QUARTETO NUEVO REVIEWS
IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
Christopher Garcia - percussion of India and Mexico Randy Gloss - hand and finger percussion Alfred Garcia - bajo Alan Lechusza - woodwinds Ken Rosser - acoustic guitar "This is an intriguing set. Although there have been many types of "fusions" of jazz with other types of music, only a relatively few projects have mixed jazz with World Music from foreign countries. Quarteto Nuevo's music goes through quite a few different moods yet remains gentle, subtle, melodic and often rhythmically complex Lechusza's reeds are in the lead much of the time but the interplay between the members of the rhythm section are well worth listening to closely." LA JAZZ SCENE “What this quintet effectively does, is to merge Andean folk, North Indian classical, Latin and jazz with an organic feel that also packs a wallop! The ensemble's razor sharp precision is enhanced by its jazzy interludes, lightly rumbling percussion motifs and difficult to navigate, time signatures. They effectively meld the music of ancient worlds and faraway places with a contemporary groove. Ultimately, this wonderful outing signifies one of the major surprises of the year! (Passionately recommended)” ALL ABOUT JAZZ Christopher Garcia - percussion of India and Mexico Randy Gloss - hand and finger percussion Alfred Garcia - bajo Alan Lechusza - woodwinds Ken Rosser - acoustic guitar special guest Harry Scorzo - violin "One of the larger quartetos out there now Quarteto Nuevo comes from a rhythmic sensibility as might be expected from a drummer-led band. But it is not your usual hit-you-over-the-head snares and tom-toms. For this band Christopher Garcia has discarded much of the ordinary drum kit (no snares, tom-toms, or bass drums) in favor of tabla, a family of lightly struck cymbals, and a variety of oriental instruments. The band often plays in odd meter grooves well served by the percussionist. The other players have also rethought their instruments, resulting in a unique but natural band sound. That the music works as well as it does (It is remarkably uncluttered.) is due mainly to how much these musicians enjoy playing together. "Harry Scorzo sat in (his first gig with the band) on about half the tunes and gave the band a complementary, richer sound. He is a strong improvisor. (Garcia announced he is considering joining the band. Here's hoping he does.) He took one of his typically hot solos on "Silver Hollow," an odd meter piece by Jack DeJohnette. "Song to John" by Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke was reminiscent of Corea's Return to Forever band. Garcia took his tabla solo almost like a conguero. (He usually approaches the tabla closer to the Indian tradition.) By contrast "Meeting of the Spirits" by John McLaughlin was high-energy (a la Mahavishnu Orchestra) with resounding guitar accompaniment. Christopher Garcia dedicated "With his Hat in his Hand" to his father, Don Alberto Garcia. Like much of his other music it was a piece of humility, confidence, clarity, and positive feeling--a pleasure to listen to." QUARTETO NUEVO LIVE @ THE MUSIC RECITAL HALL ALL ABOUT JAZZ REVIEW Christopher Garcia - percussion of India and Mexico Randy Gloss - hand and finger percussion Alfred Garcia - bajo Alan Lechusza - woodwinds Ken Rosser - acoustic guitar special guest Harry Scorzo - violin "Quarteto Nuevo's recent set at Rocco's was quite an international affair, highlighting tracks from their new CD, El Musico. Violinist Harry Scorzo sat in with the band as they proceeded to cover the world musically. Starting in the Middle East, they did an ambient, somewhat dissonant piece, "Invocation" that eventually shifted to North Africa.Ken Rosser's "Lucia" a gypsy styled number traversed through Eastern Europe accentuated by lively nylon string guitar and violin exchanges with bass adding texture. For the finale of the set, the band emerged from India with a percussion solo for "Even Picasso couldn't find her." They continued the tune going straight to a neighborhood in Brooklyn by playing an involved fusion of Indian and contemporary jazz." QUARTETO NUEVO LIVE @ ROCCOS LA JAZZ SCENE REVIEW Jazz Gumbo, Contemporary, Fusion, and World Beat Happening "Playing what one might term