Encuentro NYC Colombian Music festival, founded by musicians Pablo Mayor and Anna Povich de Mayor, celebrates its 10th anniversary next month. This unique festival aims to engage international audiences with the now rooted and ever-vibrant scene of renowned and emerging Colombian New York-based artists in six hours of back-to-back performances at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street. NYC) on November 16th , 4-10pm. More than 60 musicians will be on stage performing the entire spectrum of Colombian rhythms and styles.
“Since the first Encuentro, the festival has been a platform for New York-based Colombian musicians to develop and present their art. I’m proud to see the heights to which these artists have reached in these past ten years and how inspirational it has become for new musicians. This 10th celebration will be a remarkable showcase of what has come of Colombian artists in the past decade, and a chance to hear the newest voices on the scene,” remarked Founder and Director, Pablo Mayor.
Starting at 4pm, the festival convenes for the third year in a row at Le Poisson Rouge, in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, with 14 bands, dance, and six hours of back-to-back performances, featuring the rhythms of cumbia, currulao, joropo, and bambuco, among a myriad other styles. In the Encuentro’s signature ambiance that keeps its audience captivated from the time they enter the door until the final sixth hour, the non-stop showcase will feature music for dancing and music for listening,
The diverse and stellar line-up will feature: The masters and proponents of Colombia’s coastal traditions with marimba, multi-instrumentalist Diego Obregón and his Afro-Colombian Pacifico band Grupo Chonta presenting the joyful rhythms and sounds of this very African region of Colombia. Barranquilla-born Ronald Polo and Moris Cañate’s Grupo Rebolú bring Colombia’s Afro-Caribbean sounds, and Alejandro Zuleta Vallenato Collective led by this member of the renowned Zuleta family dynasty of Vallenato musicians, share their take on the Caribbean tradition of Vallenato.
The music from Colombia’s Andean, guitar-dominated, region will be represented by the lovely Andean-inspired pop singer Laura Kalop, featured at Colombia’s Mono Núñez festival and who will debut at the Encuentro, as well as the Flórez/Gallo Duo (tiple/bandola/piano, based in NYC and Bogotá), carrying the roots of the Colombian Andes into new dimensions with their intelligent, sophisticated compositions in duo form.
The fusions of Colombia’s traditions with contemporary sounds are with the ever popular MAKU SoundSystem, punk-jazz rooted in Afro Colombian rhythms; with the charismatic bandleader Gregorio Uribe and his 16-piece big band; the composer, pianist, producer and Encuentro’s founder Pablo Mayor’s own renowned dance-jazz band Folklore Urbano Orchestra; the earthy, urban, funky, and brilliant guitarist Sebastián Cruz and his Cheap Landscape Trio (known for his work with Lucía Pulido) and drummer Martin Vejarano (known for his work with La Cumbiamba eNeYe) presenting his Chia’s Dance Party, a funky sextet blending jazz and chirimia reminiscent of a New Orleans jazz band a la Colombiana.
New to the Encuentro is renowned writer and pianist Juan Andrés Ospina. Known for his work with Marta Gómez, Lucía Pulido, Sofia Ribeiro, Banda Magda, Sylvie Bourban, Paquito d’Rivera, among others, Juan Andrés will perform songs from his album “BBB-Barcelona, Bogotá, Boston” with his jazz-inspired sextet; pianist Fidel Cuellar will present his new project with Luiz Ebert: a jazz quintet with music from their new album Audiograph-a venture to musically capture contrasting portraits of life, people and culture in NYC.
The traditional music from Colombia’s Plains region are in the rhythms of joropo music with Johanna Castañeda y su Grupo Llanero. Virtuoso guitarist Nilko Andreas Guarín plays Colombia’s traditions through the voice of classical composers. And Colombian dance company Pajarillo Pinta’o directed by dancer and choreographer (of Limon Dance Company) Daniel Fetecua-Soto will bring to the stage the joyful and festive steps of Colombian dance.
