Tiempo Libre and Paquito D'Rivera at Caramoor Festival
The event marks the fourth year of Caramoor’s acclaimed Sonidos Latinos Latin American music initiative. Audiences of all ages can enjoy the Latin jazz and hard-driving Cuban rhythms of this festive concert in the Venetian Theater, or from the picnic grounds as the first Caramoor Al Fresco event of the summer.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Tiempo Libre is one the hottest young Latin bands today. Equally at home in concert halls, clubs, and dance venues, the members of the Miami-based group are true modern heirs to the rich tradition of the music of their native Cuba. Tiempo Libre's members were all classically trained in Cuba's premiere conservatories at a time when it was illegal to listen to American songs on the radio. Now, the group is a hit in the U.S. and abroad, celebrated for its incendiary, joyful performances of timba – an irresistible mix of Latin jazz and the seductive rhythms of son, a style of music that became popular in Cuba in the 1920s. Tiempo Libre's members were all enjoying thriving solo careers in Latin music collaborating with such artists as Albita, Cachao, Arturo Sandoval, NG La Banda, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Isaac Delgado, when the seven musicians came together to realize their collective musical dream: to create the first authentic all-Cuban timba band in the U.S. Their eagerness to share their music with others led these multi-talented individuals to come together between projects to develop their new style together, hence the name Tiempo Libre (“Free Time”).
Paquito D’Rivera is a nine time Grammy Award-winning musician celebrated both for his artistry in Latin jazz and his achievements as a classical composer. A native of Havana, Cuba, he played both clarinet and saxophone with the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba in his youth. He was also a founding member and director of both the Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna, and the innovative musical ensemble Irakere – which performs a mixture of jazz, rock, classical, and traditional Cuban music never before heard. D’Rivera was a founding member of the United Nations Orchestra, a 15-piece ensemble organized by Dizzy Gillespie to showcase the fusion of Latin and Caribbean influences with jazz.
D’Rivera’s highly acclaimed ensembles – the Chamber Jazz Ensemble, the Paquito D’Rivera Big Band, and the Paquito D’Rivera Quintet – are in great demand worldwide. His numerous recordings include more than 30 solo albums. In addition to his extraordinary performing career as an instrumentalist, D’Rivera has rapidly gained a reputation as an accomplished composer. Recognition of his compositional skills came with the award of a 2007 John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in Music Composition, a Lifetime Achievement Award from Carnegie Hall for his contributions to Latin music, and the 2007/08 appointment as Caramoor’s Composer-in-Residence.
SONIDOS LATINOS
Sonidos Latinos, Caramoor’s adventurous Latin American music initiative, was established in 2007. The continuing goal of the initiative is to bring Latin American music, often under-represented in classical music venues, to a position of importance commensurate with the growing prominence and influence of Latin American culture in our society.
The 2010 Sonidos Latinos series continues within Caramoor’s three-day Jazz Festival in August. On August 7, the Brazilian musician Clarice Assad’s versatility and sophistication as a pianist, vocalist, and composer ensures a deeply musical experience. On August 8, Cuban pianist Elio Villafranca returns to Caramoor with his Quintet and guitarist Pat Martino, and Chuchito Valdes returns with his Big Band to perform the music of his grandfather Bebo Valdes – a central figure in the Golden Age of Cuban music.
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