs are like the children, you love them equally and each one oftem has its own personality and projection.”

IA- Do you sing in English?

CO- "Yes, of course, we sing in both English and Spanish, we have a bilingual repertoire which includes hits in English as well as Latin music. That is precisely why we have some advantage for corporate parties, because the public is mixed and there is always something for everyone.”.

IA- ¿What was your relation with "Miami Sound Machine"?

CO- "It was the year 1974 when a young and restless admirer of "The Judge's Nephews" named Emilio Estefan, director of a musical group formed by guys, the "Miami Latin Boys", asked Carlos to help him record an album. During that time, Oliva recorded with "Audio Latino", record label owned by Tomás Fundora, who told him: "If you produce it, I'll record it!" Gloria and her cousin Mercy had just joined the band and because of this, they decided to rename them "Miami Sound Machine". The rest is history...

Everything about the new CD, "Crossing Over", anticipates great  success . Its title gives it the push to succeed in the Anglo marke as well as in the Latin American market..

With this new record material, “Crossing Over”, the most recent musical work of Carlos Oliva and The Judge's Nephews" a production of “PEPPER RECORDS” and distributed by UNIVERSAL Latin American,  once again the multicultural concept is present, representative of all native  roots . That is “Crossing Over”, and those they are “Carlos Oliva aand The Judge's Nephews"; a group that knows and enjoys PLAYING GOOD MUSIC, honoring the traditional school where  talent,  feeling and  quality are imposed over technology and  marketing. The CD "Crossing Over" is distributed by Universal Music, and should be available at all the music stores. Besides you can buy it over the internet via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and thru www.carlosoliva.com

IA- What is the message that you want to cause to arrive at our readers?

CO- “CROSSING OVER”… is a bicultural bridge…a musical production where we combine old time melodies, rhythms and harmonies fixed brilliantly to achieve an exceptional product that will bring joy and good vibrations every time that we listen to it. It will bring us to travel back in time, to those unforgettable epochs that have left deep tracks in our lives. This work is a perfect musical fusion of our Latin American roots with the American influence, which has become part routine of ourselves. This collection of themes has all that magic that converts anglo themes in an explosion of Latin American rhythms, always respecting the originality and the essence of each one of them".

As we see, this stunning material becomes a piece of collection without geographical limits nor due date. "Crossing Over" represents, primarily, the vision and feelings of past generations in today's world. The history of the mixture of two powerful cultures that fate wanted to be artistically united  for the benefit and enjoyment of music lovers around the world, having as common denominator and generic name: "The Sound Of Miami”, a movement that began with Carlos Oliva and the Judge's Nephews back in the sixties and has become a musical concept  that has influenced pop music in the past four decades... a rhythm born out of our bicultural roots and has been extended to the new millenium.