PIANO MASTERS: QUINCY JONES PRESENTS ALFREDO RODRIGUEZ

“Young Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodriguez sounds the way Monk might have sounded if he had been born in Chick Corea’s body and raised on a diet of Bach, Chopin and Stravinsky in a Havana conservatory.” --San Jose Mercury News

In his first year since moving to the United States, Alfredo Rodríguez has played to capacity crowds at the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl; the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas; the Detroit Jazz Festival; the Monterey Jazz Festival; the famous Newport Jazz Festival; the San Francisco Jazz Festival, and the Gilmore Keyboard Festival. Both his New York and his Los Angeles debuts sold out. His Miami and Dallas debuts both sold out. Opening for Herbie Hancock and others, Alfredo played for 18,000 fans at the LA Symphony’s official welcome for Gustavo Dudamel at the Hollywood Bowl. He also happens to be working on his debut album with music producer Quincy Jones.

It’s a lot for his first year, but this 24-year-old is definitely not slowing down. Most recently, he co-wrote with Quincy Jones the music for the song “Better City, Better Life” which was chosen to be the Official Theme Song of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

Born in Havana, Cuba, Alfredo trained in the famous Manuel Saumell Classical Music Conservatory until his lucky break came in 2006 when he was selected as one of twelve pianists in the world to play at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival. In Montreux, Alfredo was noticed by legendary music producer Quincy Jones. Just like Michael Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith and the many other enormous talents that Quincy Jones has discovered, Alfredo struck a chord in Quincy and Quincy decided to begin working together with Alfredo.

Alfredo’s debut CD was released in July of 2010 on Qwest Records and his first European tour will be this Summer. Alfredo’s influences range from Bach, Beethoven, and Stravinsky to Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, and Quincy Jones. In the words of Quincy Jones, “He is very special and I do not say that easily because I have been surrounded by the best musicians in the world my entire life and he is one of the best.”

Alfredo just finished a tour that included stops at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, The North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland, The Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, the Warsaw Open Air Festival in Poland, The Duc De Lombards Festival in France, The Opening Ceremonies of the Shanghai Film Festival in China, The Mundo Latino Festival in Brazil, The Opening Ceremony of the Shanghai Tourism Festival in China, and many, many others. He also performed at the Rose Bowl last year with the Pasadena Symphony.

Visit Alfredo Rodriguez' website.