CAPA presents the Alfredo Rodríguez Trio, 5/4
By: Harmony Wheeler Apr. 12, 2012
A young pianist of astonishing virtuosity and imagination, Cuban-born Alfredo Rodríguez calls up images of legendary jazz pianists like Keith Jarrett, Thelonious Monk, Art Tatum, Bill Evans, and his compatriot Chucho Valdés. Schooled in the rigorous classical conservatories of Havana, Rodríguez's riveting artistry is informed as much by Bach and Stravinsky as by his Cuban and jazz roots.
CAPA presents the Alfredo Rodríguez Trio at 8pm on Friday, May 4, at the Lincoln Theatre (769 E. Long St.). Tickets are $20 at the Ohio Theatre Ticket Office (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (614) 469-0939 or (800) 745-3000. Students between the ages of 13-19 may purchase $5 PNC Arts Alive All Access tickets while available.
This Caliente Series performance is made possible through the generous support of CAPA season sponsor American Airlines and State Auto.
Discovered at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2006 by Quincy Jones, Rodríguez's star has risen rapidly under the tutelage of the famed producer. Since arriving in the US in 2009, Rodríguez has appeared on numerous prestigious stages including the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, the Gilmore Keyboard Festival, the Detroit, Newport, San Francisco, North Sea, Umbria, and Vienna jazz festivals, as well as in important jazz rooms such as Ronnie Scott's, Sculler's, Yoshi's, Jazz Standard, The Blue Note, and Jazz Alley. Alongside Latin piano legends Michel Camilo and Eddie Palmieri, he performed to sold-out audiences at the Arsht Center in Miami and the AT&T Center in Dallas on Larry Rosen's record-breaking Jazz Roots series.
On his first tour of China, Rodríguez was asked to work with Academy Award-winning Chinese composer Tan Dun, Grammy® Award-winning songwriter Siedah Garrett, and Quincy Jones to compose the English-version theme song for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo entitled "Better City, Better Life." In addition to this impressive achievement, Rodríguez was asked to perform the song at the closing ceremony of the Shanghai International Film Festival, the first non-Chinese artist to be bestowed this honor.
Rodríguez's first album, Sounds of Space, featuring original material and produced by Quincy Jones, was released worldwide on Jones' Qwest Records in 2011. Of Rodríguez, Quincy Jones said, "Alfredo 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. He is without doubt one of the best young pianists I've ever seen and with the enormous skills that he already possesses, his potential is limitless."
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