Drummer,
percussionist and composer, born in Montevideo in 1965.
He
starts his professional career at the age of 15, playing with
the Big Band of the Taller de Músics of Barcelona and
other Jazz groups of that city.
In
1986 he moves to Madrid, where he starts playing for Manuela
Vargas’ dance company.
Since
then he has played next to great jazz
and flamenco musicians such as Barry Harris, John Abercrombie,
Kenny Wheeler, Tete Monteliu, Wallace Roney, Joe Pass, Juan
Maya “Marote”, Paco de Antequera, Adela la Chaqueta,
Rafael Riqueni, Javier Colina, Chano Dominguez, Esperanza
Fernández, Juan Manuel Cañizares, Carles Benavent,
Jorge Pardo, Enrique Morente, Julián Argüelles,
Ronan Guilfoyle, Brad Meldhau, Kurt Rosenwinckel, Marc Turner,
Ed Simon, Dave Binney, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Paolo Fresu, Dave
Liebman, Perico Sambeat, Marc Johnson, Eliane Elias, Giovanni
Hidalgo, Furio di Castri, etc., great
dancers such as Antonio Canales, Joaquín Grilo,
Tomasito, Pepe Torres, La Tolea, etc. Ad great singers and
composers such as Javier Ruibal,
Joan Manuel Serrat, Ana Belén, Marta Valdés
and Armando Manzanero.
He
has obtained three first prizes in the
National Jazz Competition for young musicians (Concurso
Nacional de Jazz para Jóvenes Intérpretes),
with three different groups and he also won an award
for the best original composition. In 1993 he obtained
the first prize in the National Competition
for Jazz Composition, by S.G.A.E.
He
has taught at the Conservatory of The Hague, at Taller de
Músics, in Barcelone, at the Conservatory of Peking,
the Escuela de Música Creativa, Madrid, Taller de Músicos,
Madrid, the Seminario Internacional de Zarautz, at Universidad
de Santa Fé of Bogotá, Universidad Carlos III,
at the Conservatory in Majadahonda, Madrid, etc.
In
December 1999 he releases his first work with the title “Los
sueños y el tiempo” as a book-cd, with
nine original compositions and texts selected by himself out
of twelve books by María Zambrano. Also in December
1999 he directs the show “El Jazz
viene del sur” (Jazz comes from the South) requested
by the Teatro Central de Sevilla.
In
May 2000 he composes his work “El
Júbilo”, requested by the Teatro de la
Maestranza of Seville, to be interpreted by Esperanza Fernández,
for a quintet of strings, piano, harmonica and percussion.
In
2001 and 2002 he participates in the recording and world tour
of “Calle 54”, film
directed by Fernando Trueba, together with Chano
Dominguez’ sextet, and in a trio with Eliane
Elias and Marc Johnson.
In
April 2002 he records his second cd titled “Cielo”.
In
February 2003 he performs for two days at the Lincoln Center
in New York with the Chano Dominguez sextet and Wynton Marsalis,
with whom he performs again in festivals in Vitoria, Grec
in Barcelone, and in the Palau de Música in Valencia.
He produces the first recording by young flamenco pianist
Juan Cortés and the young singer/dancer Ana
Salazar in her last work “Ana Salazar canta a Edith
Piaf”.
