Pianist
Elio Villafranca is much-in-demand these days with a new CD release (Caribbean
Tinge-Motema Music) some special dates at Jazz at Lincoln Center and a performance
at the annual Jazz Journalists Awards ceremony. With his all-star band, the
Jass Syncopators, Villafranca is a breath of fresh air, or as Wynton Marsalis
says "Pianist and composer Elio Villafranca is an inspired and visionary
musician. With his band, The Jass Syncopators, Elio expands what Jelly Roll
Morton called The Spanish Tinge to what Elio calls The Caribbean Tinge."
Percussion,
brass and ivory keys set the stage for folkloric dance, Caribbean rhythms and
21st century jazz. Together, the music and dance integrate a new body of
movement and syncopation within the performance of the eight original
Villafranca compositions.
The
Caribbean Tinge CD celebration release is at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola on June
13-15.
Elio
Villafranca will be honored with the first-ever Jazz at Lincoln Center
Millennium Swing! Award on June 23. Joining Villafranca at the 1st Annual Jazz
at Lincoln Center Swing! Awards are recipients Jonathan Batiste and Cecile
McLorin Salvant.
Tour
Dates:
May
16-17 - Nuevo Jazz Latino - JALC - The Appel Room
June 11
- Jazz Journalists Assoc. Jazz Awards - The Blue Note
June
13-15 - CD Release Celebration - Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola
June 23
- JALC Millennium Swing! Award
June 24
- CD Release - Caribbean Tinge (Motema Music)
August
10 - San Jose Jazz Festival (CA)
August
31 - Elio Villafranca Quartet feat. Eric Alexander - Detroit Jazz Festival
September
15 - Premiere of Mary Lou William's Zodiac Suite - Santa Cruz Jazz Festival,
Bolivia
"The
band swings hard and brings a traditional yet innovative style to the roots of
jazz and Afro Caribbean music. I am profoundly moved by Elio's vision and
musicianship. He is a treasured member of the family here at Jazz at Lincoln
Center."
- Wynton
Marsalis
"Elio's
music is passionate. A brand new application of ancient ways."
- Chick
Corea
There
are good reasons why Wynton Marsalis and Chick Corea have taken a personal
interest in Elio Villafranca. Hailing from Havana, Cuba, Elio is rooted in the
tradition and rhythms of the Caribbean, yet fully embraces the elements of
modern jazz. Caribbean Tinge is his 7th album as a leader, and was recorded
during two live performances at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln
Center in New York City.
Since
the beginning of jazz and Latin music, syncopation has been an important
element in the rhythmic foundation and development of these musical genres. For
Grammy nominee pianist and composer Elio Villafranca, the concept of
syncopation is intrinsic to his music. Elio was deeply inspired by Duke
Ellington's approach to music of the 1940's and is also proudly aware of his
Cuban-Latin heritage. The Jass Syncopators is a performance ensemble that
challenges the boundaries of jazz by fusing it with the syncopated nature of
Afro-Caribbean music, rhythms and dance, thus creating authentic cultural
experiences. With this exotic combination, Elio Villafranca and The Jass
Syncopators strive to create a multi-layered musical dialogue where
intellectual understanding of the music is secondary to its full experience.
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