The festival coincides with PAMAR’S Latin American Culture Week opening series of events, using the opportunity to showcase Colombia’s rich musical heritage and developments to the broader international and Latin American community. Anna Povich de Mayor, co-producer, states that “the Encuentro every year is a special occasion for the Colombians in the audience to reconnect and rethink their Colombian-ism, while teaching the international listeners about what comes out of Colombia. Like myself, a non-Colombian, our international audience leaves with their interest sparked, with the fever to hear more Colombian music and come back year after year.”
Arturo O’Farrill, a renowned proponent of Latino music and culture in New York, states, “Pablo Mayor and Anna Povich de Mayor are doing an amazing work of showcasing the profoundly beautiful music of Colombia. This festival at Poisson Rouge is absolutely mandatory for anyone who loves jazz, Latin, world and just music in general. Pablo is a master composer and arranger and we have been privileged to perform and record his work! Don’t miss the chance to see and hear him!”
For audio samples, HR photos or video and interviews with Pablo Mayor, Anna Povich de Mayor and the participating artists please contact Diana Vargas at press@dianavargas.com or 917-658-7735
WHAT: Encuentro NYC
WHEN: Saturday, November 16, 2013
HOURS: 4pm-10pm (doors 3:30pm)
WHERE: Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker Street. NY, NY 10012
TICKETS: $30 at the door, $25 in advance. Students at the door $20, minors accompanied by adults at the door $15
MORE INFO: http://www.lepoissonrouge.com / 212.353.3474
Dinner and drinks available.
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About ENCUENTRO NYC:
ENCUENTRO NYC unites New York City’s Colombian talent every year presenting nearly 60 musicians on one stage. Founded in 2003 by Colombian pianist, composer and bandleader Pablo Mayor, the festival celebrates the richness of the traditions of Colombian music, while at the same time supporting the innovations and developments of these traditions. Past artists have featured special guests Totó la Momposina, Plectro Trio, and such local artists as MAKU SoundSystem, Edmar Castañeda, Lucía Pulido, Marta Gómez, Samuel Torres, Hector Martignon, Pablo Mayor’s Folklore Urbano Orchestra, Gregorio Uribe Big Band, Grupo Chonta, Grupo Rebolú, Sebastián Cruz, Alejandro Flórez, La Cumbiamba ENeYe, Johanna Castaneda y su Grupo Llanero, Ricardo Gallo, and Chia’s Dance Party, among others. A grass-roots production of the husband/wife duo, musicians Pablo and Anna Mayor, ENCUENTRO NYC’s broader mission is to promote Colombian culture in the U.S.A., positively transforming the external face of Colombia through the voices of its artists young and old.
About PAMAR:
Pan American Musical Art Research is a 501(c) (3) organization founded in 1984 to promote awareness of and appreciation for the cultures of Latin America by sponsoring and presenting multi-disciplinary performances and events to a broad audience of all ages, racial, cultural and economic backgrounds in the Tri-State area, in collaboration with local arts and culture organizations. PAMAR’s mission is to share the rich cultural heritage of Latin America and the Latin American diaspora by showcasing dance, film, music, literature, theatre, visual and performing arts representing or influenced by Latin American culture. PAMAR also provides increased exposure and performing opportunities for Latino artists.
About Le Poisson Rouge:
(Le) Poisson Rouge is a multimedia art cabaret founded by musicians on the site of the historic Village Gate. Dedicated to the fusion of popular and art cultures in music, film, theater, dance, and fine art, the venue’s mission is to revive the symbiotic relationship between art and revelry; to establish a creative asylum for both artists and audiences.
LPR prides itself in offering the highest quality eclectic programming, impeccable acoustics, and bold design. The state-of-the art performance space, engineered by the legendary John Storyk/WSDG, offers full flexibility in multiple configurations: seated, standing, in-the-round, and numerous alternative arrangements. A work of art itself, the physical facilities are the embodiment of the experimental philosophy that drives the venue.
LPR is a source you can trust for exposure to visionary work, people of character, and a consistently dynamic environment.