10.5.12 LADO B (the other side of brazilian music) featuring: Otmaro Ruiz + Aaron Rafael Serfaty + Catina Deluna and special guests: Larry Koonse + Joon Lee

Considered one of the most important jazz pianists in the current scene, venezuelan Otmaro Ruiz is known for its versatility and virtuosity. After working intensively in Venezuela with artists such as Soledad Bravo and Ilan Chester, Otmaro moves to Los Angeles in 1989 to join the group of great names of the jazz world such as Alex Acuña, Justo Almario y Abraham Laboriel, with whom still collaborates in diverse projects.
With an intense musical career, filled with concerts, workshops and recordings worldwide, Otmaro worked for 5 years with Dianne Reeves as a pianist and musical director. During this period, Otmaro participated in the recording project of her CD “In The Moment – Live in Concert”, which won the Grammy Award 2001. In that same year, Alex Acuna’s album “Acuarelas de Tambores, also with Otmaro’s collaboration, was nominated to a Grammy.

The long list of re-known musicians with whom Otmaro works, constantly confirms his versatility, proving that this jazz giant sails with ease in many different styles, from Straight-Ahead jazz to Pop-Rock, from the most authentic Salsa & Afro-Cuban to the most exciting Fusion, with unusual ability to express his own language both at the acoustic piano and in the electronic world of synthesizers. Among these amazing artists: John McLaughlin, Tito Puente, Arturo Sandoval, John Patitucci, Paquito D’Rivera, Jing Chi, Nana Caymmi, Dori Caymmi, Akira Jimbo, Frank Gambale, Peter Erskine, David Weckl, Art Davis Quintet, Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra, Alain Caron, Gino Vannelli, Tolu, Frank Morgan, Robben Ford, Vinnie Colaiuta, Marcus Miller and Jon Anderson.

Regarded as one of the most sought-after keyboardists for recordings in today’s scene, Otmaro is still able to dedicate time to teaching, scoring of movie sound-tracks and to the production of his works as a leader with original compositional material, captured in the CDs “Otmaro Ruiz plays Ryuichi Sakamoto”, “Distant Friends”, “Nothing to Hide”, “Latino” and in his most recent album “Sojourn”. Released in September 2008, Sojourn encompasses the rhythmic complexity, harmonic sophistication and melodic beauty of his most recent compositions, under the architecture of a constant equilibrium, and presented with his own quartet, with the talented Jimmy Branly (drums), Carlos Del Puerto (acoustic bass) y Ben Wendel (saxophones and bassoon). Currently, Otmaro is a Jazz Piano Faculty at University of Southern California (USC), at Shepherd University School of Music and is also invited frequently as a guest clinician at Musicians Institute (MI).

Otmaro Ruiz website

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Aaron Serfaty was born in Caracas, Venezuela where he learned drum set, Afro Cuban and Brazilian percussion. He moved to Los Angeles in 1991 to further his jazz education at the California Institute of the Arts. Mr. Serfaty has performed with jazz, brazilian, and latin jazz artists like Justo Almario, Arturo Sandoval, Sergio Mendes, Rique Pantoja, Joe LaBarbera, Jon Anderson, Barbara Morrison, Kristin Korb, Teka, Otmaro Ruiz, etc. He has authored several interviews forBateristas al Sur, a drumming magazine from Buenos Aires, Argentina. He’s participated in international jazz and educational festivals and symposia. He also co-wrote the Afro Caribbean section of Peter Erskine’s Drumset Essentials, Vol 3.

Aaron Rafael Serfarty website

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Catina DeLuna has enjoyed a successful and varied musical career since beginning to play the piano and sing at a young age. After completing a B.A. in Brazilian Popular Music at the prestigious UNICAMP University in São Paulo, she founded two award winning groups: the vocal group Arirê, in which she was responsible for arranging, playing piano, and singing, and the group Serenata Brasileira, playing classic Brazilian songs from the 1920’s and 30’s, in full authentic costume and style. Catina currently has two independent released CDs available, Na Era de Ouro, from Serenata Brasileira, and Brazilian Accent, her solo debut featuring classic Bossa Nova standards. Additionally, Catina has been a guest artist in Japan, Singapore and the United States, as well as recording many commercial jingles for national radio and television in Brazil. Since her move to the United States, Catina served as visiting scholar at Uof I at Urbana-Champaign, and has performed with many local ensembles. Now working on M.M.A. at Northern Illinois University, Catina performs in DeKalb/Chicago area. Catina was recently awarded a grant from the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies at NIU to carry out research on maracatu in Brazil this summer.

 Catina Deluna website

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Born into a musical family, Larry has been playing the guitar since he was seven years old. At the age of fifteen he recorded an album with his father, guitarist Dave Koonse, entitled “Dave and Larry Koonse; father and son jazz guitars.” In 1984, Larry was the first recipient of a BM in Jazz Studies at the University of Southern California.

Immediately after graduating from USC Larry toured extensively for six years as a member of the John Dankworth quartet, traveling all across the globe and backing up Cleo Laine. He is currently a member of Billy Child’s landmark chamber sextet which just released a CD entitled “Lyric” featuring Brian Blade and received a grammy nomination for instrumental jazz album of the year. He has also toured and recorded with Mel Torme, Terry Gibbs, Bob Brookmeyer, Billy Childs, John Patitucci, David Friesen, Karrin Allyson, Warne Marsh and was a featured performer with the Percy Faith Orchestra on a tour of Japan. At the invitation of Nelson Mandela and UNICEF, Larry traveled to South Africa to perform for the first annual SAMIX festival with the Steve Houghton quintet. He also performed with Gary Willis in Sao Paulo for a government sponsored concert at SESC Ipiranga. In his travels, he has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Academy of Music, Disney Hall, the Sydney Opera House, and has been a featured soloist with the L.A. Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra and many other orchestras throughout the world. Larry has recorded with Cleo Laine, Al Hirt, Jimmy Rowles, Lee Konitz, Larry Goldings, Alan Broadbent, Ray Brown, Bill Perkins, Toots Thielemanns, Rod Stewart, Clay Jenkins, Linda Ronstadt, David Friesen, Bob Sheppard, Charlie Haden and many other jazz artists. His solo guitar work was featured throughout “Crazy”, a feature film chronicling the life of the great guitarist Hank Garland.

The founder of the Player’s School, the renown bassist Jeff Berlin, contacted Larry in 1995 to write a guitar curriculum which is currently used for their program. He was co-leader of the L.A. Jazz Quartet which released their fourth CD, “Conversation Piece” (NAXOS Records) in September, 2000. The quartet’s first three CD’s, “Astarte” (GOWI), “Look To The East” (NAXOS), and “Family Song” (NTR), have received critical acclaim for their originality and musical depth. Larry’s most recent recording, “Storybook” is now available through Jazz Compass (www.jazzcompass.com). He has two other releases on the Jazz Compass label: Americana ( a recording featuring Scott Colley on the bass) and Dialogues of the Heart (featuring his father Dave Koonse in a guitar duo setting). Larry has been a faculty member at the California Institute of the Arts since 1990.

Larry Koonse website

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Joon Lee on Facebook