The Colombian artist Gregorio Uribe, whose combination of contemporary cumbia and timeless charisma have marked him as an artist to watch, has been signed to a publishing deal by Spirit Music Latino. Uribe plays the accordion and sings, bridging styles ranging from jazzy Latin big band to pop ballads rooted in Colombian folk music. The loose-hipped Bogóta native studied at Boston’s Berklee College and lives in New York.
After recording his attention-getting 2015 album Cumbia Universal with a 16-piece orchestra (featuring Ruben Blades singing on the title track), he has recently been performing with a smaller group. “Now I've leaned towards focusing more on my accordion [and] the songwriting,” Uribe tells Billboard. “I’ve been inspired by the idea of legendary Colombian troubadors who would travel to towns with their accordions, telling stories and singing about their personal issues.”
Spirit Music Latino signed Uribe to an exclusive worldwide administration and co-publishing agreement, which was announced today (Sept. 8) by Spirit Music Latino executives Jamar Chess and Juan Carlos Barguil, and Spirit Music Group Chairman & CEO David Renzer.
“Gregorio is an incredibly talented songwriter within the new Colombian movement who is only just getting started,” Chess says. Uribe recorded his latest single, "Salomé," with the Cuban band Canela de Cuba. Watch the video, set in Havana, below: