Jorge Drexler opened a music industry event in the basement of Madrid’s Movistar arena by performing Guitar y Vos, according to The Guardian.
The Uruguayan doctor-turned-singer followed it with El Otro Lado del Rio, the song he composed for the Che Guevara road movie The Motorcycle Diaries.
Drexler won the best original song Oscar for the track in 2005. He delivered an a cappella version in lieu of an acceptance speech after not receiving an invitation to perform at the ceremony.
Latin Grammy Nominations and Taracá
Drexler performed a solo set under a spotlight on the stairs before joining three drummers playing in the Afro-Uruguayan candombe style. The performance featured Ante la Duda, Baila from his latest album Taracá, which received eight Latin Grammy nominations for the awards scheduled on 12 November, The Guardian reported. The new record includes contributions from 74-year-old classical guitarist Julio Cobelli and Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko.
Dictatorships end, but their effects don’t leave your body so easily,
Drexler told The Guardian in his studio apartment. He grew up in Montevideo under a civic-military dictatorship that was hostile to artists and intellectuals.
From Medicine to Music
Drexler worked as an ear, nose and throat specialist while writing and performing music at night. Fellow doctors viewed him as a weirdo with an earring, while musicians treated him as a hobbyist.
Working in a hospital, I hid my guitar under my white coat. Playing in a bar, I hid my white coat in my guitar case,
he said, according to The Guardian. He moved to Madrid in his 30s after Spanish musician Joaquín Sabina invited him to play.
Questions About Jorge Drexler and Taracá
When did Jorge Drexler win his Oscar?
Drexler won the best original song Oscar in 2005 for El Otro Lado del Rio from The Motorcycle Diaries.
How many Latin Grammy nominations does Taracá have?
The album received eight nominations for the Latin Grammy awards on 12 November, according to The Guardian.
What was Drexler’s profession before music?
He worked as an ear, nose and throat specialist while writing and performing songs at night.
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