Alfredo Rodríguez (pianist, born 1985)

Alfredo Rodríguez Salicio (born October 7, 1985) is a Cuban composer and jazz pianist.

Alfredo Rodríguez
Background information
Birth nameAlfredo Rodríguez
Born (1985-10-07) October 7, 1985
Havana, Cuba
GenresLatin jazz
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
InstrumentsPiano, synthesizer
Years active2006 – present
LabelsMack Avenue Records
Websitewww.alfredomusic.com

Life

Alfredo Rodríguez is the elder of two sons of Alfredo "Alfredito" Rodríguez, a professional singer and composer of romantic songs and television presenter, and Mayra Salicio. He studied classical piano at the Manuel Saumell Conservatory, then at the Amadeo Roldán Music Conservatory as well as the Instituto Superior de Arte, all in Havana. His interest in jazz was stimulated by the annual "JoJazz" competition for young jazz musicians,[1] where he won an honorable mention in 2003.[2] In 2006, Rodríguez was selected as one of the twelve pianists from around the world to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Music Producer Quincy Jones noticed him at the Jazz Festival and offered to work with him. In 2007, he formed the first Alfredo Rodríguez Trio, with Gastón Joya (double bass) and Michael Olivera (drums). In 2009, Rodríguez accompanied his father as a band member on a concert trip to Mexico, when he decided not to return to Cuba but to leave his country and family and request political asylum at the US border crossing of Nuevo Laredo. With the support of Jones he began his pursuit of a career in music in the United States.

Rodríguez has performed at the Playboy Jazz Festival, SXSWMusic Festival, Detroit Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, San Francisco Jazz Festival, Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, Jazz Roots Performing Arts Center Concert Series, XVI International Open Air Festival (Poland), Jazz a Vienne Festival (France), North Sea Jazz Festival (Netherlands), Umbria Jazz Festival (Italy), Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Mawazine Festival (Morocco), Mundo Latino Festival (Brazil), Shanghai International Film Festival (China), Shanghai Tourist Festival (China), as well as many other performances. Rodríguez has also been chosen by various brands such as Mercedes Benz and Louis Vuitton to perform at corporate functions and product launches. During this period of time, Alfredo has shared stages with jazz artists such as Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Patti Austin, James Ingram, McCoy Tyner, Esperanza Spalding, Richard Bona, and Lionel Loueke.

One of Rodríguez's most well-known compositions was accomplished through collaboration with Quincy Jones, Tan Dun, and Siedah Garrett; the anthem "Better City, Better Life" was selected as the official theme song of the Shanghai World Expo 2010.

In 2015, Rodríguez received his first Grammy nomination for best arrangement, instrumental for "Guantanamera" at the 57th Grammy Awards.

Influences and playing style

A 2009 reviewer suggested that Rodríguez was "more a melding of Bill Evans, Kenny Werner, Fred Hersch, even touches of Thelonious Monk in conception if not execution, [with] hints here and there of his Cuban heritage".[3]

Another critic in the same year wrote that, "In one tune, his crisp bebop lines recalled Bill Evans' early playing on the George Russell mid-fifties Jazz Workshop album. Other pieces suggested the melodic inventiveness of Keith Jarrett. And still others displayed a nascent style of his own, contrasting angular, leaping passages and thick harmonic clusters with sudden, unexpected arcs of lyricism".[4]

Studio albums
TitlesYearLabel
Sounds of Space 2012 Mack Avenue Records
The Invasion Parade 2014 Mack Avenue Records
Tocororo 2016 Mack Avenue Records
The Little Dream 2018 Mack Avenue Records
Duologue with Pedrito Martínez 2019 Mack Avenue Records
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References
  1. "El jazz en Cuba: una visión joven" (in Spanish). La Jiribilla. 4 January 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  2. "Ernesto Vega and Luis Gonzalez Kings of JoJazz Festival". WorldMusicCentral.org. Prensa Latina. 6 December 2003. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  3. "30th Detroit International Jazz Festival Celebrates Family". Jazz Police. Archived from the original on 2011-04-04. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
  4. "Live Jazz: Alfredo Rodriguez at Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc". International Review of Music. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
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