Orquesta Jazz de Canarias
The Orquesta Jazz de Canarias (Canary Islands Jazz Orchestra) brings together a cast of Canarian artists from the islands of Lanzarote & Tenerife who, for the most part, have interacted in the Big Band created by René P. González, trumpeter, composer and artistic & musical director, who graduated in Musical Performance/Professor of Trumpet and Composition at Berklee College of Music, Boston. The orchestra has been working for years on the arts & music scene of the islands and Cuba, carrying out an arduous cultural task that highlights the original & laborious nature of their projects, among them being the didactics it has represented for about 18,000 schoolchildren, concerts, festivals, musicals, conferences, shows, workshops & events that revolve around an objective theme - open to the public the wonderful doors of the world of music, delving into the origins, blending & influences of Canarian music, idiosyncrasy and culture.
Four trumpets, five saxophones, three trombones, a tuba and the rhythmic base of piano, bass, guitar, drums and Afro-Cuban percussion join the leadership and female creativity of the voice & lyrics of Yudith Porto, discovering from their experience from both shores, Cuba and the Canary Islands, their cultural and musical similarities. The sum of these contents, many of them inspired by the island of Lanzarote, is accompanied with an exquisite balance to urban genres, aged and traditional: Hip-hop, Danzón, Tajaraste, Guaguancó, Funk, Blues & ‘Bulerías’ spun by jazz harmonies.
Whilst at first glance they may seem discordant, the result opens our ears to greater expression & freedom, that speaks to us and identifies us with cultures & music which are close to our idiosyncrasy. So that we can talk about empathic music and inclusion, based on human events to which we have always been witness, in order to value the importance of musical influences & reciprocity of our culture in others. A musical reaffirmation of the Canary Islands as seen from other corners of the world, where its cultural and human imprint continues to be praised and appreciated. “Fulelé in Guanabacoa” is a creation that is the result of a laborious, fresh and unprecedented artisan project in the Canary Islands. It follows years of research and composition, experimenting interactively with the fusion of mestizo harmonies and with a clear influence of Canarian music, Afro-Cuban rhythms and urban genres well brushstroked by the compositions of René P. González and the collaboration of Miguel Blanco, composer, arranger & guitarist, as co-arranger on two of the numbers of this compilation.
This musician has spent more than two decades dedicated to the creation and study of music and composition, using an implement as laborious as Big Band formations are. On this occasion and resorting to the spirit of their forefathers, the word and voice of a woman is prevalant who, from her emigration and roots in our lands, is draped as the star feature in this great Big Band: Cuban singer and lyricist Yudith Porto. Her role in this album goes beyond the typical protagonism of an accompanied singer; her lyrics are didactic, committed and with a clear call to reflection and awareness for the care of our land, the contribution of women to the culture & values of society, social denunciation and of course love and happiness.
Line-Up:
René Pedro González Pérez: conductor & trumpet
Yudith Porto Alfonso: vocals
Felipe Morales Rodríguez: bass
Armando Cuervo Cairo: percussion
Johans Barani: piano
Ancor García: drums
Jonay Martín: guitar
Javier Díaz: trumpet
Jonay Cuadrado: trumpet
José Luis Melián: trumpet
Fernando Barrios: barítone sax
Diego Jorge: alto sax
José L. Magro: sax
Carmelo Farrais: sax
Oliver Herrera: sax
Cristo Delgado: trombone
Alejandro Suarez: trombone
Florentin Pérez: trombone
Santiago González: trombone
Gallery
