JORGE PÉREZ GONZÁLEZ  

Jorge Pérez, was born in Boston, U.S.A  in 1979. He was raised in Madrid where he studies architecture and percussion. Between 1998 y 2003 he studies at the Escuela De Música Creativa in Madrid. In 2004 he starts working professionally with bands of the jazz and fussion scene is Spain such as Mojo Project, La Chuma Segura Hot Band, La Calle Caliente y and artists as Jerry González, Caramelo, Pepe Rivero , Aláin Perez o Emilio Valdés.  

He travels to cuba two times between 2002 and 2006 to learn the roots of  afrocuban folklore and studies with percussion master Jose Luis Quintana ¨ Changuito¨. As years go by Jorge becomes one of the most demanded young players in the Spanish jazz scene, and also one of the very few percussionist that doubles professionally in drums, instrument that he studies with Carlos Carli, and Yayo Morales, 

In 2008 Jorge receives a Scholarship from the Berklee College of Music, in Boston where he will live several years. In 2011 Jorge finishes his studies at Berklee, obteining a Major in Performance. During his time in Boston, Jorgeis chosen by jazz masters such as Danilo Pérez ,Joe Lovano or John Patitucci, to be in the elite program Berklee Global Jazz Institute. 

In the last years Jorge has played with con Rebecca Cline, Egui Castrillo, Victor Mendoza, Mark Walker, Kalani Trinidad, John Lockwood, Aláin Pérez, Daniel García Trio, Vardan Ovsepian, la Big Band JCA and La Afrodisioan Orchestra.  

He has played in international Jazz Festivals as Newport 2010, Monterey 2010 with the global Jazz Institute and Panamá 2011 with the Daniel García Trio, with Daniel García and Alain Pérez. 

Jorge has given percussion lessons in the Berklee’s Rhythm Club and clinics at the Panama Jazz Festivall 2011. In the writing field, Jorge has so far released three albums with the band that he leads, Patax.: 

His first album as soloist and composer ¨ Patáx¨  is released in 2008. His second work ¨Forced Emancipation¨  comes out in 2009, featuring Chilean singer Nicolás Majluf.  

His third album, ¨ From The Boiler Room,¨ was released in Marzo 2011, and has been published by record label AYVA, joining a list of artists as Alain Pérez and Esperanza Spalding. 

Since February 2011, Jorge is endorser of cajones Alándalus.  

FABRIZIO SCARAFILE: ¨THE BEST SAX PLAYER IN THE MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES¨ 

 Fabrizio was born in Cisternino (Brindisi, Italia) July 14 th 1983, he starts his studies in music by playing piano and drums batería, it was only in a later stage when he started with saxophone. He got a Diploma in classical saxophone studying with master Vittorio Cerasa (qualification 9.50/10) and in Jazz with master Gianni Lenoci (qualification 9.50/10) in the Conservatory “Nino Rota” in Monopoli (Bari, Italia).  

At the same time he studied for two years Saxophone and Jazz Improvisation with Emanuele Cisi   at “Arcademia dello Spettacolo” in Omegna (Verbania) and for a year with the Canadian  Saxophonist Robert Bonisolo at the “Scuola Musicale Thelonious Monk” in Vicenza.  

In 2005 he moved to Holland where he graduated (Master Degree, M.M,) at only 23 specializing in Jazz Performance at the “Royal Conservatory” in The Hague with the American saxophonist John Ruocco. 

In 2006 he went to France (Paris) on “Erasmus exchange program” and studied at the CNSMDP, “Conservatoire Nacional Supereur de Musique et Danse de Paris” where he studied jazz with Riccardo del Fra, François Théberge, Glen Ferris, Dré Pallemaerts. 

He played with the “Orchestra ritmico-sinfonica della Valle d'Itria” (1st  tenor) during the XXXIII and XXXIV  

“Premio Barocco”, at the Ariston Theatre in San Remo (live broadcast on RAI 1) accompanying artists such as Lucio Dalla, Cecilia Gasdia, Renzo Arbore, Antonella Ruggiero, Pooh, Noa, Gigi Proietti, Paolo Belli, etc.  

Winner of Baronissi Jazz prize 2011, he was finalist at the “International Massimo Urbani Award”, in Camerino (Macerata) in March 2004 and during the VIII edition of the “Premio Nazionale Massimo Urbani”, in Urbisaglia (Macerata) in September 2004 he was awarded a scholarship to study at Siena Jazz 2005 Summer Courses.  

At Siena Jazz 2005 he followed several masterclasses with Enrico Rava, Franco D'Andrea, Stefano Battaglia, Claudio Fasoli, Pietro Tonolo and won a scholarship to represent Italy and Siena Jazz during the XVI  “I.A.S.J” meeting (International Associacion of Shools of Jazz) in June 2006 in Louisville – Kentucky, U.S.A. 

