Sylvia Cuenca

Based in NEW YORK but originally from north California, Sylvia Cuenca is definitely a skilled, hard-swinging post-bop/hard bop drummer who’s best known on her behalf associations with experienced trumpeter/flügelhornist Clark Terry (who she used extensively in the ’90s and early 2000s) as well as the past due tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson (who she toured Europe and america with on several party). Cuenca continues to be employed on many of Terry’s CDs (like the Hymn on Candid, Best and Bottom level Brass on Chiaroscuro, and Herr Ober: Live at Birdland Neuburg on Nagel-Heyer), as well as the additional major artists who’ve used her on the albums range between veteran tenor saxophonist/Count number Basie alumni Frank Foster (as with “Shiny Stockings”) to trumpeter Eddie Henderson. Cuenca in addition has used the Vienna Artwork Orchestra, a large band located in Vienna, Austria. Cuenca was created and elevated in San Jose, CA, where in fact the Mexican-American drummer’s fascination with music was enthusiastically prompted by her parents — specifically her dad, a guitarist/vocalist who had an enormous assortment of jazz and Latin LPs. Among the information in her dad’s collection was Utmost Roach and Clifford Brown’s Live at Basin Road; she fell deeply in love with Roach’s drumming, and he became an early on impact on Cuenca (whose additional influences possess included, amongst others, Artwork Blakey, Billy Higgins, and Philly Joe Jones). After graduating from senior high school in the middle-’80s, Cuenca went to San Jose Town University, where she performed with the town College Big Music group under the path of Dave Eshelman. Cuenca was still surviving in north California when she examined with drummer Victor Lewis, who inspired her to go to NEW YORK — with age 21, Cuenca implemented his advice. Shortly after her entrance in ny, Cuenca noticed Joe Henderson executing at the well-known Community Vanguard and stated hi towards the post-bop tenor guy; he appreciated Cuenca from a trip to San Jose (where he previously been a highlighted guest of the town University Big Band) and finished up employing her to tour with him. Cuenca (who became a semi-finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Drum Competition in 1992) continued to try out with a great many other well-known improvisers, who’ve ranged from tenor guy Michael Brecker (who she toured Japan with) to pianist Marian McPartland to violinist Regina Carter. NEW YORK was also where Cuenca fulfilled Clark Terry — a link that lasted greater than a 10 years. As a head or co-leader, Cuenca provides released some CDs on her behalf personal label, Etoile Information; the first was The Crossing, which boasted Eddie Henderson on trumpet. That recording was accompanied by the 2003 launch Leave 13, a trio day with organist Kyle Koehler and guitarist Dave Stryker.