Jazz Articles about Paquito D'Rivera

Paquito D'Rivera: Tango Jazz: Live at Lincoln Center

by Raul d'Gama Rose
December 5, 2010

One of the greatest love affairs in music is the one between folk music and dance. This extremely covert relationship has spilled over into contemporary music as well--more so in musical excursions in Europe (where even Igor Stravinsky sang its praises with compositions of his own) and in Latin America. One of the most beloved of all these affairs is the storied one of the tango: a voluptuous one between characters born in countries as far removed as Finland, Spain ...

The New Paquito D'Rivera

by Nick Catalano
November 7, 2010

Several years ago I attended a performance at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola starring Paquito D'Rivera and a new ensemble that he had organized dubbed the Panamericana orchestra. It was a notable evening and I was very enthusiastic about the music and eagerly wrote about it in New York Beat.I had had some history with D'Rivera starting in the early '80s soon after he had defected from Cuba. He had arrived in New York with his alto sax blazing multi-noted ...

Alex Brown: Pianist

by Raul d'Gama Rose
October 29, 2010

Even for a pianist with as prodigious a talent as Alex Brown, having a heavyweight in the music pantheon such as Paquito D'Rivera produce the debut album, must have largely been a dream. However, to pull off a debut as fine as this is a feat in itself. As a pianist, Brown has remarkable technique. Although he may still be searching for his true voice and that may take time, he appears to be closer than most. He is truly ...

Paquito D'Rivera: Jack of All Trades

by Marcia Hillman
December 18, 2008

Paquito D'Rivera, Cuban-born alto saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, bandleader and author is a “jack of all trades" and master of all.

He is a winner of several Grammys and other prestigious awards, has recorded over 30 albums as a leader and is constantly working. He took time out to speak with All About Jazz. All About Jazz: With the exception of your early life in Cuba, your career has involved a lot of traveling all over ...

Paquito D'Rivera Quntet?: Funk Tango

by Joel Roberts
December 9, 2007

The question mark at the end of the group's name above isn't a mistake. It's Paquito D'Rivera's way of signaling that listeners shouldn't expect to hear just a traditional jazz quintet on his consistently excellent and continually surprising Funk Tango. Instead, the Cuban-born multi-instrumentalist leads an ever-shifting international ensemble that adds and subtracts members based on the needs of the material, expanding, for example, to a septet with two extra percussionists for a spirited Latin bop take on Coltrane's “Giant ...

Paquito D'Rivera, Count Basie and Nnenna Freelon at the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia

by Victor L. Schermer
October 10, 2007

Paquito D'Rivera Quintet; The Count Basie Orchestra; Nnenna Freelon The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Verizon Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania September 28, 2007

The first concert in the series of Mellon Jazz Fridays at the Kimmel Center kicked off in the midst of Phillies “fever, with our local baseball team vying to hold first place in the Eastern conference, so the concert was interspersed with updates of the scores of the Phils and the ...

Paquito D'Rivera Quintet?: Funk Tango

by Chip Boaz
June 29, 2007

Alto saxophonist/clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera presents his album, Funk Tango, under the group name “The Paquito D'Rivera Quintet?. “Quintet refers to his working group of trumpeter/valve trombonist Diego Urcola, pianist Alon Yavnai, electric bassist Oscar Stagnaro and drummer Mark Walker. The “? highlights the group's flexibility through use of additional musicians or smaller configurations. Guests include percussionist Pernell Saturnino, bandoneonist Hector Del Curto, cajon player Pablo Stagnaro and pianists Ed Simon and Fernando Otero. The assured playing of the core quintet, ...