Last year, while Mexican rock icons Maná were in the middle of a global tour, the Los Angeles home of guitarist Sergio Vallín was broken into. The thieves ransacked the house, stealing his two cars and, among other things, his collection of guitars, including his prized vintage Fender Stratocaster 1965.I have to say, that hurt,” Vallín tells Billboard. “Everything else I could live with, but my guitars? That hurt.
Now, Vallín is getting his payback, metaphorically speaking, with Microsinfonías, his first all-instrumental album. The seven-track set, released independently by Vallín and distributed via Altafonte — the Madrid-based label and distributor — features seven “micro symphonies” accompanied by the Prague Symphony Orchestra, and where Vallín shares solo honors with a roster of guitarists that includes Carlos Santana and Steve Vai, playing his own compositions.
In a twist, the album also includes orchestral versions of hits by Alejandro Sanz, Juan Luis Guerra, Marco Antonio Solís and Maná’s lead singer Fher Olvera, but instead of featuring them on vocals, they play instruments: Sanz the flamenco guitar, Guerra the acoustic guitar, Olvera his harmonica and Solís the percussion.
