Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Month (November) - Miguel Zenon

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Month (November) - Miguel Zenon

"This young musician and composer is at once reestablishing the artistic, cultural, and social tradition of jazz while creating an entirely new jazz language for the 21st century.”

-- MacArthur Foundation,2008.



Multiple Grammy Nominee and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón represents a select group of musicians who have masterfully balanced and blended the often-contradictory poles of innovation and tradition. Widely considered as one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists of his generation, he has also developed a unique voice as a composer and as a conceptualist, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine mix between Latin American Folkloric Music and Jazz.



His latest recording, Alma Adentro (Marsalis Music, 2011), is a tribute to The Puerto Rican Songbook. On it he arranges and explores the music of five legendary Puerto Rican composers: Bobby Capó, Tite Curet Alonso, Pedro Flores, Rafael Hernández, and Sylvia Rexach (whom he considers “the George Gershwins, Cole Porters and Jerome Kerns of Puerto Rican song”). The recording features his longtime working quartet of pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Hans Glawischnig and drummer Henry Cole, plus a ten piece woodwind ensemble orchestrated and conducted by close friend and collaborator Guillermo Klein. This groundbreaking project both honors the music of these masters while at the same time exposing their music to new audiences.



Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenón studied classical saxophone at the Escuela Libre de Música in Puerto Rico before receiving a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies from Berklee College of Music, and a master’s degree in Jazz Performance at Manhattan School of Music. Zenón’s more formal studies, however, are supplemented and enhanced by his vast and diverse experience as a sideman and collaborator. Throughout his career he has divided his time equally between working with older jazz masters and working with the music’s younger innovators --irrespective of styles and genres. The list of musicians Zenón has toured and/or recorded with includes: Charlie Haden, David Sánchez, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, Guillermo Klein y los Guachos, The Mingus Big Band, Bobby Hutcherson and Steve Coleman. He has also participated in recent projects with Adam Cruz, Antonio Sánchez, Jason Linder, Miles Okazaki, Kenny Werner, David Gilmore and Aaron Goldberg.



He is a founding member of the groundbreaking SFJAZZ Collective, a group whose past and current members include Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Lovano, Joshua Redman, Brian Blade, Nicholas Payton, Dave Douglas, and Eric Harland. In 2012, Zenón’s association with SFJAZZ will further expand to include his new role as resident artistic director along with Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Regina Carter and John Santos.

Zenón’s six recordings as a leader (including the above mentioned Alma Adentro) represent not only his growth as a musician, but also his ability to constantly evolve and reinvent himself as a conceptualist and producer.



His debut CD, Looking Forward (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2002), represents a snapshot of the very eclectic musical interests of the then 24 year old musician, and was selected by the New York Times as the number one “alternative” jazz recording of 2002.


His second recording as a leader, Ceremonial (Marsalis Music, 2004), was described by All About Jazz as a “ head on crash of Latin, Jazz and Classical traditions--modern Jazz at it’s very best, ” and garnered unanimous critical praise and recognition both within and outside the jazz world.



Jíbaro (Marsalis Music, 2005), his third recording, was further proof that all the critical praise he had been receiving was well deserved. The recording is an exploration of a style of popular Puerto Rican folk music known as La Música Jíbara. The Chicago Tribune summed it up best when they wrote: “The instrumental prowess of Zenon's playing, the vigor of his compositions and the sensitivity of his band to Puerto Rican song forms point to new possibilities in jazz.” Like his previous recordings, Jíbaro was uniformly well received and appeared on many top ten lists including The New York Times, Latin Beat, El Nuevo Día, and the Chicago Tribune.



Decidedly more personal and introspective, Awake (Marsalis Music, 2008) incorporates a string quartet and additional horns to Zenón's core group and brings to the forefront his formidable skills as a writer and arranger. As was admirably put in Audiophile Audition: “ This is an album far beyond the usual sax & string outing, revealing a unique statement that communicates passion, intellect and spirit to the listener." Awake also caught the attention of the international press, garnering it 5 star reviews and top honors in publications like Jazzwise (UK), Jazz Man (France) and Jazz Magazine (France).



