Here is some of the stuff that I've been part of.
My music, my Playing and my relationships are rooted in Love, That and only that is what I care for.
The Telegraph Calcutta, India:
ART BRIEFS
Earthy percussion
When the musicians’ resume includes live playing with the likes of Herbie Hancock and Danilo Perez, you’d wanna be at the gig. While the concert by Rhythmic Prophecies ? the “Jazz ambassadors from the US” ? on February 10 at Princeton Club was a rather low-key affair, the music that ensued surely was not.The Curtis brothers ? Zaccai on keyboards and Luques on upright bass ? along with Richie Barshay on drums and Reinaldo DeJesus on percussion, have made a name for themselves in the past two years. They played Horace Silver’s Quicksilver and David Sanchez’s Latin classic Street Scenes with a maturity beyond their years. Melodic bass anchoring from Luques, beautiful motif laying from Zaccai, informed playing from Barshay, and DeJesus’s very earthy percussive textures made up for a unique sound.
-Arka Das.
About
Rhythmic Prophecies Latin Jazz Ensemble
LATIN JAZZ
Posted by: nazreen | February 17, 2006, SriLanka.
“a mostly non-vocal music based on traditional Latin Rhythms, which incorporates the structures and practices of modern jazz with an emphasis on the instrumental soloist and improvisation. The 1940’s was a pivotal period in the development of Latin jazz, specifically Afro-Cuban jazz. Different dance styles and different schools of jazz intersected in the careful hands of trumpters Dizzy Gillespie and Mario Bauza. Gillespie and Pzo became fast friends and collaborators, co-writing many Afro-Cuban jazz standards, including Manteca”
Another brilliant evening in the offing. At Rs. 500 a ticket, affordable- so one can purchase that “one last drink” or something more to eat during the concert. Best to buy tickets at the door, unless you want to drop in to Barefoot sometime over the weekend and buy a ticket from Mohan. If you are a young girl I am sure you will do the latter.
Concert has been bought to Sri-Lanka by THE UNITED STATES of AMERICA. That is, the Public and Cultural Affairs department of the US Foreign Office. The Rhythmic Prophecies are part of the JAZZ at the lincoln center not for profit arts organisation dedicated to jazz. With the world renowned Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and a comprehensive array of guests artists, Jazz at Lincoln Center advances a unique vision for the continued development of the art of jazz, by producing year-round schedule of performances.
SUNDAY 19th February at 7:00pm
Barefoot Gallery.
American Center Brings Latin Jazz to Colombo:
Colombo, February 14, 2006: The American Center of the U.S. Embassy is bringing the “Rhythmic Prophecies” Latin Jazz Ensemble to Sri Lanka. A public performance is scheduled for Sunday, February 19 at 7:30 pm at Barefoot Gallery. Tickets are available at Barefoot Gallery and the American Center.
The American Center of the U.S. Embassy is bringing the “Rhythmic Prophecies” Latin Jazz Ensemble to Sri Lanka. A public performance is scheduled for Sunday, February 19 at 7:30 pm at Barefoot Gallery. Tickets are available at Barefoot Gallery and the American Center. The Rhythmic Prophecies Latin Jazz Ensemble is comprised of Reinaldo De Jesus, Luques Curtis, Richie Barshay and Zacchai Curtis. Rhythmic Prophecies’ repertoire consists of original compositions as well as original arrangements of certain jazz standards. These young musicians haven't ignored or forgotten the innovators and the "roots" of the music they study but they play in a combination of styles. They absorb every thing they can, and then produce something that is unique. With well-blended sounds from the Caribbean, Americas, Africa and other parts of the world, Rhythmic Prophecies is something fresh and new, something never experienced before. Together, they combine their education and intuition to allow them to experiment, stretch and explore in all areas in music.
Latin jazz is not a subcategory of jazz like Bebop, Big Band Swing, or Cool. It has its own unique history, performance practices, and musical concepts. Just as jazz emerged from New Orleans and developed into a national music with diverse styles, Latin jazz grew from its roots in Europe, Africa, and the Americas into a strong musical tree with it own stylistic branches.
Latin jazz reached its peak popularity with the mambo craze of the late 1940s/early 1950s, inspired by the legendary percussionist and bandleader Tito Puente, among others. Latinized rhythms have since been used to varying degrees of success by a range of jazz artists from Stan Kenton to Peggy Lee, Duke Ellington to Chick Corea, and nearly everyone in between.