He also won the following awards: 1st prize at the “Amersfoort Jazz Talent Award” (Holland, 2006), 4th prize at the “Jazz Hoeillart International Competition” (Belgium, 2006), 2nd prize at the “Vittoria Jazz Rotary Award” (Italy,2009),  

semifinalist during the “Bucharest International Jazz Competition” (Romania, 2007) and Esprit Jazz (Paris, 2007) with Nicola Andrioli Paris 4et.  

He has taken part in several workshops with: Steve Grossman, George Garzone, Jerry Bergonzi, Dave Liebman, Lee Konitz, Barry Harris, James Spaulding, Rick Margitza, Jarmo Savolainen, J.D. Allen, Fabio Morgera, Emanuele Cisi, Rosario Giuliani, Enrico Rava, Claudio Fasoli, Franco D’Andrea, Bob Bonisolo, Pietro Tonolo,  

Eddie Henderson, Daniel Humair, Michel Portal, Dave Santoro, Stefano Battaglia, Renato Chicco, Marco Tamburini, Renato Sério, Gerardo Iacoucci, Joelle Léandre, Jean Derome, Joane Hétu, Sakis Papadimitriou, Geórgia Sylleou.   

He has performed with:  Keith Tippett, Louis Moholo, Evan Parker, Lucilla Galeazzi, Ernst Reijseger, Julie Tippetts, Alain Pérez, Jerry Gonzalez, Caramelo, Jorge Drexler, Eddie Henderson, George Garzone, Mimi Verderame, Sakis Papadimitriou, Geórgia Sylleou, Emanuele Cisi, Francesco Bearzatti, Joy Garrison, Marco Tamburini, Andrea  

Tofanelli, Massimo Moriconi, Renato Sellani, Nico Morelli, Roberto Ottaviano, Pinheiro Minafra, Marco Sannini, Lauro Rossi, Beppe Caruso, Luca Calabrese, Gianni Lenoci, Az’shi Ousada, Jean Derome, Joane Hétu, Gerardo Iacoucci, Juini Booth, Bart De Noolf and many others.  

He played with the Royal Conservatoire Big Band (1st tenor) at North Sea Jazz Festival (Rotterdam,  2006).  

In 2006 he was chosen to take part in the 1st edition of the “JM Jazz World”, a new project of “Jeunesses Musicales Internacional ”.  

With this youth international jazz orchestra he performed during a radio live broadcast at the “Studijiu Bajsic” of Croatian Nacional Radio (HRT) in Zagreb and at the austrian jazz club “Porgy & Bess”  of Viena.  

In 2008 he moved to Spain (Madrid) where he begun his freelance activity, playing with the most importan latin musicians living in Spain capital such as: Jorge Drexler (Oscar winning and Grammy Awards), Alain Pérez (bassist of Paco de Lucia, Isaac Delgado, Chucho Valdés & Irakere), Jerry Gonzalez, Javier Massó “Caramelo” and others.  

He has toured extensively in: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brasil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croacia, France, Holland, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Uruguay, USA.   

CARLOS SÁNCHEZ  ¨THE ONLY PLAYER THAT CAN SOUND AS PASTORUIOUS OR LIKE BENAVENT DEPENDING ON THE SITUATION..¨

Carlos was born in Granada (Spain) in 1979. Carlos is a bass player, a composer and arranger located in Madrid, where he works as session musician for many of the greatest artists and shows in Spain. He is alo bass guitar and harmony teacher at the Institute of Music and Technology  (IMT) in Madrid. He is also leader of several personal projects. 

He has taught himself since he had his first contact with his principal instrument, the bass.. Until 2002 he Works in Granada recording and performing in projects such as "Romeo y Julieta, el musical" (where he is also arranger) , "Pati Pami, directo en Isabel la Católica", Funkdacion,  the cd "Urban casino". 

 In 2002 he moves to Barcelona were he studies at the "taller de mùsics" where he obtains the degree in bass in 2004. During that period he attends master classes by Pat Metheny, Gary Willis, Chick Corea, Frank Gambale y and saxophone player  Bill evans, among others. 

He Works in the show "Amor y fuego" by Manolo Carrasco and performs with Ak47, Enildo Rasúa Group and Qwartet,. 

In 2005 he moves to Madrid. He has worked with artists such as Lou Marini, Shaila Dúrcal, Mónica Molina, Quijano, Cómplices, Amistades Peligrosas, El Norte, Pablo Perea, La Frontera o Manolo Tena, ton ame a few; and bands like Red House, Jazz Around Brazil, Carlos López Quartet, Organic Collective, Patax o Friki groove. 

