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David Virelles
Cuban jazz pianist and composer (born 1983) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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David Virelles (born 1983) is a Cuban jazz pianist and composer.
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Early life
Virelles was born in Cuba in 1983[1] and grew up in Santiago.[2] His father is José Aquiles, a singer-songwriter;[2] his mother was a Santiago de Cuba Symphony flautist.[1] Virelles started classical piano studies at the age of seven and heard various forms of Cuban music during his childhood.[1] He met Canadian musician Jane Bunnett in Cuba and she invited him to Toronto.[2] He eventually studied at the University of Toronto and Humber College.[3] Virelles also recorded and toured with Bunnett,[1] including for her 2001 album Alma de Santiago.[4] He started communicating via e-mail and telephone with Steve Coleman around 2006; the saxophonist gave him detailed responses to questions on music.[2]
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Later life and career
A Canada Council for the Arts grant allowed Virelles to study with Henry Threadgill in New York.[2] Virelles moved to New York permanently in 2009[1] and soon played with major jazz figures, including saxophonists Coleman, Chris Potter and Mark Turner.[2]
Virelles was part of a trio in 2010, with bassist Ben Street and drummer Andrew Cyrille, that played largely improvised music.[5] The pianist later added percussionist Román Díaz to this group.[5] In 2011, Virelles played prepared piano, celeste and harmonium on Potter's album The Sirens.[6] Virelles made his ECM Records leader debut with the 2014 release Mbókò.[7] The Guardian reviewer reported that "Virelles explores ancient Afro-Cuban sacred and ritual musics through imaginative fusions with contemporary materials. Mostly he does this by using the two basses as drones, mixing spacious chord-moods with bursts of startling improvisation in a flux of styles, and focusing much of the melody-playing on [the two] drummers."[7]
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Discography
As leader/co-leader
As sideman
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References
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