Saturday April 17, 2010
8:00 PM
Koerner Hall
Genre: Jazz Postlude Performance
This event is Sold Out!
Featuring Hilario Durán, Elio Villafranca and Guillermo Rubalcaba
Hear soprano sax maven and cultural boundary-breaker Jane Bunnett with three generations of Cuban piano masters: Jane Bunnett's original collaborator Hilario Durán, current pianist Elio Villafranca, and elder master Guillermo Rubalcaba (who appeared with Jane in her 2000 National Film Board Documentary "Spirits of Havana"). This performance will take you on a musical tour through the history of Cuban Music and jazz featuring classic Cuban composers such as Lecuona, Cervantes, Simons etc., as well as compositions and arrangements by the three artists.
This unique musical group was first conceived in Havana Cuba in 1992 at the National Theatre with the great Cuban pianists Jose Maria Vitier and the late Frank Emilio. It was brought to fruition in Canada in 1993 with a ground-breaking concert at the Glenn Gould Theatre (CBC) and became Jane Bunnett's recording debut for EMI/Bluenote. In 1997 the 2nd edition was presented at the Montreal Jazz Festival with collaborators Hilario Durán and Frank Emilio, and filmed by Le Spectre and shown worldwide as "Jane Bunnett and the Cuban Piano Masters". Now in its third edition, this is a must-see, must-hear performance!
Just added: the legendary timbale player Changuito of Los Van Van.
Musicians
Jane Bunnett, soprano saxophone Hilario Durán, piano Guillermo Rubalcaba, piano Elio Villafranca, piano Larry Cramer, trumpet Roberto Riveron, bass Jorge (Papiosco) Torres, percussion Luis Orbegoso, percussion
Please join Mervon Mehta and Jane Bunnett for a post INTERMISSION CHAT to discuss tonight's music.
Please join us for a postlude performance with THE GLENN GOULD SCHOOL STUDENTS in the Leslie and Anna Dan Gallerias.
Tonight's concert is generously supported by Marilyn and Charles Baillie and an anonymous sponsor.
Multiple Juno Award-winner Jane Bunnett has turned her bands into showcases for the finest talent from Canada, the U.S., and Cuba. She has been nominated for Grammy Awards, numerous Juno Awards, and, most recently, was honoured with an appointment to the Order of Canada. An internationally acclaimed musician, Ms. Bunnett is known for her creative integrity, improvisational daring, and courageous artistry. Her exploration of Afro-Cuban melodies expresses the universality of music, and her ability to embrace and showcase the rhythms and culture of Cuba has been groundbreaking. She has toured the world, bringing her own special sound to numerous jazz festivals, displaying her versatility as a flutist, saxophone player, and pianist. As an educator, spokesperson, and social activist, she remains unafraid to explore uncharted territory in her quest for excellence.
Bunnett's Cuban connection started in 1982, when a trip to the island with husband Larry Cramer turned her musical world upside down: they found exceptional musicians everywhere, and they began playing along with them in the streets and in their homes. Since then, Bunnett has moved from strength to strength, touring internationally and recording a string of critically lauded albums. Her house in Toronto has become a home away from home for a growing number of extraordinary young Cuban musicians who migrated to Canada, and many of whom have played in her group, The Spirits of Havana.
Ms. Bunnett received her Grade 10 Piano Certificate from The Royal Conservatory.
Hilario Durán
Piano
Hilario Durán was born into a musical family in Cuba in 1953. He was a member of Arturo Sandoval's band for nine years as a composer, arranger, and producer, as well as both a piano and a keyboard player. With the band, he appeared at major jazz festivals around the world and shared the stage with such legendary musicians as Dizzy Gillespie. In 1990,he formed his own band, Perspectiva, which toured successfully through Latin America and Europe. His collaboration with Jane Bunnett started in 1991, when he participated as a pianist on her Juno Award-winning CD, Spirits of Havana. In 1995, Mr. Durán decided to pursue a solo career, allowing him more scope to follow the many different areas of his musical interests. Since his move to Canada, he has become an integral and important part of the Canadian music scene.
Guillermo Rubalcaba
Piano
Born in 1927, Guillermo Rubalcaba has dedicated over 50 years of his life to creating and performing the best Cuban music. Founder of the legendary La Charanga Rubalcaba, the veteran pianist is a guest at most of the live concerts of the Buena Vista Social Club, having also worked with Afro Cuban All Stars and Soneros de Verdad. Mr. Rubalcaba has influenced many contemporary pianists who work in dance bands with his impressive ability at musical improvisation, from the danzón to the cha cha chá, through the bolero.
Elio Villafranca
Piano
Cuban pianist, composer, and bandleader Elio Villafranca has made a major contribution to the international development of modern jazz. Inspired by jazz and other musical genres that developed as a result of the African Diaspora, he creates original cultural and musical fusions notable for their spirited and groundbreaking innovations.
Mr. Villafranca received two Grammy Award nominations in 2010: Best Latin Album of the Year for his performance and co-production on Things I Wanted To Do, by Chembo Corniel, and Best Traditional World Music Album as pianist on La Guerra No, by John Santos y El Coro Folklórico Kindembo. As a sideman, Mr. Villafranca has collaborated with leading artists, including Wynton Marsalis, and performed at various world-renowned venues, such as the Blue Note Jazz Festival in Ghent, Belgium, the Blue Note Jazz Club in Milan, Italy, and the North Sea Jazz Festival at The Hague, Holland. Based in New York City, he is resident professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
All of tonight's artists, except Ms. Bunnett, are making their Royal Conservatory debuts tonight.