Zenón returned to his Puerto Rican roots for inspiration in his next outing, Esta Plena (Marsalis Music, 2009), which draws from the traditional Plena music style of his home country and was supported by a fellowship from the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. On it Zenón augmented his quartet to include three percussionists/vocalists and took on the additional roles of both lyricist and vocalist. Jazz Times wrote that Esta Plena is “…music with integrity, energy, poise and a fresh vision of how the Afro-Caribbean jazz aesthetic can evolve without losing its deep roots." In addition to being hailed by critics (New York Times, Village Voice, El Nuevo Día , Downbeat, The Chicago Tribune ) as one of the best recordings of 2009, the recording earned Zenón two Grammy nominations (one for Best Improvised solo and one for Best Latin Jazz Recording of the year) as well as a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Latin Jazz Recording of the year.



As a composer he has been commissioned by SFJAZZ, The New York State Council for the Arts, Chamber Music America, The John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, Jazz Reach, Montclair University, and many of his peers.







He has been featured in articles on publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, Jazz Times, Jazziz, Boston Globe, Billboard, Newsday, Details, as well as gracing the cover of Downbeat Magazine and the Swiss jazz magazine, Jazz N More. He has also toped the Rising Star Alto Sax category of the Downbeat Critic's Poll on four different occasions.



Zenon’s biography would not be complete without discussing his role as an educator. In 2003, he was chosen by the Kennedy Center to teach and perform in West Africa as part of their Jazz Ambassador program. Since then, he has given hundreds of lectures and master classes and has taught all over the world at institutions which include: The Banff Centre, Berklee College of Music, Siena Jazz, Conservatorium Van Amsterdam, Conservatoire de Paris, University of Manitoba, Manhattan School of Music, UMass-Amherst and the Brubeck Institute. He is also a permanent faculty member at New England Conservatory of Music. But perhaps what best reflects his commitment to education and cements his growing reputation as a "cultural ambassador", is a program that he founded in 2011, called Caravana Cultural.



The main purpose of Caravana Cultural is to present free Jazz concerts in rural areas of Puerto Rico. The program makes a "cultural investment" in the Island by giving these communities a chance to listen to jazz of the highest caliber (Zenón invites some of the best musicians in the New York jazz scene to perform as guests), while at the same time getting young Puerto Rican musicians actively involved in the concert activities. Starting in February 2011 and continuing through 2013, Zenón will present a concert every four months. Each concert focuses on the music of a specific jazz legend (Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, among others) and is preceded by a pre-concert presentation which touches on the basic elements of jazz and improvisation. Over the last six years Zenón has also personally organized "Jazz Jam Sessions" in the area of San Juan, as a way of creating a platform for younger jazz musicians to grow and interact with one another.

In 2008 he was selected as one of 25 distinguished individuals to receive the prestigious and coveted MacArthur Fellowship, more commonly known as the "Genius Grant”.

Zenón lives in New York City with his wife Elga.

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (july 31 - august 6) - Carolina Ferrer

BIO/DISCOGRAPHIE - CARO FERRER – 1er et 2è album
Em seu novo disco, "Samba pelo avesso", Caro Ferrer homenageia o samba,
desdobrando-o em todas as suas variações. São onze novas canções – todas autorais – que navegam do samba-blues ao samba funk, passando pelo côco e o samba de roda ou
cruzando o afoxé com o cha cha cha. Assinando a direção musical com ela, Jorginho Amorim, parceiro de estrada.

O disco é um segundo mergulho nessa praia por onde Caro passeia, escapando das
facilidades da bossa-nova sussurrada e do samba cliquante. O primeiro foi em 2009, com "Jasmim no ar", que despertou a atenção dos grandes nomes da comunidade musical
franco-brasileira para seu timbre, a um so tempo suave e grave, e o balanço do seu fraseado.

As letras abrem o pano para o um universo muito feminino – jasmim, mar, maternidade,
temperos, perfumes de gavetas, bordados, velas, véus, missangas e espelhos. Um "neosurrealismo" de rimas fortes, dito com convicção. A poesia de Caro começa então a letrar melodias de Marcio Faraco, Jorginho Amorim, Adriano Tenorio, Aline de Lima e outros.

