Jane Bunnett and the Cuban Piano Masters 2010/2011 Edition featuring 3 generations of Cuban piano - Hilario Duran, Elio Villafranca and Guillermo Rubalcaba
Featuring:
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Jane Bunnett - Saxophone and Flute Guillermo Rubalcaba - Piano
Elio Villafranca - Piano
Hilario Duran - Piano
Larry Cramer - Trumpet
Roberto Riveron - Bass Jorge (Papiosco) Torres - Percussion
Luis Orbegoso - Percussion
Thursday, April 15, 2010, 8:00pm
Dominion-Chalmers United Church
$50 - Reserved section
$35 - General
BIOGRAPHY
This unique musical group was first conceived in Havana, Cuba in 1992 at the National Theatre with the great Cuban pianists Jose Maria Vitier and the late Frank Emilio. It was brought to fruition in Canada in 1993 with a ground-breaking concert at the Glenn Gould Theatre (CBC) and became Jane Bunnett’s recording debut for EMI/Bluenote.
In 1997 the 2nd edition was presented at the Montreal Jazz Festival with collaborators Hilario Duran and Frank Emilio. This concert was filmed by Le Spectre and shown worldwide as Jane Bunnett and the Cuban Piano Masters. Now in its third edition, this is a presentation of three generations of piano with Jane’s original collaborator Hilario Duran, current pianist Elio Villafranca and elder master Guillermo Rubalcaba (who appeared with Jane in her 2000 National Film Board Documentary Spirits of Havana).
April 2010 will be the first performance of this stunning new project. These performers travel through the history of Cuban and jazz music that features classic Cuban composers such as Lecuona, Cervantes, and Simons as well as compositions and arrangements of their own. The group features an all-star rhythm section.
Multiple Juno Award winner, Jane Bunnett has turned her bands into showcases for the finest talent from Canada, the U.S. and Cuba. She has been nominated for Grammy Awards, numerous Juno Awards, and most recently, was honoured with an appointment to the Order of Canada. An internationally acclaimed musician, Jane Bunnett is known for her creative integrity, improvisational daring and courageous artistry. Her exploration of Afro-Cuban melodies expresses the universality of music and her ability to embrace and showcase the rhythms and culture of Cuba has been groundbreaking. She has toured the world bringing her own special sound to numerous jazz festivals, displaying her versatility as a flutist, saxophone player and pianist.
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Guillermo Rubalcaba is the director and founder of the legendary Charanga Rubalcaba. Considered one of Cuba's best pianists, he is also a member of a highly regarded musical dynasty. The veteran pianist continues to preserve the finest traditions of popular Cuban music. At the moment Rubalcaba is the guest pianist at most of the live concerts of the Buena Vista Social Club. Born in 1927, in Cuba, Rubalcaba has dedicated over 50 years of his life to creating and performing the best in Cuban music. An exceptionally gifted pianist, Rubalcaba combines a refined melodic expression with a sense of rhythm that has pure Cuban flavor. Maestro Rubalcaba’s impressive ability at musical improvisation has made him legendary. (source: worldmusiccentral.org)
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Born, into a musical family in Havana, Cuba in 1953, Hilario Durán surrounded by a variety of diverse musical influences. For 9 years (from 1981 – 1990), Durán composed, arranged and produced works for the Arturo Sandoval band, performing on both the piano and keyboard. Traveling the world over, Durán performed with the late great Dizzy Gillespie and composer/arranger Michael Legrand. In 1991 he participated as a pianist in Jane Bunnett’s JUNO award winning CD Sprits of Havana. Following a successful European tour with his band Perspectiva in 1995, Duran decided to pursue a solo career, allowing him more scope to follow the many different areas of his musical interests. Since his move to Canada, Duran has become an integral and important part of the Canadian music scene.
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Born in the Pinar del Río province of Western Cuba, Elio Villafranca was classically trained in percussion and composition at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, Cuba. Since his arrival in the U.S. in late 1995, he has been involved in jazz and Latin jazz scenes on both the East and West Coasts and is currently based in New York City. Inspired by jazz and other musical genres that developed as a result of the African Diaspora, Villafranca creates original cultural and musical fusions notable for their spirited, groundbreaking innovations and has composed and arranged original soundtracks for PBS documentaries and a variety of independent films.
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