Percussionist Reinaldo De Jesus was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He studied at Escuela Libre de Musica, the University of Puerto Rico, and the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico. He has performed with artist like: Obie Bermudes, Rey Ruiz, DLG, Charlie Cruz and more. Mr. De Jesus also worked with musicians such as Roy Hargrove, Humberto Ramirez, Horacio Hernandez, Alturo Ortis, Ralph Irizarry , Julio Alvarado, Danilo Perez , Miguel Zenon, William Cepeda, Papo Vasquez, John Benitez, Luis Marin, Ralph Peterson, among others, and he has recorded and performed throughout the U.S. Europe and Japan with Braddigan from the Indie Rock band Dispatch, the rock/world beat band Entrain and the Hip hop & R&B singer Lauryn Hill.
Luques Curtis was born in Hartford, Connecticut and currently attends Berklee College of Music in Boston on a full scholarship. He was introduced to jazz as a member of the Artists Collective Youth Orchestra. As a sophomore at Berklee, Luques, who plays the bass, was invited by Donald Harrison to be a member of his quintet and has toured with Mr. Harrison at jazz festivals in Spain, Switzerland, and New Orleans.
Percussionist Richie Barshay performs internationally in a wide range of musical settings, including performances with Herbie Hancock among others. Mr. Barshay is a founding member of the internationally renowned contemporary Afro-Cuban jazz band, Insight, and is also a member of Khevre -- a popular Klezmer ensemble promoting new Jewish music. Currently based in Boston, he is completing a bachelor's degree at the New England Conservatory of Music.
Zaccai Curtis has been performing since the age of five. As a young child, he studied many styles of music including jazz, salsa and classical. As a high school student, Mr. Zaccai earned many festival musical awards and was recognized by Down Beat as a top piano performer. He was also chosen as the pianist for the National Grammy Band Combo. He is currently pursuing his master's degree at the New England Conservatory. In 2003, Mr. Zaccai was chosen as a winner of the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer's Competition.
The Rhythmic Prophecies Latin Jazz Ensemble is part of the “The Rhythm Road: America Music Abroad” program, co-produced by the United States Department of State and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Their goal is to share American music as a vehicle of communication with other countries and to increase exposure to the varieties of American culture.
The Rhythm Road tour began a worldwide tour in January 2006 and will tour countries in Latin American, Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Europe and the Balkans. In Sri Lanka, in addition to the public performance on Sunday, February 19, the Rhythmic Prophecies Latin Jazz Ensemble will conduct master classes with music students from the University of the Visual and Performing Arts.
Jazz at Lincoln Center, located in New York City, is a not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to jazz. With the world-renowned Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra and a comprehensive array of guest artists, Jazz at Lincoln Center advances a unique vision for the continued development of the art of jazz by producing a year-round schedule of performance, education and broadcast events for audiences of all ages. Its Artistic Director is world-famous trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. For more information, visit www.jalc.org.
Reinaldo De Jesus was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is a world class percussionist who started playing the "tumbadoras" at the age of ten having been inspired by the great Puerto Rican percussionists such as; Giovanni Hidalgo, Ray Barreto, Cachete Maldonado, Anthony Carrillo and Richie Flores. In 1990, Reinaldo was admitted to the Escuela Libre De Musica in Hato Rey, P.R. Reinaldo graduated from the "ELM" in 1996 and enrolled in the University of PuertoRico and at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, where he studied classical percussion. While attending the Conservatory, Reinaldo recorded and performed with many well known musicians and artists in PR. In 1998, he received a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston. In July 2000, Reinaldo went on tour with trombonist, William Cepeda's Afro-Rican Jazz group. They toured in Europe and Africa performing in festivals such as: the Montreaux Jazz Fest, the Northsea Jazz Fest, the Moers Jazz Fest in Germany and the Tabarka Jazz Fest in Tunisia. After the tour, he moved to Boston and started to play with many different bands such as: Suavecito, Spontaneous, Tony Perez Group, Insight, Entrain, Dispatch, and Braddigan. In 2003, Reinaldo went on tour with saxophonist Miguel Zenon and the Rhythm Collective to West Africa sponsored by the Jazz Ambassadors Program in D.C. Reinaldo then moved to New York City and became the new conga player of Ralph Irrizarry's band, Timbalaye. He also started playing with musicians like, Papo Vasquez and The Pirates Trobadours, Eddie Palmieri, Chris Washburn and the Syotos band, Roy Hargrove's Big band, Jaques Schwarz-Bart, John Benitez, Ricky Q (guitarist of India Arie), and toured with Hip-Hop and R&B singer, Lauryn Hill . Reinaldo started his own Latin Jazz Group, Rhythmic Prophecies. This group was chosen for the Jazz Ambassadors 2006 program by the Lincoln Center and the Department of State in DC. Rhythmic Prophecies then went on a three week tour to Southeast Asia. Today, he resides in NYC and continues to compose his own music and play with various musicians.
