Kimbiza comes form the Latin-American Salsa metropole Caracas in Venezuela. The band combines Afro-Caribbean tradition, Venezuelan folk music and Latin jazz. Filipe “Mandingo” Rengifo and Renis Mendosa founded the band Kimbiza in 1986. After a European tour in 1987, both musicians chose to stay in Essen, Germany, where they studied at the Folkwang Academy and now both of them teach there. Since 1990 the Venezuelan singer and cellist Yma América joined Kimbiza. Yma América’s voice became known for the Baccardi-tune “Juégalo”, composed and sung by her.
WIN2004