Last modified: Monday, November 28, 2011
IU Latin American Music Center presents CD release concert Nov. 30
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 28, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University Latin American Popular Music Ensemble and its advanced workshop of young artists, El Taller, will present a CD release concert for their Paisaje Urbano (Urban Landscape) recording at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, in Auer Hall.
The CD, on the IUMusic-LAMC label, was conceived by El Taller as an adventurous synthesis of both traditional and urban Latin styles with the techniques of jazz and modern classical music. Paisaje Urbano sings the landscape of Latin American cities and their music genres, with arrangements of famous urban popular songs by resident composer Guido Sánchez and resident director Espen Jensen.
Paisaje Urbano's journey starts in Buenos Aires with Piazzolla's fiery Libertango and ends in Rio de Janeiro with Jobim's cool bossa nova tune Água de beber. Both also owe something to Paris and New York.
The tango-vals by Carlos Gardel, Lejana tierra mía, and song recreations in Rapsodia en Bolero and Ódiame take the listener further north and back in time, when guitar trios serenaded young city women under the tropical night.
Siembra, written by Rubén Blades, speaks of moral values, and María Suite raises important social issues. Indeed, the CD mixes haunting memories of a rural past with the vital modernity of city life.
Created by the Latin American Music Center at the IU Jacobs School of Music -- directed by Carmen Helena Téllez -- the Latin American Popular Music Ensemble and El Taller explore the popular and traditional music of Latin America from the inventive artistic perspective of the classical musician to discover their potential for original fusions and to provide performing arrangements for classical ensembles.
Many of these classically minded arrangements will be soon be available for performers and educators through the Latin American Music Center website at music.indiana.edu/lamc.
