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 Tony
Martinez
is a virtuoso multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer and arranger
with an intimate knowledge of even the most obscure Afro-Cuban rhythmic
traditions.
The broad view of Martinez' s musical vision and his uncanny ability to
tap the perfect Cuban rhythmic spirit to complement his adventurous
arrangements and soloing may be the result of his early exposure to his
country's folkloric traditions and the focus of his music education. Born
and raised in the provincial Cuban city of Camagüey, far removed from the
grandeur of Havana, Martinez began his formal study of classical music at
the age of nine at a Camagüey conservatory, emphasizing saxophone, piano
and voice.
Throughout his student years, the young musician participated in several
local professional groups, specializing in traditional Cuban folk music.
After receiving his music teacher's diploma in 1987, he taught at the
conservatory level and directed three ensembles that combined music and
dance and concentrated on such time honored styles as rumba and son. Being
thoroughly grounded in such elemental Cuban styles insured that when
Martinez moved to Havana in 1990 to explore more contemporary styles, the
soul of his ancestors' music would remain central to his maturing personal
style.
 In Havana, he
quickly made his presence felt, joining the progressive, jazz-influenced
group "Mezcla". His time in the Cuban capital was short; during three
tours with "Mezcla" to Europe for festival performances in Austria,
Germany, Denmark and Holland, he became attracted to the continent's
cultural scene and recognized the presence of professional opportunities
that would allow his artistic development to continue unrestricted.
Settling in Bern, Switzerland in 1993, Martinez quickly established
himself as one of Europe's most resourceful resident masters of Cuban
music idioms, while his extraordinary talents as a saxophonist, flutist,
keyboardist and band leader have attracted the attention of both jazz and
Latin music lovers. |
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 From
his childhood home in the Cuban hinterland to center stage at some of
Europe's most prestigious concert venues, the artistic evolution of Tony
Martinez has been a journey of unending discovery and personal growth that
has uniquely prepared him to assume a prominent role in the phenomenally
popular Latin jazz movement of today. The release of La Habana Vive,
his worldwide recording debut on the Blue Jackel label, is a propitious
moment in the global popularization of Cuban music not unlike the
emergence of the revolutionary jazz group Irakere in the 1970s and such
one-of-a-kind instrumentalists as pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba in the '80s.
La Habana Vive distills the musician's lifelong experiences into
one scintillating package, covering with disarming ease the vast stylistic
distance between the Yoruba chants and earthy Afro-Cuban rhythms that
highlight some of the album's tracks and the songo, funk, bebop and bossa
influences that percolate to the surface elsewhere on the date.
La Habana Vive is an astounding summit of world class Cuban,
European, North and South American musicians. It confirms the vibrant
nature of the Latin music scene in Europe and the universal appeal of
Cuban-rooted music as it confidently announces the arrival of Cuba's most
talented saxophonist to emerge since Paquito d'Rivera captivated a global
audience two decades ago.
But perhaps most of all it verifies that Tony Martinez remains a rumbero
at heart - a musician forever linked to the traditions that first caught
his ear in the shaded plazas of Camagüey, where local percussionists and
singers gathered with their homemade congas and claves every Saturday
night to bring to life the haunting rhythms of mother Africa and the
sentimental melodies of the Spanish colonial era. On La Habana Vive, the
jazz he's grown to love and the Afro-Cuban rhythms that nurtured his soul
as a youth form the kind of powerful union that only a rare talent like
Tony Martinez can translate and make an instantly joyous experience for
the rest of us. |
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