Gonzalo Rubalcaba

Probably one of the most important numbers to emerge from Afro-Cuban jazz in the ’90s, Gonzalo Rubalcaba can be an extraordinarily versatile pianist in a position to mix disparate strands of Cuban and American jazz custom right into a fresh, contemporary whole. Born right into a musical family members in Havana on, may 27, 1963, Rubalcaba began monitoring traditional piano at age group eight, honing his technique for the reason that region for another 12 years while experimenting Havana by night time. In 1983, he toured France and Africa with Cuba’s longstanding Orquesta Aragon, and created his own music group, Grupo Proyecto, in 1985, the same 12 months he was found out by Dizzy Gillespie. In 1986, Rubalcaba performed the Havana Jazz Event using the American tempo portion of Charlie Haden and Paul Motian, and with Haden’s support quickly appeared at main international celebrations like Montreal and Montreux. Rubalcaba’s early times for Blue Notice — 1990’s Finding: Live at Montreux and the next year’s The Blessing — had been quick classics, breaking him among American jazz viewers and showcasing his virtuosic technique and thick improvisations. Rubalcaba was finally in a position to play for American viewers from 1993, including a star-making appearance at Lincoln Middle, and quickly emigrated from Cuba (though never to the U.S. immediately; he eventually resolved in South Florida in 1996). Rubalcaba documented for several brands, including Blue Notice, which was house to a lot of his greatest later function, including 1999’s introspective Internal Voyage, 2001’s Grammy-winning Supernova, 2004’s Paseo, which provided fresh interpretations of aged tunes, and 2005’s aptly called Single. In 2002 Rubalcaba distributed the name of Musician in Residence on the Montreal Jazz Celebration with fellow pianist Chucho Valdés, and in 2003, within the Bele Bele Jazz Membership series, issued Right Forward, re-releases of three different recording periods between 1986 and 1987.