Elio Villafranca is a Cuban jazz pianist and composer. He was born in the Cuban province of
Pinar del Río
Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. With a population of 191,081 (2022), it is the List of cities in Cuba, 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños''.
History
Pinar del Río was ...
, and studied in the faculty of music of the
Instituto Superior de Arte The University of Arts of Cuba / Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) was established on 1 September 1976, by the Cuban government as a school for the arts. Its original structure had three schools: Music, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts.
History
T ...
in
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Best Latin Jazz Album at the
2010 Grammy Awards
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares P ...
; his album ''Cinque'' was nominated in 2020. In 2014 he received the first JALC Millennium Swing Award. He teaches at the
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory
A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...
, at
Temple University
Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...
, and at the
Juilliard School of Music
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named afte ...
, where he specializes in
jazz ensemble
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, hymns, m ...
.
He has received awards including the 2017 Sunshine Award, the 2018 Downbeat Critic's Poll "Rising Stars Keyboard" and the 2019 Downbeat Critic's Poll "Rising Stars Pianist". In 2021 he received a
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...
in
music composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called ...
.
Discography
As Leader
* 2003 - ''Incantations/Encantaciones'' - 50 best jazz albums of the year by JazzTimes Magazine (Universal Latin) Feat:
Pat Martino
Pat Martino (born Patrick Carmen Azzara; August 25, 1944 – November 1, 2021) was an American jazz guitarist and composer. He has been cited as one of the greatest guitarists in jazz.
Early life
Martino was born Patrick Carmen Azzara in Philad ...
-guitar,
Terell Stafford
Terell Stafford (born November 25, 1966) is a professional jazz trumpet player and current Director of Jazz Studies at the Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University.
Terell Stafford was born in Miami, Florida, and raised in both Ch ...
-trumpet,
Jane Bunnett
Mary Jane Bunnett, (born October 22, 1956) is a Canadian musician and educator. A soprano saxophonist, flautist and bandleader, she is especially known for performing Afro-Cuban jazz. She travels regularly to Cuba to perform with Cuban musicians. ...
-sax/flute,
Dafnis Prieto
Dafnis Prieto (born July 31, 1974) is a Cuban-American drummer, composer, bandleader, and educator.
Career
In his home town of Santa Clara, Cuba, Prieto studied percussion and guitar. During his teens, he moved to Havana to study at the Nati ...
-drums, Carlos Henriquez-bass, Pedrito Martines-percussion/vocals, Chembo Corniel-percussion.
* 2007 - ''The Source in Between -'' Top 10 of the JazzWeek World Top 50 Chart for eleven weeks. (Ceiba Tree Music) Feat: Eric Alexander-tenor sax, Dafnis Prieto-dr., Ferenc Nemeth, dr., Jeff Carnet-bass, Yosvany Terry-alto sax, Arturo Stable-percussion.
* 2011 - ''Dynamic Resolution'' Elio Villafranca Special guest Charles Flores (Produced by Ceiba Tree Music and 16 Eyes Records, and distributed by Acoustic Sounds). 180gram Audiophile LP and CD
* 2012 - ''Dos y Mas -'' Elio Villafranca with Arturo Stable (Motema Music)
* 2012 - Elio Villafranca & The Jass Syncopators - ''Flower by the Dry'' River (Produced and distributed by Elusive Disc and Direct Grace Records) A Double 33RPM LPs album. Feat. drummer
Victor Lewis
Victor Lewis (born May 20, 1950) is an American jazz drummer, composer, and educator.
Early life
Victor Lewis was born on May 20, 1950, in Omaha, Nebraska. His father, Richard Lewis, who played saxophone and mother, Camille, a pianist-vocalist ...
, saxophonists
Vincent Herring
Vincent Dwyne Herring (born November 19, 1964) is an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, composer, and educator. Known for his fiery and soulful playing in the bands of Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, and Nat Adderley in the earlier stages of h ...
,
JD Allen
JD, J.D. or jd may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* JD (film), ''JD'' (film), a 2016 Bollywood film
* J.D. (Scrubs), J.D. (''Scrubs''), nickname of Dr. John Dorian, fictional protagonist of the comedy-drama ''Scrubs''
* JD Fenix, a charact ...
, trumpet Bruce Harris, bassist Gregg August, and Los Pleneros de la 21.
* 2014 - Elio Villafranca & The Jass Syncopators - Caribbean Tinge, ''Live a Dizzy’s Club CocaCola'' (Motema Music)
* 2014 - ''Old Waters, New River''. Elio Villafranca/Spiros Exaras (Harbinger Records)
* 2018 - ''Cinque'' - featuring
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, and music instructor, who is currently the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has been active in promoting classical and jazz music, often to young ...
Lewis Nash
Lewis Nash (born December 30, 1958) is an American jazz drummer. According to ''Modern Drummer'' magazine, Nash has one of the longest discographies in jazz and has played on over 400 records, earning him the honor of Jazz's Most Valuable Play ...
, and
Steve Turre
Stephen Johnson Turre (born September 12, 1948, in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American jazz trombonist and a pioneer of using Conch (instrument), seashells as instruments, a composer, arranger, and educator at the collegiate-conservatory level. For ...