From “Cruisin’ in My Wagon” to “School Of Fish” 

The earliest Tampa Bay World Nation group first performed in May 2006, at the Sharitage Festival at Spring Hill Elementary in Spring Hill, Florida. The group featured three talented children: drummer, Justin Bacchi, then age 10; singer Caitlin Matthews, then age 9; and her brother, guitarist Shane Matthews, then age 11. Due to the musical influences of teacher/ collaborator Katia Valdeos, a native of Lima, Peru, instrumentation included el cajon (an Afro-Peruvian box drum); la quijada (also known as a “donkey’s jaw”); and la cajita, a small box hung around the neck that Katia played by tapping with a special stick while simultaneously opening and closing the top.

In March 2008 the group appeared again as part of a Destiny Quibble & Friends tribute to honor dedicated members of the Hispanic Civic and Cultural Scholarship Foundation (HCCSF) in support of their scholarship fundraiser.  The program included an original song, “Walking in a Memory;” songs in Swahili, Yoruba, Japanese, and Spanish; and the guitar expertise of Shane Matthews, performing “Malaguena.”  Among the “friends” were Bastante, a Latin flavored vocal and percussion group featuring Daisy Echegaray, Miluska Valdeos, Katia Valdeos, and Cynthia Haring.  News articles appeared prior and after the fundraiser, and a World Nation Tribute DVD was created to document the event and honor the HCCSF.

These performances laid the foundation for the current Tampa Bay World Nation group that rehearsed and recorded songs at Morrisound, starting in January 2011. The result is their new CD, “Cruisin’ in My Wagon: A Journey through Doo Wop, Pop & Swing,” released on May 11, 2013.  Look for future World Nation recordings - a second nostalgia CD, “Walking in a Memory;” a “Songs Around the World” compilation CD, and a children’s recording, “School of Fish.”