Gonzalo Rubalcaba

“…An exciting new quintet with a striking potential for challenging even his outsize talent…” – Marcus Crowder, San Francisco Bay Guardian 

Blending the traditions and innovations of American and Cuban jazz, 44-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. Supporting the release of a new recording (Avatar), Rubalcaba and his exciting quintet performs at Yoshi’s on both sides of the Bay, in San Francisco March 10-12 and in Oakland March 13-16.

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 piano from age eight, and for the next twelve years he continued his studies of the American, European, Russian, and Hispanic classical traditions at Havana’s famed Amadeo Roldan Conservatory, while also playing and absorbing the indigenous themes and rhythms of Havana.  In 1983, he toured France and Africa with Orquesta Aragon, and two years later formed his own band, Grupo Proyecto and came to the attention of Dizzy Gillespie. In 1986, Rubalcaba 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, including the highly acclaimed, Grammy-winning Nocturne (2001,Verve) and the acclaimed Land of the Sun (2004, Verve), a tribute to Mexican composer, Jose Sabre Marroquin.

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), all recorded in Canada due to barriers at the time preventing Cuban artists from traveling in the U.S. After intensive lobbying by the National Endowment for the Arts and Wynton Marsalis, among others, he was one of the first Cubans "unblocked" by the U.S. State Department. Following a well-received performance at Lincoln Center in 1993, Rubalcaba emigrated to the Dominican Republic and moved 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 regarded Cuban trio recording, Supernova, followed in 2001.

Known for his technical virtuosity, multi-layered improvisations, and original compositions that draw upon his global influences, Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s  2004 release, Paseo, explored Cuban traditional melodies and rhythms in the modern jazz vernacular, relying entirely on original compositions. In 2005, Rubalcaba released his ninth recording for Blue Note, Solo. After touring and recording in solo and trio formats, Rubalcaba expands to a quintet featuring fellow Cuban Yosvany Terry on sax, Mike Rodriguez on trumpet, Matt Brewer on bass, and Marcus Gilmore on drums for his new Blue Note release, Avatar. Noted Ben Ratliffe in the New York Times, “He has an almost eerie control over his sound, as if he were playing the strings directly instead of using the keys as intermediaries.”

In San Francisco or Oakland, those attending sets from Gonzalo Rubalcaba can eagerly anticipate “a tour of his world, a space in jazz unlike any other" (Boston Herald), “…an absolute clinic in ebony and ivory gymnastics" (Oakland Tribune). Noted the Los Angeles Times, "More than almost any pianist since the passing of Bill Evans, [Rubalcaba] truly has the capacity to make his instrument sing.”

Gonzalo Rubalcaba and his quintet perform at Yoshi’s in San Francisco (Fillmore Heritage Center) March 10-12, then move across the Bay to Yoshi’s at Jack London Square in Oakland, March 13-16. Visit www.yoshis.com for information and tickets for both venues.