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Lissene "Lissi" Juarez
Born in Rio Grande, Texas, Lissene Juarez was surrounded by music for as long as memory serves. In fact, before she first set hands to congas she had absorbed authentic Latin music genres indigenous to the Americas, the Caribbean, Mexico and the southern states. At age fourteen, following family relocations to Mexico and Houston, she began playing guitar with Alkanze, a band populated by siblings and anchored by her father on drumset. At age sixteen, influenced by her brother, Lissi took up the congas. Since her musical background was already broad, most of the authentic rhythms came to her easily. And given the family talent pool, there was always assistance near on matters of hand slapping, sticking, and tuning. Lissi quickly revealed a rare combination of natural ability and born talent, attributes that did not go unnoticed. She began her pro career in her adolescence, hitting the road with Tejano artist Ram Herrera. Next she went out with Jay Perez and Elida Reyna. Accompanying these artists, Lissi toured extensively across the southern states and into Mexico. Her chops seasoned from projecting complex rhythms at appropriate dynamic levels, often with minimal miking, Lissi next embarked on a three-year tenure with acclaimed singer Jennifer Pena. In mid 2007, the gig ended and a different sort of opportunity knocked. It was a chance for Lissi to hit the pop market big time. In summer 2007, her blisters barely healed from the road, Lissi seized the moment. Lissene Juarez eagerly joined ranks with a new "girl band" Chicas de Canela. As a front line member of this quartet, Lissi sings and plays congas, timbales and diverse Toca percussion. She has succeeded at a difficult task-that of projecting folkloric rhythms such as Cumbia and Mariachi through an indelicate stadium PA without diluting authentic rhythms or denigrating their cultural significance. Chicas de Canela is destined for greatness, especially owing to the enthusiastic backing of the award winning label Freddie Records. Their self-titled debut album has garnered Chicas de Canela a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Album Cumbia/Vallenato. In Lissi, the band has scored the perfect percussionist. She brings to Chicas de Canela a lifetime of musical sensitivity, performance flare, and well developed chops...expressed with rich clarity on her Toca percussion instruments. |
