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The Ortas

A FAMILY AFFAIR

by Manny Meland on July 19, 2010

I caught the Ortas performing last month at the High Note Jazz Club in the Gables. It is hard to miss the Ortas. One or the other is probably performing at some hot venue or another around town. Mike is a piano virtuoso. His brother Nicky plays the bass and Nicky’s wife, Debbie Orta, is a singer. They don’t always play together. When they do, it’s a family affair.

Mike Orta and his brother Nicky were born into music. Their father, Ernesto Orta was a guitarist who inspired his sons to learn music. Mike began to study the piano at seven. Nicky took up the bass when he was eleven. Their talent was evident from the start. Each eventually earned a scholarship to study music at Miami Dade Community College.

Mike earned an Associate of Arts Degree at MDCC. A Bachelor and a Masters of Arts in Music Degrees at the University of Miami followed. He is very active on the jazz scene and has recorded two albums with his Mike Orta jazz/fusion group. Superstars Arturo Sandoval and Paquito D’Rivera engaged him to accompany them in their recordings. They were not the only ones. Mike has played with all the top acts in town. He has toured extensively and has played most of the big jazz festivals. Besides composing, arranging and playing, Mike is an Associate Professor and Director of Jazz Performance at Florida International University. He teaches jazz piano and jazz improvisation. He also directs their jazz and Latin jazz ensembles.

Nicky played with a group called Top Secret Sextet while still studying at MDCC. Top Secret played the Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals. The United States Information Agency recruited this sextet to tour Africa as Ambassadors of Goodwill. Through the years, Nicky has been part of the rhythm section of many top orchestras in their performances and recordings including Arturo Sandoval, Othello Molineaux, Toots Thielman, Chick Corea, and the list goes on. And Nick also teaches. In 2009, he participated in the University of Miami's Young Musicians' Camp and is presently on the adjunct facility at the University of Miami Frost School of Music teaching electric bass and directing the Classic Bop Ensemble.

Debbie brings glamour to the act. She has great stage presence. You can sense her connection to her songs. Her ballads are heartfelt and moving. Debbie found her voice as a child. She began to sing in front of an audience when she was thirteen. A record contract with T.K. Productions launched her professional career. Later she sang backup for “El Puma” and for Chayanne. Besides appearing in many South Florida clubs, she has performed in concert at the Deering Estate, at the SunTrust Sunday Jazz Brunch and she was the opening act for Spyro Gyra at SunFest 2009. This lady is busy and she delivers.

Search your jazz calendar and chances are you’ll find an Orta performing. For example, I was present when Mike and Nicky performed at the Bass Museum's Cool Nights Hot Jazz Series. I also heard them upstairs at the Van Dyke Cafe on Lincoln Road. Earlier, I saw Debbie and Nicky at Wine 69 on Biscayne Boulevard and then the three of them together at the High Note. I especially enjoy their vibe when it’s a family affair.

For more information on the Ortas visit www.nickyorta.com, www.debbieorta.com, and www2.fiu.edu/~ortam. For more information about the Bass Museum of Art visit www.bassmuseum.org.

Check out this video of Debbie Orta:

http://crazymotion.net/miami-jazz-heritage-debbie-orta-at-van-dyke-cafe-3/wunUBqWANfk4jAy.html.....The

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