South Florida JAZZ 21st Anniversary Celebration Presents Cuban Fire! 'Gonzalo Rubalcaba Trio' Tonight

South Florida JAZZ, founded in 1991 and celebrating its 21st anniversary, kicks off its 2012-13 concert season tonight, November 24, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. with the Grammy-awarded Cuban-born pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba. The internationally renowned and dazzling virtuoso will perform with his touring trio. The venue is the Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center, 3100 Ray Ferrero, Jr. Blvd on the Nova Southeastern University campus in Davie.

VIP ticket holders will be treated to a special celebratory Cuban theme reception commencing at 6:00 p.m. in the DeSantis Building’s Courtyard Atrium, across the plaza from the Miniaci Performing Arts Center. Along with great food, the New World School of the Arts Jazz Ensemble will treat guests to live Latin jazz.

VIP tickets are $150 or $99 (without South Florida JAZZ membership) and $50 general admission, and can be purchased from the Broward Center box office at 954-462-0222; toll-free at 877-311-SHOW; and online at SouthFloridaJazz.org or BrowardCenter.org.

Gonzalo Julio Gonzalez Fonseca was born in post-revolutionary Havana, Cuba, May 27, 1963, into a musical family rich in the traditions of the country’s artistic past. During his childhood, Gonzalo played piano and drums, while absorbing his Cuban musical heritage primarily from his father, pianist Guillermo Rubalcaba, his two brothers, and leading local musicians who frequented the household. Through scarce and treasured jazz recordings, he also assimilated the music of Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Art Blakey. He began his classical conservatory training at age nine, focusing on the piano, ultimately earning a degree in music composition from Havana’s Institute of Fine Arts. By that time he had become entrenched in the Havana club scene as a jazz player.

Mr. Rubalcaba toured France and Africa with Orquesta Aragon prior to becoming a bandleader. A chance meeting in Havana with bassist Charlie Haden changed his life. Through Charlie he came to the attention of Blue Note Records’ president, Bruce Lundvall, thus beginning an association with Blue Note, which resulted in the release of 11 albums. These collaborations later brought Gonzalo a Latin Grammy for Jazz Album of the Year for Supernova, as well as a Grammy® for co-production with Charlie Haden of Nocturne, a release of Cuban and Mexican boleros and ballads.

To complement these wins, Gonzalo, in addition, has to his credit 15 Grammy® nominations, including four for Jazz Album of the Year (Rapsodia in 1995, Antiguo and Inner Voyage in 1999, and Supernova in 2002.) Among other honors, Gonzalo received the SFJAZZ Leaders Circle Laureate Award, and he performed as Artist in Residence at the Montreal Jazz Festival together with Chucho Valdez.

Gonzalo continues to tour the world as a solo pianist in jazz and classical settings, in a duo with guitarist Al DiMeola, and of course with his trio. His active repertoire continues to expand beyond straight-ahead and Afro-Cuban jazz into the worlds of traditional Cuban and Mexican ballads, boleros, and Cuban classical works. He has a distinctive musical voice that challenges musical classification. In whatever idiom he works, his future creations are melodic, rhythmic and exhilarating, and bear in their intriguing intricacies the artist’s inherent intention of transforming the daily routines of our lives into something more beautiful and significant.

ARTISTIC PERSONNEL
Gonzalo Rubalcaba – piano
Matt Brewer – double bass
Marcus Gilmore – drums