Azul launches EN EL MAR, a music-filled call to action in support of 30X30
SAN FRANCISCO –Azul, an environmental justice organization working with grassroots communities to protect our coasts and ocean, has partnered with a group of talented musicians and vocalists to launch EN EL MAR, a full-length album and organizing campaign inviting the Latinx community to celebrate their connection to the ocean and to work with us in support of 30X30.
“Music has the power to instantly connect, evoke, and convey feelings. It breaks down barriers and sparks memories that people associate with good times around the ocean,” says Marce Gutierrez-Graudiņš, Founder and Executive Director, Azul, who worked for 18 months to put together a musical journey featuring 14 quintessential Spanish-language songs about the ocean. The collection features award-winning musicians and vocalists including Omara Portuondo, Alaín Pérez, Daymé Arocena, Roman Filiú and Lázaro Armenteros, with musical direction by Maikel Vistel, and arrangements by Rafael Águila. Over 50 people were involved in the production of the record, including a 17-piece orchestra that was assembled in Madrid, Spain. “This record is one of the nicest projects I’ve ever worked on,” says Maikel Vistel, musical director and producer of EN EL MAR. “It offers a very special way of raising awareness of the importance of protecting our ocean.”
EN EL MAR coincides with Azul’s 10th year anniversary and our campaign in support of 30X30, an initiative to protect 30 percent of our lands, waters, and oceans by the year 2030. EN EL MAR is also a celebration of the many successful policy initiatives Azul has forged along the way, ensuring coastal access for all and plastic-free beaches and coasts. The album is complemented by a series of essays and poems around ocean conservation.
“We had to make sure we had songs from many places in Latin America and could connect to the issues we work on in ocean conservation. We couldn’t pass up on a song titled, Deja que suba la marea (Wait until the tides rise)”, says Gutierrez-Graudiņš.
We invite you to join our 30X30 campaign and to celebrate our conservation traditions. Help us build community and champion solutions to protect our oceans. We’ll see you EN EL MAR.