World Music,the group is more of a jazz ensemble that uses traditions of different cultures’ musics as a solid foundation, combining unusual and unique instrumental textures and orchestrations with authoritative improvising. Garcia's original compositions are rendered along with arrangements of favorites by a variety of other composers, all blending together to create a consistent ensemble sound and identity." OPEN GATE THEATER "Percussionist Chris Garcia nearly stole the show with his musical antics, beating on the cajon with a bare ankle, slapping cymbals with his hands, sending chipped bits of his mallets flying into the air, and even using his body as a percussion instrument." SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE "He's amazing to see, talk about having a split personality, it's funny because his fingers are flying, and he has all of the syllables available and he's holding a stick with his right hand, a shaker with his toes, and hitting bells and cymbals and all sorts of things all at the same time." KPFK REVIEW OF QUARTETO NUEVO Christopher Garcia - percussion of India and Mexico Jacob Szekeley - cello Kenton Youngstrom - acoustic guitar Damon Zick - woodwinds “Their fresh album "QUARTETO NUEVO" conserves the features that made the group so attractive before -- an original and instantly accessible approach to Middle Eastern, Indian, Mexican and flamenco music, with bridges built among 'em all. (Even a Zappa tune, because that's essential to Garcia's lineage.)” METALJAZZ.COM “Chris Garcia is a most uncommon percussionist. He’s an ace trap drum player .... known for precise execution of difficult time signatures at blazing tempos; and he’s a hand percussionist with a deep background in Indian and Latin American music. No mere timekeeper, he always seems to elevate whatever musical situation he finds himself in. His QUARTETO NUEVO spins a fantastic hybrid of sounds and styles: the Andes, the Punjab and Catalonia might all be suggested on one tune.” PASADENA WEEKLY “Christopher Garcia is one of those musicians who always seems to be on stage when amazing things are happening. Although he’s a phenomenal drummer, he maybe best known as a master of Vedic percussion techniques and, specifically, the tabla.” LONG BEACH POST "percussionist Garcia just kicked my ears down Broadway. He sat cross-legged, almost hidden behind his unique drum kit, coaxing complex rhythms from hand drums and adding subtle colors on shakers, cymbals, cowbell and jam blocks. During his "Curanderos y Brujos,'' Garcia's mbwata, a Nigerian clay drum broke apart. Talk about an explosive solo." SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS "Garcia's playing is vibrant and alive with passion, humor and a good deal of technical prowess, not to mention the breadth of vision necessary to effectively translate such an unpredictable stream of music...." THE WEEKLY ALIBI "Every member of the Quartet Nuevo has an intensive background in diverse music making bringing together sounds from North and South India, western classical, Mexican, jazz, and folklore. The group had been featured inside the pages of LA Weekly’s news publication. “Utilizing the sounds and instruments of ancient worlds and faraway places with a contemporary groove, Quarteto Nuevo’s music is complex in its structure and sophisticated time signatures but always melodic, accessible, and deeply communicative,” LA Weekly wrote. The ensemble was brought together in 1998 by percussion player, Chris Garcia and includes Damon Zick on soprano saxophone Kenton Youngstrom on guitar, and Jacob Szekely on ‘Cello. “All members of the ensemble has a rich background in diverse music making,” Chris Garcia said. LARIAT NEWS "Your music is absolutely outstanding, definitely one of the most creative, original, and well played things I have ever heard! So I wish to congratulate you on this beautiful project and its important achievements." COMPOSER RICCARDO SCIVALES "Straddling the worlds of folkloric, jazz, and contemporary composition, these four virtuosos make a hybrid music that’s greater than the sum of its parts." L.A. CITY BEAT "QUARTETO NUEVO are some amazing musicians, who’ve played with a veritable who’s who of world, chamber, jazz and avant garde music." SANTA MONICA MIRROR |