LUCIO ALCOSER!
EMPOWERING BELIZEANS THROUGH MUSIC!
The legendary Belizean multitalented musician and renowned music teacher Lucio Alcoser comes straight out of the Belize Orange Walk District. During my years at the Pacifica Radio Network sister station KPFK 90.7FM in Los Angeles, California in the 80s, the late and eclectic Chicano musicologist and broadcaster Mario Casetta was playing the music of Lucio and the New Generation Band on one of his morning shows.
It then struck me that Lucio was a global beat Belizean musical artist and my remember seeing him and his talented band of musical children perform at the former Festival Grand Market at the former Belize Technical College (BTC) in ’79 was nostalgia. Then later in 2017 live in my studio in L.A. with the legendary Belizean musician and jazz artist the late Melvan “Majelly” McGregor, he commented that Lucio Alcoser was a talented and outstanding Belizean musician and that they both studied music together at the former Youth Hostel music program in Belize City, Belize.
While attending St. John’s College (SJC) high school in Belize City, Lucio Alcoser registered in the Princess Royal Youth Hostel Band and learnt music theory and learnt to play a baritone euphonium directed by Inspector Robert Anderson and Mr. Andrews. The Princess Royal Youth Hostel band consisted of a
variety of woodwinds musical instruments. After graduating from St. John’s College Lucio went on to play guitar for a band in Mexico. He managed to record two vinyl records in Mexico City and travelled immensely throughout Mexico with the band Benny Y Su Grupo. After seven years of travelling and performing in all of Mexico, he obtained huge experience in music and returned to Belize and trained his brothers in music in 1977 and founded the band Lucio & the New Generation. In 1980 the band recorded its first vinyl recording in Guatemala City with Fonica Records. The recording consisted of songs written by Lucio himself and Fonica marketed the music of the band throughout Central America in Quintana Roo, Mexico, Belize, the United States and other countries.
In 1981 when Belize obtained its Independence from Great Britain, all composers and bands were invited to write a song in relation to the independence of Belize. This competition was called the Greatest Battle of the Bands and it was a two-night competition at The Memorial Park in Belize City. As a reward the best selected song will become the National Independence song of Belize along with a $1700 monetary prize that was included along with other benefits. Lucio Alcoser won the first prize with a song that he wrote called September 21st which became the National Independence Day song. Lucio & the New Generation travelled to Mexico City to record their second vinyl recording with Gambusino Records which were 10 original songs that were recorded on vinyl.
During that same time, the award winning song September 21st was also recorded and released. The band later travelled to Mexico City to record another recording with Gambusino which included the hit song, No Wait Fi Di man Dead Fi Tellam E Good. The band also won many prestigious musical competitions both national and internationally. In 1985 Lucio pursued his academic career and enrolled at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois where he majored in Industrial engineering and music. While attending Roosevelt University in 1988 Lucio and the band won first prize in Chicago’s Annual Park District Talent Search with two songs that Lucio wrote. He and the New Generation were featured prominently in the Chicago media and their fantastic performances gave them the privileged to perform at the Petrilo Band Shell in the Grant Park in Chicago.
The legendary Lucio & the New Generation Band became Belizean musical superstars and were interviewed by many media in many countries included the U.S. They recorded another track at Sam’s Recording Studio in Chicago and another recording called “Back In Belize” at Houston Records in Houston, Texas consisting of 11 songs again written by Lucio. They recorded their most recent recording in Belize called Mundo Maya that contains 10 songs written by the maestro Alcoser. The band performed these songs in Belize, the cities in the U.S. like Los Angeles, Brooklyn, New York, Wisconsin, Indiana, Dallas, Houston Texas, Chicago, and across Central America and the Caribbean in Mexico, Guatemala, Jamaica, Honduras and Belize.
Lucio and his band are still active playing music with himself on guitar and saxophone, son Lucio Alcoser Jr. playing drums, vocals and is one of the band’s sound-engineers. His other son Luis Carlos Alcoser plays bass guitar and is also another of the band’s sound engineers while. Luciano Alcoser, another one of his sons, plays keyboards and does the band’s sound engineering as well. Then there is son Leonardo Alcoser who plays trumpet along with other Belizean musicians. Amazingly, Lucio and the band have performed on the same stage with the band La Banda Blanca of Honduras that did the popular Belizean Punta Rock hit Sopa Caracol (Conch Soup), Alejandra Guzman from Mexico and The Mighty Sparrow from Trinidad and Tobago. Lucio who have been awarded with many different awards from music festivals across the U.S., Central America and the Caribbean was recently awarded and recognized by the International Jazz Festival and received one of the highest awards given by the Belize former Belize Governor General Sir Colville Young called Meritorious Award. He has also been anointed as a Justice of the Peace in Belize.
Lucio’s music training on jazz guitar and music at Roosevelt University has contributed to the uplifting of the quality of his music at live performances, musical arrangements and have enhance his professional musical techniques.
A new recording of Lucio and the band is in its final stage which will contain 10 songs written by him. The Belizean musical phenom has worked as a mechanical engineer at Tower Hill Sugar Factory in the Belize Corozal District of Belize and has become a distinguished Belizean personality and technocrat within the Belize sugar industry in the development of Belize. His advance and specialize training abroad where he specialized in industrial pumps has made him one of Belize’s experts in the field. A brilliant cultural administrator in Belize’s cultural and artistic community, he has transferred a vast body of knowledge in the development of Belizeans arts and culture.
Being an educator teaching music, engineering drawing and mathematics in Orange Walk Technical High School since 2002, Lucio has also taught music at Louisiana Government School where he has created a symphony incorporating a wide array of acoustic and electronic musical instruments donated by the Pelican Church in Wisconsin, U.S.A. Through Lucio’s prolific fundraising efforts, the school had also received tremendous support from the Belizean government through Rotary Club of Orange Walk Belize. His humanitarian and nationalistic efforts in developing Belize’s most valuable human resource it’s young people, has allowed him to win support from the business community and National Institute if Culture and History (NICH). Belizean Legends honor this legendary Belizean musical and cultural ambassador and icon Lucio Alcoser and his constructive work for Belize and the Belizean people.
Respect Lucio!
By Bilal Morris
BELIZEAN MUSIC LEGENDS!
