EUROPEAN SOUNDS SERIES: SPAIN - ALEXIS CUADRADO - TRIO OF WORDS
**Price includes brunch, music and a drink.**
Alexis Cuadrado - Trio of Words presented by the Consulate General of Spain in New York
Alexis Cuadrado and his new trio present a set of music inspired by the poetic and folkloric traditions of Spain and Latin America. Drawn from such diverse sources as the surrealist poems of Federico Garcia Lorca or the moving protest songs of Víctor Jara, this trio explores the Hispanic diaspora with in an intimate setting that promises to enlighten your mind and stir your soul.
ALEXIS CUADRADO
An award-winning composer and bandleader, a bassist with a solid reputation, and a devoted world-class educator; Barcelona-born Alexis Cuadrado has become one of the most sought-after musicians in the New York scene. NPR music states, "Listen to Cuadrado's compositions and you'll find every reason to take him seriously." NY magazine: "His intricate and sharply defined compositions show that he's tapped into something much deeper."
Cuadrado's compositions show a unique voice that draws from the crossover of jazz, flamenco and new music, exploring the confluence of the Spanish and American cultures and its social connotations. His output as a composer has peaked in recent years, premiering multiple commissioned works such as "The Immigrant" (a live score to the 1917 Chaplin silent film), "POETICA" (featuring poets Rowan Ricardo Philips and Melcion Mateu), "A Lorca Soundscape" (drawn by the Poetry of Federico García Lorca and featuring Claudia Acuña and Miguel Zenón), "Jazz Miniatures" (a work for jazz quartet and string quartet), and "Noneto Ibérico" (a nine-part Flamenco-Jazz Suite for nine musicians featuring Avishai Cohen, Perico Sambeat and Israel Suarez "Piraña".)
Cuadrado has six albums as a leader/composer of his ensemble: "Poetica" (2016), "A Lorca Soundscape" (2013) and "Noneto Ibérico" (2011), which have received massive media acclaim, plus three previous albums: "Puzzles" (2008), "Visual" (2004) and "Metro" (2001), which document his original compositions and had excellent reactions from critics, presenters and fans alike.
He has also exceptional credits as a performer, with recording and live appearances at venues that range from Carnegie Hall and numerous international jazz festivals and clubs around the globe.
Cuadrado is a prominent educator and a faculty member at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in NYC. He also teaches worldwide as a guest lecturer.
CLAUDIA ACUÑA
Born in Santiago and raised in Concepcion, she was inspired as a child to perform a variety of music, including folk, pop and opera, by Victor Jara and Violetta Parra. Her attention turned to American popular music and jazz at the age of 15, when she first heard Frank Sinatra, Erroll Garner and Sarah Vaughan. Returning to Santiago in 1991, she quickly gained prominence on the local jazz scene through live performances and radio broadcasts with visiting artists. In 1995, Acuña moved to New York City and began performing at jam sessions and clubs including the Zinc Bar and Smalls. She also performed with her own band at the famous Jazz Gallery.
Her debut album, Wind from the South, was released in 1999 on Verve Records, followed by Rhythm of Life in 2001 and Luna in 2004. Acuña's first recording on the Marsalis Music label, En Este Momento, was released in 2009. She has also been featured on various recordings with Peck Almond, George Benson, Joey Calderazzo, Avishai Cohen, Mark Elf, Tom Harrell, Antonio Hart, Arturo O'Farrill and Guillermo Klein.
PABLO VERGARA
Producer, pianist and composer Pablo Vergara is an award-winning musician who has performed across four continents. A classically-trained pianist in his native Chile, Pablo moved to New York to study with some of his jazz heroes like Barry Harris, Ron Carter and Bruce Barth. Since then he has worked with artists like saxophone legend Gato Barbieri, Grammy winners Dave Valentin and Paquito D'Rivera, Turkish music masters Husnu Senlendirici and Omar Faruk, Claudia Acuña, Fred Wesley, Edmar Castañeda, Alain Pérez, Bebel Gilberto, Mino Cinelu, Keith Carlock and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen.
Vergara composed and produced the score for Alejandro Fernandez Almendras's ¨To Kill A Man¨, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival and Dutch Circle of Film Critics Award at Rotterdam Film Festival. Vergara also produced and performed the piano music score for Alejandro Fernandez feature film "By The Fire" featured at major festivals around the world, including San Sebastián, Toulouse and San Francisco.
Mr. Vergara studied at the Julliard School and at City College of New York and holds an MA in Music. He studied orchestration with Daniel Ott, counterpoint with Jonathan Pieslak and conducting with Vincent La Selva. Performance credits include Newport Jazz Festival, Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, Washington DC's Kennedy Center, Istanbul Is Sanat, Paris' Le Zenith, New York's Central Park SummerStage and Australia's Sidney Festival, amongst many others.
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