Em "Samba pelo avesso" ela nos apresenta sua visão musical sem fronteiras numa seleta
escolha de estilos, certeira na mistura, na dosagem e na unidade. Suas letras, também sem fronteiras, espelham aversão à categorização e ao rotulo e o resultado é um groove percussivo, inventivo e invertido, cheio de surpresas. E sem maionese.
Caro embarca o publico com sua presença intensa e sua voz "blues" e vem levantando as
salas por onde passa - Comedy Club, Blue Note, L'Entrepot, etc. Mas ha quem prefira ouvi-la de olhos fechados, como o parceiro Marcio Faraco..

Manager : Barbara Waechter
tél. : +33 (0)6 62 43 94 83
@ : barbara.w.waechter@gmail.com

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (july 17 - 23) - Chucho Valdes

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (july 17 - 23) - Chucho Valdes

Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger Chucho Valdes is a highly accomplished and influential figure in the world of Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz. Born in Quivican in 1941, Valdes is the son of the similarly influential Cuban bandleader Bebo Valdes from whom Chucho first received piano lessons. Having exhibited musical talent from a young age, Valdes eventually enrolled in the Municipal Music Conservatory of Havana, graduating at age 14. Inspired by such jazz pianists as Art Tatum and Thelonious Monk, Valdes quickly formed his first jazz trio and began a fruitful period that found him landing several high-profile performance jobs in hotels around Havana including performing with the Sabor De Cuba Orchestra which was directed by his father. These performances continued throughout the '60s and allowed Valdes not only to perform with the best musicians in Cuba, but begin to formulate his own unique ideas about mixing jazz, classical and Cuban styles of music. In 1970, Valdes and his combo became the first Cuban jazz group to perform abroad after appearing at the Jazz Jamboree International Jazz Festival in Poland.

In 1973, formed the innovative and highly influential Latin jazz ensemble Irakere. The group featured various members of the Orquesta Nacional de Musica Moderna including such stars of the Cuban music scene as trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and alto saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera. With its unique mix of jazz, rock, funk, classical and traditional Cuban rhythms, Irakere was an explosive and creative ensemble that quickly caught the attention of international audiences. Although there have been many compilations of Irakere, it was the band's Grammy winning 1979 self-titled concert album, recorded at the Newport Jazz Festival a year before, that really sparked international interest in the group. Although the band's line-up has changed over the years -- D'Rivera defected to the United States in 1980 and Sandoval (who did not defect until 1990) formed his own group in 1981 -- Irakere continues to perform and record with Valdes and new members.

Although Valdes never left Cuba, the four-time Grammy winning and three-time Latin Grammy winning virtuoso has kept a high-profile touring schedule and in 2006 was named the Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Since the '80s, Valdes has released a steady flow of albums including 1986's Lucumi (Messidor), 1998's Bele Bele en la Habana (Blue Note), 2000's Live at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note), 2002's Fantasia Cubana: Variations on Classical Themes (Blue Note) and 2010's Chucho's Steps.

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (july 10 - 16) - Aline de Lima

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (july 10 - 16) - Aline de Lima



http://www.alinedelima-music.com/
ALINE DE LIMA

Marítima é o terceiro álbum de Aline de Lima. Arrebol (2006) e Açaí (2008) foram produzidos respectivamente por Vinícius Cantuária (radicado nos Estados Unidos) e pelo japonês Jun Miyake (residente em Paris). Estas colaborações enriquecedoras ensinaram à cantora-compositora os fundamentos da produção musical. Em Marítima, Aline de Lima decidiu navegar sozinha. Porque ela tem uma forma benéfica e positiva de teimosia. Por trás de uma graciosidade delicada, existe um temperamento que não se rende, nem à métodos, nem à formatação.

As onze faixas de Marítima nasceram da obstinação de criar um "som". Aline de Lima juntou o evidente legado da música popular brasileira às excentricidades musicais extraídas do folclore multicor do Maranhão, território indígena, africano e europeu. Um todo combinado às influências transnacionais do modernismo digital.

Aline de Lima tem os pés fincados na cidade onde cresceu, em São Luís do Maranhão. Mas sua cabeça sempre esteve em outros lugares: na Suécia, onde ela foi morar no final da adolescência, e depois Paris, onde ela vive há dez anos.

