Michel Camilo

Blending the traditions and innovations of American and Cuban jazz, 43-year-old pianist/composer Gonzalo Rubalcaba has consistently validated the promise of his prodigious youth, from his “discovery” by Dizzy Gillespie to his collaborations with Charlie Haden to his highly acclaimed recordings and performances with his own bands. In Havana, Rubalcaba was literally born into the traditions of Afro-Cuban music. His father Guilhermos helped introduce the cha-cha-cha and still leads Charanga Rubalcaba; his grandfather composed "El Cadete," the well-known processional that the grandson included on his Grammy-winning Blue Note recording, Supernova. Young Gonzalo Rubalcaba studied traditional and classical piano from age eight at Havana’s famed Amadeo Roldan Conservatory, while also playing and absorbing the indigenous themes and rhythms of Havana.

Gonzalo Rubalcaba

In 1985, Gonzalo came to the attention of Dizzy Gillespie, and a year later played with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian at the Havana Jazz Festival, beginning a long relationship with Haden that led to appearances at international festivals, including Montreal and Montreux, and several recorded collaborations. A contract with Blue Note introduced Rubalcaba to American audiences with such early gems as Discovery: Live at Montreux, The Blessing (1991), and his tribute to his early mentor, Diz (1994). He was one of the first Cubans "unblocked" by the U.S. State Department, moving to Florida in 1996. Blue Note celebrated his American studio debut with Imagine (1995), and three years later released an all-Cuban quartet outing (Antiguo) and a duet recording with Joe Lovano, Flying Colors. The highly acclaimed Cuban trio recording, Supernova, followed in 2001, Paseo in 2004. He’s also released two acclaimed recordings with Charlie Haden, Nocturne in 2002 and Land of the Sun in 2004. On Solo, his 9^th recording for Blue Note, Rubalcaba’s Latin Grammy winner explores the roots of Afro-Cuban culture through lullabies and African-rooted chants.

Spanning jazz, classical, world and pop genres, Dominican Michel Camilo studied piano for thirteen years at the National Conservatory in his native Santo Domingo, joining the National Symphony at 16. He made his move to the U.S. in the late 1970s where he studied at Mannes and Julliard. Composing hits for Paquito D’River and the Manhattan Transfer, he made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1985 before returning to Santo Domingo and directing the Heineken Jazz Festival there for three years. Known as much as a composer and arranger as well as extraordinary performer, Camilo composed the score for the award-winning European film Amo Tu Cama Rica, has been a featured soloist, arranger and composer with the Danish Radio Big Band, and has toured as part of a three-piano ensemble with the Labèque sisters. His guest soloist appearances include the Atlanta Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), Copenhagen Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Barcelona Symphony and the Carnegie Hall Big Band, among many others. For the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) he served as co-artistic director (with Leonard Slatkin) of the first Latin-Caribbean Music Festival at the Kennedy Center. He also performed at the 40th anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival, broadcast nationwide by PBS and appears in Calle 54, a film about Latin jazz.

Camilo’s Telarc release Triangulo was nominated for a jazz Grammy in 2002. On his new Latin Grammy winning Rhapsody in Blue, Camilo salutes George Gershwin with the 95-piece Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya), conducted by Ernesto Martinez Izquierdo. In addition to melding a jazz and symphonic treatment of the great classic composition, the album includes “Concerto in F” followed by “Prelude No. 2” for solo piano, here with a touch of improvised blues. “This is so great,” said Camilo. “I am honored to win my first Latin Grammy for Best Classical Album. It feels like a dream come true since it took me several years of preparationto make this albuma reality and pay tribute to one of my favorite composers, George Gershwin, and his music.” Noted producer Elaine Martone, Executive Vice President of Production at Telarc, “Gershwin would have most definitely approved of the swinging and energetic playing of the wonderful Michel Camilo and the stylistic accompaniment of the Barcelona Symphony and their conductor. When we were recording the piece, I felt the power and magic of the music.” Not basking in his new glory, Michel Camilo will release Spirit of the Moment in April 2007, back in straight-ahead trio format with bassist Charles Flores and drummer Dafnis Prieto.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites