Cuban pianist Dayramir Gonzalez (recently welcomed as a
Yamaha Artist) has innovative style, energetic performance, and impressive
diversity shining through on his upcoming album,
The Grand Concourse. Serving as the follow up to his 2007
debut, this record is defined by the voyage of a young artist from Havana whose
creation of musical works sheds light on the gems of traditional Cuban
sentiments, contemporary Afro-Cuban jazz, and the vanguard sounds of New York.
Extending the concept of his debut album Dayramir &
Habana enTRANcé, Gonzalez continues the Cuban musical feast on The Grand
Concourse with songs featuring GRAMMY® Award-nominated guest artists like
Pedrito Martinez, Yosvany Terry, and Oriente Lopez in special musical
configurations that span string quartet, full orchestra, solo piano, choir, and
Afro Cuban jazz septet.
With songs like "Situaciones en 12/8," a purely
Afro-Cuban jazz sentiment driven by pulsating rhythms, or his contemporary
approach to Cuban classical music on the orchestral chamber piece
"Sencillez," to more contemporary popular Cuban sounds found on
"Iyesa con Miel" (a tribute to the Yoruba goddess Ochun), whose
melody is carried by the iconic voice of Martinez, Gonzalez's music is defined
by just that: the diverse spectrum of musical genres executed with virtuosity,
approached with a contemporary perspective that maintains an underlying Cuban
savor.
"This is an ambitious project that doesn't present me
as only a pianist or improviser, but also as a composer, arranger,
orchestrator, and bandleader," says Gonzalez. "For me, making an
album is always about creating a full and complete piece of art, where I have a
palette of different colors to choose from and can paint all those sounds that
float in my head."
Gonzalez was born in the humble Havana neighborhood of
Cerro, during what is referred to in Cuba as "the special period" and
known as one of the toughest economic times in Cuba's history. Although the
island severely lacked many of the basic necessities, it continued to support
and promote musical education on the island.
Gonzalez's young life centered on music. His father, Fabian
Gonzalez (a successful Afro-Cuban jazz trumpet player) became a driving force
and inspiration in his musical development. At the age of eight, he began
attending Paulita Concepcion Elementary School of Music, where he found his
instrument, the piano. He was later accepted to Cuba's famed National High
School for the Arts (ENA).
Gonzalez kept busy during his time at ENA. In his first year
there, at the age of 16, former Irakere singer and percussionist Oscar Valdes
discovered him. He was invited to become a founding member, pianist, and
composer for Diakara. After three successful years with Oscar, Cuban drumming
legend Giraldo Piloto found Gonzalez and invited him to join Klimax, with whom
he would perform and record with for the next six years.
In 2004, he won first place in performance at the annual
JoJazz Festival and competition known as Havana's top venue for up and coming
jazz performers. In 2005, he won first place in the composition category and
won his first record deal with the national record label Colibri. He recorded
his first album with his recently founded group Habana enTRANCé, which became
for him the perfect platform to develop his skills as artist, bandleader, and
composer. This album would later win three Cubadisco, known as the Grammys of
Cuba, for Best Debut Album, Best Jazz Album, and Best Engineered Recording.
Gonzalez was accepted to the prestigious Instituto Superior
de Arte (ISA) in Havana, where he spent four years studying composition with
renowned professor Juan Piñera. Even with his intensified workload and studies,
Gonzalez was invited by now longtime friend and mentor Chucho Valdés to open
the Havana Jazz Festival in 2008.
In 2009, Gonzalez received an exciting invitation to prepare
an application and audition for the venerable Berklee School of Music in
Boston. His acceptance to the school made him the first Cuban national to
receive a full scholarship. In 2011, in only his second year at the
institution, Gonzalez was signed by Berklee's Jazz Revelation Records. In that
same year, he was selected as one of the top five pianists in Berklee's annual
Piano Gala, performing at the Berklee Performance Center.
In 2012, he was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall as part
of their Voices of Latin America series, along with Chucho Valdés, Gonzalo
Rubalcaba, Danilo Perez, Egberto Gismonti and Aldo Lopez-Gavilan. In 2013,
Gonzalez graduated Berklee Summa Cum Laude after receiving the Wayne Shorter
Award for Most Outstanding Composer of the Year.
Dayramir Gonzalez · The Grand Concourse
Digital Release Date: March 2, 2018 · Physical Release: June
15, 2018
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