Marítima, composição da cantora que deu título ao CD, toda produzida com violões, viola caipira, marimba, percussões de bumba-meu-boi e tambor de Mina, navega em direção ao Atlântico equatorial, à 2,3 graus de latitude sul. As águas do rio Amazonas acariciam soberbamente as margens do Estado do Maranhão. Ali pode-se praticar a cabotagem, à partir de São Luís, Alcântara, Cururupu, Belém, Macapá, com passagem direta sob a linha do Equador, exatamente sob o sol. Porém, Marítima vê além da linha do horizonte, uma visão que percorre um azul infinito e de repente repousa sobre os picos vulcânicos do Cabo Verde, por exemplo.

Um Mar de Mar, a faixa que encerra o álbum foi composta pelo cabo-verdiano Mário Lúcio, grande navegador da esfera musical lusitana, africana, caribenha e atual Ministro da Cultura do arquipélago de Sahel. O que canta Aline de Lima com delicadeza é um entrelaçamento de trocadilhos da raiz "mar" (maria juana, marimba, maracujá, Maracatu, Marrakech, maripousa, Maranhão...). Com Mário Lúcio, cantor, escritor, pintor, ex-advogado formado em Cuba, Aline compôs Lua de Janeiro.
Do Caribe, a jovem artista toma emprestado a leveza de um reggae-blues que ela chama de Upaon Açu. "Upaon-Açu" é o nome antigo de São Luís do Maranhão dado pelos índios Tupinambás, e quer dizer “Ilha Grande”, referindo-se à ilha em que a cidade foi construída em 1612.
Em 2010, Aline de Lima passou alguns meses no Brasil, esteve gravando no Rio de Janeiro e em São Luís. Nesta viagem, ela conheceu músicos e cantores, alguns como Flávia Bittencourt, com quem ela descobriu afinidades e compôs Flor de Brasília.
Mas onde há fumaça, há fogo: ao viver em Paris, Aline de Lima volta no tempo através da História. São Luís foi fundada por um francês, Daniel de la Touche, senhor da Rivardière, que se aliou aos índios para resistir aos portugueses. Marítima é um álbum que constrói pontes. Upaon-Açu, escrito em Português, também oferece uma estrofe em língua francesa. No álbum, Paris é homenageada em Português, ao ritmo de um samba o qual começa com bordões que lembram o Fado: Paris-Velho Novo Mundo é um retrato íntimo da cidade onde também rola um futebol. O esporte preferido do ídolo Chico Buarque, um aficionado da capital francesa (“Em Charletty, marca um gol Chico Buarque...”) e onde um calor comparado ao do sertão nordestino predomina durante alguns dias de verão de uma cidade "deslumbrante” - incrível e maravilhosa.
O acordeon chegou ao Brasil pelos portugueses, e continua animando o tradicional São João e as demais festas nordestinas. É rústico e florece como um mandacaru no xote Fina Flor, composto por Aline de Lima, que o interpreta com uma belíssima melancolia fadista. É também o instrumento que acompanhou as maravilhas de Edith Piaf. Em Arrebol, Aline de Lima interpretou Septembre (“setembro”) de Barbara, uma bela canção do patrimônio musical francês, aplaudida pela imprensa e pelo público. Em Marítima, ela interpreta uma música criada em 1960 para a cantora Edith Piaf, Cri du Coeur (grito do coração), com melodia de Henri Crolla e letra de Jacques Prévert ("Não é somente minha voz que canta/ É uma outra voz, uma multidão de vozes / Vozes de hoje ou do passado / Vozes engraçadas, ensolaradas / Desesperadas, maravilhadas, vozes desoladas e quebradas / Vozes sorridentes que se extasiam/ Loucas de amor e de alegria..."). Uma jóia rara.
Um outro amante de Paris, Márcio Faraco, foi cúmplice da artista na composição Madrugada, a qual se encontra igualmente em O Tempo, CD lançado pelo cantor-compositor e violonista em março de 2011. Uma explosão de sensibilidade na noite que se esvai, com o tom muito “buarquiano” de uma cândida simplicidade: Robertinho Chinês ao bandolim e voz e violão de Aline. E como nós continuamos a ouvir as primeiras composições de Aline de Lima aleatoriamente em uma ou outra rádio FM, sabemos que as melodias e voz delicada que ela carrega em si seguem firmemente a sua estrada.
Véronique Mortaigne

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (july 3 - 9) Cassandra Wilson

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (july 3 - 9) Cassandra Wilson

BIOGRAPHY

Cassandra Wilson is an American jazz musician, vocalist, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. Described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack who has expanded the playing field" by incorporating blues, country and folk music into her work.