 He has worked as bass player in shows such as "Fama, el Musical", "Grease, el musical de tu vida" o "Charivari" in the Circo Price Theater, “cántame cómo pasó” de TVE1. 

 He has also componed sound traks for the animation movies "Bowling peludo" o "El faro". 

He is one of the most demanded and top bass players in Spain. 

VALENTÍN ITURAT (Drums) ¨ONE OF THE MOST RECORDED AND ACOMPLISHED DRUMMERS IN SPANISH HISTORY¨: 

He starts his carrer in music in BARCELONA, 1975. Back then, he performes with bands of  almost any style: R & Roll, Blues, R & B, Symphonic rock , Latin Rock, Salsa, Jazz “Standard”, Funcky, Pop, Jazz Fussión, etc....... 

.  

In January 1983  he travels to Brasil where he lives 2 years studying the local folklore of cities like Rio de Janeiro, Salvador de Bahia, Recife, Belem, and S. Paulo. 

In1984  he returns to vuelve a BARCELONA.. In 1985 he moves to CANARIAS, to give drum lessons at the Aula  de  Jazz del Exmo. Ayto. de LAS PALMAS DE G.C. There he will share stage with the best talents in the ilands. 

In 1988 he moves to NEW YORK (U.S.A.) where he studies at the DRUMMERS COLLECTIVE,. Alter that, he returns to Madrid, where he starts his Professional career. 

All his trips and so many experiences with musicians from all over the world have made him a very well rounded musician. 

Valentín has worked with the very best of spanish pop scene: Pau Riba, Gato Pérez, entre otros...Martirio,Lucho Gatica, Sergio Dalma,  Bertín Osborne, Francisco, J.L. Perales ( 2  Américan tours 95´ y 97´), Carlos Cano, Jayme Marques, Combo Belga,Caco Senante, Los Chichos, Juan Carlos Calderón, KETAMA (Festival Eurotropical 98´ and European tours 98´y99´), Paco Ortega, Esmeralda Grao,Clara Montes, Antonio Hidalgo,Miky, Materia Prima, Hilario Camacho, Carmen Conesa,Sheila Cuffy, Azúcar Moreno, Pasión Vega, Marta Sánchez, Lolita Flores,Andy&Lucas,Merche,Armando Manzanero,Pilar Jurado,Teatro-Circo PRICE,...  

He has worked in the following TV life shows : 

 “ “¿ QUE APOSTAMOS?” “EL GRAN PRIX” with Eduardo Leiva. 

 “MAÑANA SERAN ESTRELLAS”, “DIA A DIA” “CAIGA QUIEN CAIGA” . 

 “SABOR A TI” among many others.. 

He has recorded: 

ALBUMS: Juan Carlos Calderón, Armando Manzanero, Chavela Vargas, Caco Senante, Omara Portuondo, Gema y Pavel, Habana Abierta, Alcides, J.E. Mochi, Gabino Diego, Jose Luis(PEPE) Torres,Tuti Fernandez ,Café Quijano,Oscar Herrero,Charlie Moreno(con Chuck Loeb),Augusto Algueró Jr.,Sergio Rivero,Pasion Vega, Isabel Pantoja,Raphael,Orquesta del TCP(Teatro Circo PRICE) .. 

SOUD TRACKS: La Pasión Turca y Buana con José Nieto, Rencor con Lolita Flores,Historia de un "cruasan"(Pablo carbonell y Pepin Tré),El Lince perdido. 

GINGLES: Con Alejandro Monroy, Carlos Villa, Joan Giralt , Jordi Civit,Jacobo Calderón,J.R. Florez,etc. 

In the jazz and fusion scene he has worked with: 

