An Evening with Miramar

In most of Latin America, if you’re by the sea, there’s bound to be a place called Miramar (“look to the sea”) nearby. It typically offers a postcard view of the ocean—and if music is playing, chances are it’s boleros, the romantic genre that originated in the late 1800s and became an international sensation through collaborations between Puerto Rican, Mexican and Cuban musicians.

When Puerto Rican singer Reinaldo Álvarez named the group, he searched for something simple and familiar to Spanish speakers—something that captured the humble poetry of everyday life. Miramar felt just right: a romantic snapshot of a place both familiar and far from home.

Miramar captures that poetry with their futuristic spin on the classic bolero. Rooted in the nostalgic golden era of 1950’s duo and trio music, their style reaches much further, drawing on Nuevo Romántico, Mexican pop baladas, as well as the jazzy Cuban cabaret style known as filín. The band carries the torch of Bolero Beat—a genre made popular in the 1960’s for its blend of boleros with psychedelic rock, bossa nova, funk, and more.

Miramar features the voice and award-winning songwriting of Puerto Rican native Rei Álvarez, alongside the elegant vocals of “la gran voz de la diva,” Laura Ann Singh. Their heart-wrenching harmonies soar over the lush, cinematic arrangements of pianist and bandleader Marlysse Simmons-Argandoña. A longtime creative partnership, Simmons and her husband Álvarez are also known for their work with the world-renowned indie salsa band Bio Ritmo. The core Miramar trio—Singh, Álvarez, and Simmons—is supported by a rotating all-star rhythm section based between Richmond, VA, and Brooklyn, NY. The band often expands its sound through collaborations with local string quartets and symphonies.

Miramar “brings the bolero into the 21st century” (All About Jazz), and their recordings have been described as an “elegant invocation of heritage” (NPR’s All Things Considered), “lush and lyrical” (NBC News Latino), and “timelessly crafted” (World Music Central). They have been featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk, NYC’s GlobalFEST, Lincoln Center’s ‘Out of Doors’ and have performed across the USA, France, and were one of the last bands to complete an embassy-sponsored tour of Russia in 2020. Their recordings can be found on some of the most iconic independent music labels out of New York and Los Angeles, including Barbès Records, Daptone Records, and the recently revitalized historic Latin label Ansonia Records.