She began playing piano at six, guitar by the age of twelve and was working as a vocalist by the mid-'70s, singing a wide variety of material. After moving to New York City in the early 80’s, Cassandra met saxophonist Steve Coleman and became one of the founding members of the M-Base Collective.

At the completion of her stint with M-Base, Cassandra sought a more acoustic context for her vocal expression. She signed with Blue Note Records in 1992 and released a landmark album titled “Blue Light ‘Til Dawn” which would pave the way for a new generation of jazz singers seeking an approach and repertoire that challenged the supremacy of the American Standard songbook.

Wilson has continued interpreting in fresh and creative ways vintage blues, country and folk music up until the present day. Her awards include: two Grammys, the Django D’Or, The Edison Music Award, and a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail. She also performed one of the leading roles in Wynton Marsalis' "Blood on the Fields," the first jazz work to receive a Pulitzer Prize.

www.cassandrawilson.com/

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (june 19 - 25) - Jerry Gonzalez

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (june 19 - 25) - Jerry Gonzalez



Jerry González was born in 1949 in Manhattan, on 58 street and 3ª Avenue, and moved to the Bronx at the age of 4. He was raised in a strong musical atmosphere, with the strains of Latin, Afro-Cuban and jazz music always in his ear, establishing his musical appreciation and molding his future work as an artist. His father, Jerry González Sr. was a master of ceremonies and lead singer for bands during the Palladium era and sang with musicians like Claudio Ferrer. In junior high school he began playing trumpet and congas and jamming with local bands. After deciding this was his calling, Gonzalez completed his formal studies at New York College of Music and New York University. He started his professional career playing with Lewellyn Mathews in New York State World's Fair in 1963. Then, in 1970, he started playing congas with Dizzy Gillespie. With Gillespie’s support and encouragement, Gonzalez was able to fuse the African based rhythms onto jazz elements without compromising the essence of either. The next year, Gonzalez joined Eddie Palmieri’s band till 1974, before moving on to work with “Conjunto Libre” the band led by great timbales artist Manny Oquendo and Andy González. He and his brother the bass player Andy Gonzalez were the fundators of the Conjunto Anabacoa and later of the charismatic Grupo Folklórico y Experimental Nuevayorkino with whom he made two records: Concepts of Unity (1974) and Lo Dice Todo (1975). The band members were: Jerry and Andy González, Frankie Rodríguez, Milton Cardona, Gene Golden, Carlos Mestre, Nelson González, Manny Oquendo, Oscar Hernandez, José Rodríguez, Gonzalo Fernández, Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros, Willy García, Heny Álvarez, Virgilio Martí, Marcelino Guerra, Rubén Blades, Orlando "Puntilla" Ríos and Julito Collazo.

He played with Tito Puente ensemble (1984 to 1999) McCoy Tyner band (1984 to 1990) and Jaco Pastorius band (1984 to 1987)




Inevitably, Gonzalez talent led him to form his own band. His initial was taken in the late 1970’s with a band he called “Ya Yo Me Cure” and released an album of the same name in 1979. No doubt, his real talent only came to the fore with his second band: “Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band” which included his brother Andy and other members as Kenny Kirkland, Sonny Fortune, Nicky Marrero, Milton Cardona, Papo Vazquez and the late Jorge Dalto. The ensembles first two albums were recorded live at European jazz festivals, “The River is Deep” in 1982 in Berlin and “Obatalá” in 1988 in Zurich. These were followed by their hit album, "Rumba Para Monk,” in 1988, earning them recognition from the French Academie du Jazz with the “Jazz Record of the Year” award. This was the record that caught the ears of the jazz community, and is still considered a stellar project. After that, the 15 members band was compressed into a sextet: Larry Willis (piano), Andy González (bass), Steve Berrios (Drums) and Carter Jefferson (sax) and Joe Ford (sax).

