Alexis Cuadrado - Noneto Ibérico (2011)

“Alexis Cuadrado is carving a place for his exceptional bass playing and his most impressive composing abilities. ‘Noneto Iberico’ is a successful brilliant endeavor embracing the complexities of Spanish Flamenco rhythms while embedding contemporary American jazz improvisations and harmonies. Alexis’ unique compositions are passionate with tons of clarity throughout! ‘Noneto Iberico’ is going to demand repeated listening! BRAVO!” – Rufus Reid – Bassist/Composer

"The rich melody lines, the handsome harmonies, the subtle rhythmic changes, the excellent solo work and ensemble parts and the joyous attitude of the music all make ‘Noneto Ibérico’ worth your investigation." – Richard Kamins, Step Tempest

“Alexis Cuadrado is a bassist/composer/band leader after my own heart. With Noneto Iberico he's going for something personal, accessing folk music of his native country and continuing to add to and expand the definition of the word ‘jazz’. I'm a fan.” – Ben Allison – Bassist/Composer

“Dexterously melding sophisticated harmonies with the Spanish rhythms . . . Cuadrado’s orchestrations wove a multi-hued tapestry. . .” – Russ Musto, All About Jazz New York (on the premiere of Noneto Iberico at The Jazz Gallery, October 2009)

Noneto Ibérico is Cuadrado’s fourth CD as a leader and the follow up to his much-lauded recording, Puzzles. “Noneto Ibérico”, which saw its successful premiere in October, 2009 at NYC’s Jazz Gallery, is a nine-movement piece performed by nine musicians, blending the traditional song forms of Spanish Flamenco music with the contemporary improvised music idiom, creating a unique and groundbreaking genre that goes a step beyond previous blends of flamenco and jazz. Noneto Ibérico will be released digitally on March 1 and in stores on March 15, 2011.

Besides Mr. Cuadrado on double bass, the ensemble featured on Noneto Ibérico includes some of the most outstanding jazz musicians on the New York scene: Avishai Cohen on trumpet, Loren Stillman on saxophones, Alan Ferber on trombone, Brad Shepik on guitar, Dan Tepfer on piano and Mark Ferber on drums, with the special collaboration of two of the most exceptional musicians in Spain that have broken molds, and are renowned internationally for blending jazz with Flamenco, Perico Sambeat on saxophone and Marc Miralta on percussion. Together they construct a bridge that brings the composer's cultural legacy to bear on American jazz, thus enlightening the contemporary musical experience.

Cuadrado has researched deep into the roots of Spain's Flamenco music, extracted its bare-bone elements and reconstructed them. Cuadrado explains, “Around 4 or 5 years ago, I just became obsessed with Flamenco music. I started listening to a ton of it, studying, transcribing, playing along with recordings. I formed a trio to play some of the repertoire and called it Trio Iberico. Suddenly I got a Chamber Music America grant through their “New Works” grant program (final funding for this project came from a successful Kickstarter funding campaign) to write a Flamenco-jazz piece for a nine piece band. And that's what this music is, Noneto Iberico!.” The stunning result is a series of pieces that create a completely new aesthetic in the contemporary American jazz panorama.

The bassist/composer based each one of the pieces of "Noneto Ibérico" on a specific flamenco song-style (known as "Palo"). Every Palo has its own complexities and idiosyncrasies: a specific form, rhythm, harmony and melodic twists that have to be faithfully respected in order to be considered authentic. Every movement in the "Noneto Ibérico" suite achieves this, but Cuadrado also draws resources from other musical sensibilities in addition to his native-flamenco vocabulary. His experiences as a composer and performer in a wide variety of contexts, from jazz, world music, chamber music, as a sideman with Angelique Kidjo, playing 24 hour parties in gypsy wedding bands, and more, have left an indelible impression on Cuadrado. Some of the results include the piece "Por La Mínima", which mixes the elements of the flamenco "Bulerías" with those found on minimalist music. The melodies of the "Soleá”, titled "Sólo El Sol Sale Siempre Solo", are based on serialism, and the "Alegrías" "Tocar y Parar” utilize baroque counterpoint motives.