Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Alejandro Vargas Rodríguez was born on February 4, 1980 in Havana, Cuba and started his musical studies at six years old, receiving lessons from Joel Rodríguez Milord, Ulises Hernández and Harold Gramatges. These continued until he graduated as a concert pianist from the University ISA (Instituto Superior de Arte) in Havana. He completed his studies with different seminars led by Herbie Hancock, Chucho Valdés, Danilo Pérez or Jorge Luis Prats.
When he was 20 he recorded his first album Calor, performing the arrangements of Benny Moré compositions. He began his jazz career performing at the Festival Jazz Plaza while attending college.
Forming his first jazz trio he competed in the 2001 in the Jojazz competition winning 1st Prize. Two years later his band Alejandro Vargas and Oriental Quartet is one of the most recognized in the country. With this fame he began touring internationally and his album Trapiche recorded in was awarded the best jazz jazz album of the year in Cubadisco contest in 2008.
Experimenting with a wide range of styles he moves from abstract to traditional where jazz standards and popular Cuban music are taken to the aesthetic of free improvisation. His trio plays between the contemporary and the afrocuban. For two years in 2006 he was a professor of Harmony and Popular Piano at the University of Havana and worked as a composer of audio visual and documentary at the school of international cinema of San Antonio de los Baños.
Developing an intense work on free improvisation and free jazz, he continually explores new horizons. Pianist Alejandro Vargas Rodríguez is currently recording a new trio album across different landscapes from the sonority of the oriental organ evoking the rural Cuban fields to mambo to the blues to Monk’s minimalism.
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ELEW
Elew (Eric Lewis) grew up in a household full of pianos and music teachers — both his mother and grandmother taught the entire neighborhood to play. Tinkling keys were the soundtrack of his childhood.
Lewis later won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition and went on to play with jazz luminaries such as Ornette Coleman and Wynton Marsalis. He was a member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. But in recent years, he decided to step out on his own and pursue his vision of what he calls “rock-jazz”.
Cover: $ 36.95
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NOEL FREIDLINE & MARIA HOWELL
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Hector Rivera was born on January 26, 1933 in New York, New York. He had been playing for over a decade, beginning in the early 1950s when he joined the band of Elmo Garcia as a teenager. Making his recorded debut as a bandleader in 1957 when Garcia didn’t have enough material prepared, Mercury Records asked if he had any music. Wanting to record a solo album Mercury offered to record him as a solo artist, issuing his debut, Let’s Cha Cha Cha.
Over the next few years, Rivera would be known mostly as a sideman to bandleaders Joe Cuba, Pacheco, and vocalist Vincento Valdez. He made his biggest splash as a bandleader with the 1966 album At the Party, with a large band featuring several trumpet players and percussionists, as well as bassist Cachao.
Dividing his approach between instrumentals and vocals, he employed several singers, including David Coleman who is most heard on the At the Party album. The success of the title cut enabled Hector to cut several more albums, along with continuing to write and arrange. He would go on to participate in projects for Ray Barretto, Machito, and Tito Puente among others.
Pianist, arranger, composer, bandleader and producer Hector Rivera who was one of the more renowned performers of the Latin soul genre, died on January 8, 2006 in his hometown.
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The Jazz Voyager
New York is beckoning the Jazz Voyager to leave the cold of the Midwest to experience the familiar cold of the Big Apple for two new events. The first is a visit to a fresh old fashioned haunt that’s tucked away in Lefferts Garden called Bar Bayeux. Though it may be familiar, I’m desirous of warmer southern temperatures but the jazz and new adventures never stop.
The second event has me in the company of international recording pianist, organist, and accordionist Gary Versace who is one of the busiest and most versatile musicians on the international jazz scene. Leading this quartet date, he has been featured in bands of John Scofield, Maria Schneider, John Abercrombie, Anat Cohen, Al Foster, Regina Carter, Kurt Elling, Madeleine Peyroux, Matt Wilson, Ingrid Jensen and many others.
Bar Bayeux is located at 1066 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225. For more information visit https://www.barbayeux.com. No cover, one drink minimum but tips for musicians are encouraged.
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