Gonzalez and the band subsequently released "Obatalá" (Enja, 1988), "Earthdance" (Sunnyside,1990) and "Moliendo Café” (Sunnyside, 1991). These albums again demonstrated the band’s ability to play Latin inspired jazz with genuine sensitivity and virtuosity. After "Moliendo Café", Carter Jefferson passed away and was replaced by John Stubblefield. They then released "Crossroads” in 1994 and "Pensativo” in 1995, each of which earned them Grammy nominations. The ensemble was awarded The Beyond Group of the Year by both Down Beat Magazine reader's and critic's polls in 1995 and 1996.

Gonzalez and group continued their creations on the 1996 album "Fire Dance,” recorded live at Blues Alley, and featuring interpretations of Thelonious Monk as "Let’s Call This” and "Ugly Beauty,” as well as original compositions. Their efforts were well compensated by winning a score of awards as; Best Jazz Group in Playboy Magazines Readers Poll for 1997. In 1998 they swept the Latin Jazz category at the New York Jazz Awards winning both the Industry and Journalist Polls. In 1999 the group scored big with the critics and readers polls for Beyond Group of The Year in Down Beat Magazine.

Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band also won rave reviews for their contribution to the video documentary about Latin jazz, Calle 54 directed by the Oscar awarded Fernando Trueba. The 2000 film also included performances by noted Cuban and other Latin artists: Tito Puente, Paquito D’Rivera, Gato Barbieri, Chucho Valdes, Dave Valentin and Israel López "Cachao".

Jerry Gonzalez & the Fort Apache Band offered a tribute to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers on their 2005 release “Rumba Buhaina”. That was their first record as a quintet, without John Stubblefield, who passed away in 2005. The band is still alive and functioning. In 2008, the Heineken Festival paid tribute to Jerry González and his brother Andy González, the first Puertoricans to be honored by the Heineken Festival.


In 2000 González relocated to Madrid. The trumpeter went to Madrid for just one day during a tour with Calle 54 movie and ended up living there. He immersed himself in the flamenco scene and started to develop a new concept with the genre that would blossom in the future. His hiatus in Madrid resulted in the production of “Los Piratas Del Flamenco” (2004) a band and album that included the flamenco guitarist Niño Josele, the percussionist Israel Suárez "Piraña" and the singer Diego “El Cigala”. A novel approach is evident, as it was done without bass, without drums or piano, a radically new sound, a fusion of jazz and flamenco but with a twist. The album was nominated to the Grammy Awards as best Latin jazz album and won the Critics Award in New York as best Latin-jazz album of the year. He has also played with other flamenco musicians such as Enrique Morente, El Negri, Javier Limón and Paco de Lucía, copla musicians like Martirio and Pilar Boyero and pop musicians living in Spain like the Argentinean Andrés Calamaro. Jerry González latest albums have been "A primera vista" (duet with Federico Lechner, 2002), "Music for Big Band" (Youkali/Universal, 2006) and "Avísale a mi contrario que aquí estoy yo" (Cigala Music/Sunnyside, 2010-2011), recorded with "El comando de la clave", Jerry's quartet in Spain, which includes the Cubans Alain Pérez (bass), Javier Massó "Caramelo" (piano) and Kiki Ferrer (drums). His next projects are an album with the Spanish double-bass player Javier Colina and a tribute album to Los Muñequitos de Matanzas.



During his career Gonzalez has been playing with musicians such as Jaco Pastorius, Tito Puente, McCoy Tyner, Chet Baker, Eddie Palmieri, Israel López "Cachao", Wood Shaw, Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Williams, Larry Young, The Beach Boys, Freddie Hubbard, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Archie Shepp, Paco de Lucía, George Benson, Papo Vázquez, Bobby Paunetto, Chocolate Armenteros, Hilton Ruíz, Chico Freeman, Famoudou Don Moyé, José "Chombo" Silva, Rashied Ali, Paquito D'Rivera and Steve Turre.

