Edilio Paredes
master bachata musician
"I've shared my life and my music with the people of Washington Heights... This is a hardworking and joyful community which has given me both support and friend-ship, for which I'm very grateful.”
Since the moment I decided to remain in the United States I've lived in Washington Heights, the most important Dominican community in New York City. I feel like I'm with my family, even though I don't have any family members here. This is a hardworking and joyful community which has given me both support and friendship, for which I'm very grateful.
Ever since that year, 1988, I've shared my life and my music with the people of Washington Heights. Even at a time when bachata was looked down on by many in the Dominican Republic itself, the people of Upper Manhattan have given it one hundred percent support... La Amistad, La Caridad, El 27 de Febrero, La Cabaña, El 20 de Mayo; these are venues, present and past, which have always been full, seven nights a week, thanks to local bachata groups and their faith- ful followers. When I arrived here, there were already several very good groups-Augusto Santos, El Pidio Mejia, Jaime Mendoza. Those musicians, and my own group, helped to create the current bachata scene. I take some pride in the fact that some very significant bachateros have come from New York City.
The years have gone by, and in spite of everything, I continue to be Dominican. I will always feel that my home is in the Dominican Republic. But any Dominican who comes to Washington Heights realizes that he hasn't really left Santo Domingo. Here he will find his people, his language, his food and his cus- toms, and he will also experience the generosity of the Dominican people. In the end, I've never felt far from my country even though I'm thousands of miles away from it.
Biography
For over three decades, leading bachatero Edilio Paredes has shaped and re-shaped bachata music. Bachata originated in the barrio in the Dominican Republic and is now an established genre enjoyed by young and old alike. From bachata’s early days in the 1960’s until the early 1990’s, Edilio Paredes directed and recorded the most important work of the music’s leading artists, inspiring three generations of Dominican guitarists along the way. Far from the bordellos and cabarets where this music once took refuge, Paredes’ pioneering style is being enthusiastically embraced the world over. A mentor to emerging musicians and an institution in the Washington Heights community since 1988, Paredes has recorded thousands of tracks and is a familiar sight in the community’s musical venues: La Amistad, La Caridad, El 27 de Febrero, La Cabaña and El 20 de Mayo. As a leading member of the band Super Uba, Edilio is introducing authentic bachata to a new group of listeners.