Alex Conde Carrasco - Jazz & Claps

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:20
Size: 111,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:28)  1. Lo Que Pasa en el Fondo
(8:10)  2. Spring Break
(3:58)  3. Jpg
(5:59)  4. Tanguillo for Mathew
(4:48)  5. Caminos
(5:05)  6. For Him
(6:47)  7. Azul Cielo
(8:00)  8. Por Tangos

Flamenco music, with its passionate flourishes and virtuosic improvisation, has long captivated jazz musicians. Miles Davis, Charles Mingus and Chick Corea have all been obsessed with flamenco. Forged in the fires of both styles, pianist Alex Conde has emerged as one of the most versatile contemporary performers of jazz-flamenco fusion, dazzling audiences and earning rave reviews across the world. In summer 2018, Conde performed original compositions with the Miami Symphony Orchestra before a crowd of thousands, with the Dominique Farinacci and Christian Tamburr Quintet at the San Jose Jazz Festival, and “The Latin Side of Herbie Hancock” with the Conrad Herwig Sextet at the Russia Jazz Festival. Conde delivered these performances on the heels of recording his fourth album, “Origins” (2018, Ropeadope) with Marcus Gilmore on drums, Luques Curtis on bass, Dayna Stephens on saxophone, Brian Lynch on trumpet, Conrad Herwig on trombone, John Benitez on electric bass, and gypsy singer Ismael Fernandez. The album was released in May 2018 with an official presentation at the legendary Blue Note in NY, Symphony Space on Broadway, and collaboration at the Lehman Performing Arts Center, alongside flamenco singer Diego el Cigala, before a fantastic audience of flamenco and jazz lovers. 

These performances are a mere handful among hundreds in a career that began in Conde’s childhood in Valencia, Spain. A recognized prodigy, Conde demonstrated perfect pitch at the age of four. His parents gave him his first keyboard, and encouraged him as he began taking formal piano instruction. Conde practiced everything he heard from his father, Alejandro Conde, an acclaimed singer with more than 20 albums to his name, and one of the foremost performers of Copla, the flamenco-infused song book of popular works. Conde earned his first bachelor’s degree in Classical from the Jose Iturbi Conservatory of Music in 2001. From there, he went on to study at L’aula de Musica de Barcelona and earned a Diploma of Excellence in 2006. In 2006, Conde was offered scholarships to pursue a second bachelor’s degree from Berklee College of Music. During his tenure at Berklee, his playing matured in his melding of musicality and increasing technical proficiency. He began playing professionally alongside jazz musicians including Wayne Shorter, John Patitucci, Ruben Blades and Chucho Valdés, and studied with trumpeter Mike Mossman, alto saxophonist Antonio Hart, pianist Jeb Patton, and the late multi-instrumentalist Jerry González. In 2009, Conde met producer Fernando Brunet, with whom he released Jazz and Claps, an album featuring Alex original compositions along with international young artists such as Magda Giannikou (Banda Magda) and Keita Ogawa (Snarky Puppy). The album was released with Contraseña Records and opened the path of jazz and flamenco and stamped the music of Alex Conde as a center and as a mature composer and arranger for small ensemble. In 2013, Conde self-produced and released his second album, Barrio del Carmen, a collection of music composed and arranged for the flamenco companies for which he has composed music over the years. The album features flamenco stars including gypsy singer Kina Mendez, nephew of the great Paquera de Jerez, and guitarist Jose Luis Rodriguez, long-time musical director for Cristina Hoyos. The album became a classic on TV programs such as Television Castilla la Mancha, presented by Rocío Sañudo, and in flamenco dance classes, where it is prized for its musicality and structure. In 2015, Conde recorded an Iberian-inflected tribute to Thelonious Monk, Descarga for Monk (ZOHO), accompanied by seven-time Grammy-nominated percussionist John Santos and bassist Jeff Chambers, earning international recognition. Today, Conde has become one of his generation’s pivotal figures in flamenco piano. With a fluid technique, an innovative tonal palette, and an extensive repertoire, he plays with the passion of a young artist and the command of a seasoned veteran, and remains in constant demand as both a studio artist and a performer. https://www.alexconde.com/bio-1

Personnel:  Piano – Alex Conde Carrasco (tracks: Track 1 To 8); Accordion – Magda Giannikou; Contrabass – Alessandro Cesarini (tracks: Track 1 To 8); Guitar – Juanito Pascual (tracks: Track 1 To 8); Percussion – Osvaldo Jorge (tracks: Track 1 To 8); Soprano Saxophone – Ramon Cardo (tracks: Track 1 To 8); Trombone – Carlos Martin (tracks: Track 1 To 8); Violin – Andres Piles (tracks: Track 1 To 8); Vocals – Alex Conde Carrasco (tracks: Track 1 To 8), Charles Turner (tracks: Track 1 To 8), Isabel Julve (tracks: Track 1 To 8)

Jazz & Claps

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Alex Conde - Descarga For Monk

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:59
Size: 124,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:52)  1. Played Twice
(8:15)  2. Thelonious
(5:52)  3. Think Of One
(6:06)  4. Ugly Beauty
(6:03)  5. 'Round Midnight
(4:28)  6. Monk's Dream
(6:07)  7. Evidence
(6:27)  8. Ruby My Dear
(5:43)  9. Pannonica

Spanish pianist-composer Alex Conde (currently residing in the Bay Area) unites his love of flamenco and the music of Thelonious Monk with these creative arrangements. Conde is a working flamenco musician, having spent the last four years with renowned U.S. flamenco company the Juan Siddi Flamenco Theatre Company. He also attended the Berklee College of Music, which may explain the fascination with Monk. He is accompanied by the Bay Area rhythm section of bassist Jeff Chambers and drummer John Arkin, with special guest percussionist John Santos. Monk's music seems to have a special affinity to different approaches. There have been numerous Latin treatments in the past, with Jerry Gonzalez's Rumba Para Monk (Sunnyside, 1989) one prominent example. The opening "Played Twice" immediately establishes the flamenco feeling through the presence of traditional palmas and compas (hand claps and foot stomps) in addition to the rhythm section and percussion. It's an exciting start, and as usual Monk's composition sounds completely at home in this new setting, compliments of the fiery playing of Conde and his group. "Ugly Beauty" is the only other track employing palmas and compas, so the flamenco influence is subtler throughout much of the rest of the program. It's probably telling that the "descarga" of the album title usually refers to a Cuban (later salsa) jam session. In fact "Monk's Dream" comes out swinging, with little overt Latin flavor at all. Conde performs "'Round Midnight" and "Pannonica" solo, the latter with the stride feel that Monk himself sometimes favored. 

The rhythm section mostly restricts themselves to teamwork, providing Conde with support and encouragement. Bassist Jeff Chambers does get a memorable solo on "Bemsha Swing," complete with a brief humorous musical quote. Conde is an excellent pianist who would command attention playing anything, and I look forward to hearing him play his own compositions. But for any lover of Monk or Latin music this is an irresistible combination, with the added spice of a unique Flamenco flavor. ~ Mark Sullivan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/descarga-for-monk-alex-conde-zoho-music-review-by-mark-sullivan.php
 

Personnel: Alex Conde: piano; Jeff Chambers: bass; Jon Arkin: drums; John Santos: percussion; Amparo Conde, Carmen Carrasco: palmas & compas (hand claps, foot stomps).

Descarga For Monk

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