Discography
Ya Yo Me Cure (American Clave/Sunnyside, 1979)
The River Is Deep (Enja, 1982)
Rumba para Monk (Sunnyside, 1988)
Obatalá (Enja, 1988)
Earthdance (Sunnyside, 1990)
Moliendo Café (Sunnyside, 1991)
Crossroads (Fantasy, 1994)
Pensativo (Fantasy, 1995)
Impressions with Afro Blue Band, (Fantasy, 1995)
Fire Dance (Fantasy,1996)
Jerry Gonzalez & the Fort Apache Band Live (1996)
Calle 54 (Calle54, 2000)
Jerry González & Federico Lechner: A primera vista (2002)
Jerry Gonzalez & Los Piratas del Flamenco (Lola Records/Sunnyside, 2004)
Rumba Buhaina (Sunnyside, 2005)
Music for a Big Band (Youkali/Universal, 2006)
Avísale a mi contrario que aquí estoy yo (Cigala Music/Sunnyside, 2011)


As sideman:
George Benson: The other side of Abbey Road (A&M, 1969)
Bobby Paunetto: Commit to Memory (Pathfinder/Tonga, 1970)
Dizzy Gillespie: Portrait of Jenny (Perception, 1970)
Clifford Thornton: Communications Network (Third World, 1972)
Huston Person: Island Episode (Prestige, 1973)
Eddie Palmieri: Sentido (1973)
Clifford Thornton: Gardens of Harlem (JCOA, 1974)
Eddie Palmieri: Unfinished Masterpiece (Coco/MPL, 1974)
Bobby Paunetto: Paunetto's Point (Pathfinder/Toga, 1974)
Charlie Palmieri: Impulsos (Coco/MPL, 1975)
Grupo Folklórico Experimental Nuevayorkino: Concepts of Unity (Salsoul, 1975)
Bobby Paunetto: Commit to Memory (Pathfinder/Toga, 1976)
Grupo Folklórico Experimental Nuevayorkino: Lo dice todo (Salsoul, 1976)
Paquito D'Rivera: Blowin' (Columbia, 1981)
Totico: Totico y sus rumberos (Montuno, 1981)
Kip Hanrahan: Coup de tête (American Clavé, 1981)
McCoy Tyner: Looking out (Columbia, 1982)
Kip Hanrahan: Desire Develops an Edge (American Clavé, 1981)
Tito Puente: On Broadway (Concord Picante, 1982)
Abbey Lincoln: Talking to the sun (Enja, 1983)
Kirk Lightsey: Isotope (Criss Cross, 1983)
Jaco Pastorius: Jaco Pastorius live in New York Vol. I & III (Big World, 1985)
Carlos "Patato" Valdés: Masterpiece (Messidor, 1984)
Virgilio Martí: Saludos a los rumberos (Caimán,1984)
Jaco Pastorius: Punk Jazz (Big World, 1986)
Franco Ambrosetti: Movies (Enja, 1986)
Soundtrack of the movie Crossover Dreams (Electra/Asylum1986)
Hilton Ruiz: El camino (RCA/BMG/Novus, 1987)
Steve Turré: Viewpoints on Vibrations (Stash, 1987)
Santi Debriano: Obeah (Free Lance, 1987)
Kip Hanrahan: Days and nights of blue luck inverted (American Clavé, 1987)
Steve Turré: Fire and Ice (Stash, 1988)
Larry Willis: Heavy Blue (Steeplechase, 1989)
Kirk Lightsey: Everything is changed (Sunnyside, 1989)
McCoy Tyner: The Turning Point (Birdology, 1991)
Charles Fambrough: The proper angle (CTI, 1991)
Kenny Kirkland: Kenny Kirkland (GRP, 1991)
Don Byron: Music for six musicians (1992)
Dave Valentin: Tropic Heat (GRP, 1993)
Bobby Hutcherson: Acoustic Masters II (Atlancic, 1993)
McCoy Tyner: Journey (Birdology, 1993)
Hilton Ruiz: Heroes (Telarc, 1993)
David Sanchez: Sketches of Dreams (Columbia, 1994)
Sonny Fortune: A Better Understanding (Blue Note, 1994)
Afro Blue band: Impressions (1995)
Chico O'Farrill: Pure Emotion (Milestone, 1995)
Giovanni Hidalgo: Time Shifter (Tropijazz, 1996)
Bobby Matos: Footprints (Cubop, 1996)
Abbey Lincoln: You and I (Jazzfest, 1997)
Deep Rumba: The music of Marlon Simon (K-Jazz, 1998)
Arturo O'Farrill: Blood Lines (Milestone, 1999)
Batacumbele: Hijos de tambó (Batá, 1999)
Rumbajazz: Tribute to Chombo (Sunnyside, 1999)
Abbey Lincoln: Over the years (Verve, 2000)
Diego "El Cigala": Corren tiempos de alegría (2001)
Andrés Calamaro: Tinta Roja (2001)
Martirio: Mucho Corazón (2001)
Enrique Morente: Pequeño Reloj (Virgin/Emi, 2003)
Paco de Lucía: Cositas Buenas (2004)
Diego "El Cigala": Picasso en mis ojos (2005)
Niño Josele: Paz (2006)
Javier Limón: La tierra del Agua (2007)
Javier Limón: Son de Limón (2008)
Andrés Calamaro: Obras Incompletas (2009)
Andrés Calamaro: On the Rock (2010)

