| Name | Jorge Reyes |
| Lineup | Jorge Reyes - double bass |
| Genre | Latin Jazz |
| Origin | Cuba |
| Booking | Contact Eli Silvrants at Jazzconexion |
| Press Material | Downloadcenter |
_Jorge Reyes
Jorge Reyes (b. 10-29-51) began his career as a bassist with Pio Leyva’s
Montuneros.
After studying contrabass under Orlando ‘Cachaito’ Lopez
at the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory in Havana, he played successively with
Orquesta Riverside, Orquesta de Radio y Televisión
Cubana and Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna.
In 1981, he joined Arturo Sandoval, with whom he remained for
over a period of nine years, touring all over the world.
In 1983 he recorded his solo album ‘Pocito 11, with among others Omara
Portuondo.
In 1990, together with pianist Hilario Duran and guitarist
Jorge Chicoy, he founded Perspectiva.
Since 1996, Jorge Reyes has been and is presently with Chucho Valdés’
Irakere.
In 1997, he participated in Roy Hargrove’s Cuban project: Crisol. The
CD: Havana won the 1998 Grammy Award in the Latin Jazz category.
Jorge Reyes has worked with Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody, Carmen Mc Rae, Max
Roach, Paquito D’Rivera, Emiliano Salvador, Pablo Milanes, Rey Guerra,
José Maria Vitier. In fact, in Cuba, there is hardly any that he hasn’t
played with.
In the seventies, Jorge Reyes was involved in the production of the Dizzy Gillespie
documentary film ‘A Night In Havana’.
In the ensuing years, there were regular meetings with Dizzy Gillespie during
which Dizzy’s admiration and friendship with Chano Pozo (who died in 1948),
were often the subject of their conversations.
Inspired by Dizzy’s enthusiasm, Jorge began collecting information about
and compositions of the legendary conga-player.
The quantity and the quality of the compositions surpassed his expectations
many times over.
Some of Chano Pozo’s compositions have become legendary: ‘Manteca’
composed together with Dizzy Gillespie and ‘Tin Tin Deo’, collaborating
with Walter Fuller.
In the course of time, other Chano Pozo compositions became part of the repertoire
of Latin bands, among others, ‘Rumba Con Swing’ and ‘Porque
Tu Sufres’.
At the close of 1998, in a recording studio in Havana, just a few weeks prior
to the fiftieth anniversary of the unfortunate death of this vibrant Cuban percussionist,
Jorge Reyes was applying the final touches to the recording of his tribute to
Chano Pozo.
The CD was nominated in two categories for the Premio Cubadisco 1999.
In september 2000 Jorge Reyes’ tributo a Chano Pozo performed in Bogota,
Coombia. Spring 2001 they performed at the Barbados Jazz festival
Jorge Reyes’ tributo a Chano Pozo is an All Star band, with Panga on conga’s,
Changuito on timbales, Pan con salsa on piano, Julio Padron on trumpet, Sopilon:
violin, German Velasco: flute and saxophone and Ismael Borges maracas, güiro
and lead vocals.
De todo un poco was released in 2003,