A Lorca Soundscape

SSC4015 2013-09-24

Track List

Vuelta de paseo - 6:16
Norma y paraiso - El rey de Harlem - 7:18
Asesinato (Dos voces de madrugada en Riverside Drive) - 8:17
Danza de la muerte - 7:34
La aurora - 5:37
New York (Oficina y denuncia) - 4:41
Vals en las ramas - 9:50

Musicians

Alexis Cuadrado - bass, Bombo Legdero, Cajon, palmas, vocals
Claudia Acuna - vocals
Miguel Zenon - alto saxophone
Dan Tepfer - piano
Mark Ferber - drums
Gilmar Gomez - conga, djembe, bells, pandeiro, rebolo

Long before terms like “1 percenters” and “Occupy” entered our conversations the great Spanish playwright and poet Federico García Lorca was writing about the inequality he witnessed while in New York City in 1929. Bassist and composer Alexis Cuadrado now presents “A Lorca Soundscape”, a brand new cycle of original jazz protest songs drawn from Lorca’s poetry. With an exceptional band, Cuadrado creates a groundbreaking dialog across time using a unique blend of jazz, flamenco and new music.

Lorca lived in NYC for a few months in 1929-30 and he wrote a heartfelt set of poems that reflect on the cultural shock and loneliness that he experienced at the time. The book is a raw social commentary that connects with themes that are still an important part of the American reality today such as the economic inequalities or racial-social discrimination or the brutality of the urban landscape. “Poeta en Nueva York” deeply connects with the current socioeconomic climate, the “Occupy” movement, and the general population discontent about how our system is working.

The New York Premiere of “A Lorca Soundscape” at 92YTribeca in March 2012, was a live broadcast-webcast as part of “The Checkout Live” on WBGO and NPR Music. The project has also been featured on WNYC’s “Soundcheck with John Schaeffer and on NPR’s “JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater”.