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (june 5 - 11) - John Benitez

BIOGRAPHY | TIMELINE
Instrument: Bass


John Benitez - acoustic and electric bass
Grammy award-winning bassist John Benitez, born in Rio Piedras Puerto Rico, started playing gospel music in church at the age of thirteen. Already a gifted musician, John began his formal education at “Escuela Libre de Musica” followed by study at the University of Puerto Rico and later the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music with master bassist Federico Silva.

By age nineteen, John was the first-call bassist in San Juan's thriving Jazz and Latin music scenes. He performed with, among others, such well-known artists as Chick Corea, Lucecita Benitez, Batacumbele, Lalo Rodriguez, Cuco Peña, Roberto Roena, and Justo Betancourt. In his early twenties, he toured with Batacumbele to Columbia, South America where he continued to play and study music. Always in demand, John was asked to play with some of the top names in the country like Joe Madrid and often accompanied international touring artists like trumpeter “Chocolate” Armenteros.

In 1993, John move to New York and attended the City College of New York where he studied with the legendary acoustic bassist, Ron Carter and later with the contra bass guitarist Anthony Jackson. His education, however, was not limited to formal classroom study. John learned on the bandstand performing with some of the finest Jazz and Latin musicians including, Wynton Marsalis, Tito Puente, Michele Camilo, Dave Valentin, Eddie Palmieri, Bobby Watson, David Sanchez, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Roy Hargrove, Antonio Hart, Danilo Perez, Kenny Kirkland, Will Calhoun, Vinny Valentino, Chucho Valdez, Don Pullen, Dave Samuels, and Mongo Santamaria, to name just few.

He recorded with Roy Hargrove's Crisol band (whose recording, “Habana,” was awarded the Grammy for best Latin jazz performance in 1997), David Sanchez (the Grammy nominated, “Obsesion”) Tito Puente, Hilton Ruiz, Antonio Hart, the Tropi-Jazz All Stars, the Mingus Big Band, the Caribbean Jazz Project, and Eddie Palmieri.

John has participated in two instructional videos with master percussionist Giovanni Hildalgo and Cuban drummer Ignacio Berroa. He can also be seen on the national tv and cable shows, Good Morning America, The Today Show and BET On Jazz.

As a sideman and a featured special guest, John has performed in all of the major jazz festivals and venues around the world including Turkey, Jordan (where he played for the royal family), South America, Canada, Norway, Finland, and all over Europe. John was chosen by the United States Information Agency and the Kennedy Center to represent the United States as a Jazz Ambassador on a tour of South America.

John has played and recorded with some of the finiest Jazz, Latin, and R&B musicians and has learned something from each and every one of them. This diversity of influence and experience is reflected in his latest project and first recording as a leader, “Descarga in New York,” released in August 2001 on Khaeon World Music. Together with his Trio (the gifted pianist/composer Luis Perdomo and the powerhouse drummer Dafnis Preito) and special guest percussionist, Richie Flores and the tenor saxophonists Ravi Coltrane, John has created a strong musical statement which highlights his prodigious talents as a bassist--both acoustic and electric-composer, arranger, and and producer.

Benitez was the bassist on Ray Barretto’s last record “Standards Rican-ditioned,” in 2006, which was a set of jazz standards performed by an all Puerto Rican ensemble, which incidentally included the late Hilton Ruiz on piano.

Although Benitez is extremely fluid in the jazz idiom, he excels at interpreting the rhythms and styles of his native Afro-Caribbean region and the entire Pan American music book. As he puts it himself, “For me it's all the same, one great dance music, all the Caribbean, South America and New Orleans are but an extension of African music, music with that special bounce. That's what I like the most.” John Benitez, an excellent example of a true musician, an educator, artist, gentleman and a spiritual human being.