Pedro Iturralde, Jorge Pardo, J.C. Calderón, Horacio Icasto, Perico Sambeat, Santiago Reyes, Tito Duarte, Jerry González, Jayme Marques, David Defries, Ove Larson, William Gibss, Vladi Bas, Vicente Borland, Big Band del Foro, Madera, Black Market, Big Band Star, Latin Groove, Habana Abierta, Bobby Martinez, Victor Merlo, PEPE TORRES,Flavia Enne Braga,KETAMA,Bob Sands, La Calle Caliente, Gema y Pavel, Centro Habana, Diego  Urcola, Javier Massó “Caramelo”, Alain Pérez, Federico Lechner , Richard Krull,Sofie Duner, Dan  Rocklis, Big Band E.M.C., Canal Street, Mariano Diaz, Jato Cerrato, David Tavares,Mingo da Costa, Rogerio Souza, Leo Minax, Joaquín Chacón, Polo Ortí,Kike Perdomo, Iñaqui Salvador, Christian Howes,  Concha Buika, Jacob Sureda, Wally Fraza,Andreas Pritzwitz,Arturo Lledó,Rita Tavares,Gladston Galliza,Giuliano Pereira,Jam session del “antigüo” Café Berlin,Ivan "Melon"Gonzalez,Inoidel Gonzalez, Antonio Mesa,José Antonio Ramos,Big Bands: "El Güevo "y"Dukaband",Cu-bop all Stars con Jerry Gonzalez,J.M.Lorenzo,Ralph Santos,Karita Boronska,Nicoletta,Moises Sanchez,Oscar Herrero,Jocelyn Medina,Israel Sandoval,Duo Angelisa(Cuba),Jazz Jamm session TRIO en “El Junco”,Tuti Fernandez,Flavia Enne,Arturo Lledó,Chuma Segura,y Guadalquivir,Orquesta Nacional de Jazz(ONJAZZ),Floencia Aragon,Cristian Reyes,Carmen Conesa big band (y quintet),Raul Gama big band,Orquesta del Teatro Circo Price,Cristian Reyes y PATAX, among many others..... 

In the present  he is working on his personal project: JAZZ AROUND BRAZIL, while leading the: VALENTIN ITURAT Quartet,Tribute to pianist Jose Luis (PEPE) TORRES Corral,(1960-2008),in a series of  monographic concerts performing his music. 

FEDERICO LECHNER: ¨WORLD CLASS JAZZ PIANIST¨

Born in Buenos Aires (Argentina) in 1974, beguins to play piano at the age of three. During his childhood he works singing for TV spots, and plays some piano recitals. He studies piano with Lolita Lechner and Elizabeth Westerkamp, and music theorie with Eduardo Egüez and Alejandra Krislawim. At the age of ten he moves with his family to Spain. 

  At the age of fifteen beguins to study jazz and modern music: piano with Horacio Icasto, Harmony with Rafael Reina, Ear Training with Hebe Onesti, Trumpet with Julio Daud, and Rythm with Miguel Gil.

  From these years from now he has played with some of the top jazz musicians of Spain, such as Jorge Pardo, Ximo Tebar, Antonio Serrano, Israel Sandoval, Pedro Ruy Blas, and many others, as well as with great American jazz artists, as Jerry Gonzalez, Christian Howes, Rez Abbasi, Ugonna Okewo, Marc Mommaas, Kiran Ahluwalia, and others, touring in Europe, the U.S. and South America. 

  He has also worked with many pop and rock artist as pianist, producer, keyboardist, arranger, composer, and singer. Some of them: Miguel Rios, Pablo Carbonell, Sergio Makaroff, Andy Chango, Javier Krahe, Ariel Rot, Joan Manuel Serrat.

 He has recorded over 40 albums of many different styles, and he has 7 albums as a Jazz Artist. One of them, “A Primera Vista”, duo with Jerry Gonzalez, was nominated Finalist as Best Jazz Album 2002 on the Spanish Music Awards.

  On recent years he has been taken lessons with Eliane Elias, Fred Hersh, Bruce Barth, Pete Malinverni, Graham Jackson and Ethan Iversson.

 In spite of his youthfulness, has achieved quite a long experience as teacher of improvisation: he has a regular staff of students (many of them professional already), he teaches at the “Escuela Municipal de Tres Cantos” in Madrid, and he has taught many Improvisation Masterclasses: Gijón (Spain). Taller de Musicos, JOCM (young orchestra of Madrid), High School for Performing Arts in Columbus, Ohio (U.S.A), Escuela de Jóvenes Músicos Ciudad de Lúcena. Lúcena (Córdoba,  Spain), “Taller de Músicos” of Oviedo (Spain), Assistant Teacher of the Julliard School of  Music of NY during the Vitoria Jazz Festival,  The Lemmensinstitute Louven (Belgium),  and “Conservatorio Jesús Guridi”, Vitoria (Spain).

 As a composer, he has two awards:

His composition “Iboga” won the First Jazz Composition Award “Tete Montoliu” on 2005, the most important composition contest in Spain. Other of his pieces, “Conversation con Thelonius” won the Fourth prize on the “Teté Montoliu” awards on 2003.

 His main project now is the Federico Lechner Tango&Jazz Trío, with five years of live performances all over Spain and Argentina and now beguining to open new frontiers with concerts in northern Europe and the US. 

 The trio has two albums: “Estela” (Bost 2007) and “Beboponga” (18Chulos 2008). The trío also recorded two live concerts for two of the most important TV Channels in Spain : “Fusión Sonora” (Telecinco) and “Noite de Jazz” (TVG)