Remi Álvarez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
He was born in Mexico City, Mexico. He studied transversal flute at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música from 1975 to 1979 with Rubén Islas.
Self-study formation in saxophone, his professional debut was with Cuarteto Mexicano de Jazz in 1984. Later, he moved to New York City and continues his studies of composition and improvisation at the Creative Music Studio with Anthony Braxton, George Lewis, Roscoe Mitchell and Don Cherry. He studied a bachelor in jazz at the Escuela Superior de Música from 1982 to 1987. In 1988, he traveled to Paris where his musical development was strengthened by taking classes with the composer-sax player Steve Lacy.
Since 1991, he has been a professor of saxophone and jazz at the Escuela Nacional de Música from Universidad Autónoma de México (UNAM).
In February 2004, he traveled to Europe, invited by Georg Hoffman, Swiss bass player, and Tobias Delius, Dutch saxophonist, touring several cities in Switzerland and Holland with them.
In 2005, he took a course in advanced improvisation at the Vancouver Creative Music Institute with George Lewis and Evan Parker, among others.
In June 2006, he was invited to play in the Vision Festival, the most important free jazz festival in New York by Dennis González, Texan trumpet player.
Foundator of Cráneo de Jade, with whom he has co-produced and recorded three CD's, he was invited to the Festival Internacional de Jazz Plaza in La Habana, Cuba, in 1997. In October 2005, Cráneo de Jade performed at the Palacio de Bellas Artes as a part of the Los Diez Grandes del Jazz, a tribute to the pioneers of jazz in México. In April 2007, Cráneo de Jade atended the VII Festival Internacional de San Luis Potosí.
He has been a member of Astillero ensemble since 2000, performing in France in 2001 and 2004. In October 2006, Astillero joined the 34th edition of the Festival Internacional Cervantino.
Currently, he is a member of Antimateria, Astillero, Cráneo de Jade ensembles; he plays duets with Gabriel Lauber and runs his own quartet. He has performed live with musicians like Sabir Mateen, Ernest Dawkins, Vinz Vonlanthen, Michael Vatcher, Tayeb Laoufi and the Gnawa Spirit from Morocco. He has performed live and recorded with the Camerata de las Américas.
[edit] Selected ensembles
- Antimateria
- Astillero
- Cráneo de Jade
[edit] Major collaborators
- Aarón Cruz
- Gabriel Lauber
- Hernan Hecht
- Itzam Cano
[edit] External links
- Antimateria - Official Web Site
- Remi Álvarez at MySpace
- Web Page of Cráneo de Jade
- Article of February 23rd, 2008 at mexican newspaper Diario PorEsto!
- Article of September 18th, 2007 at mexican newspaper El Reforma
- Article of October 8th, 2007 at mexican newspaper El Reforma
- Article of September 26th, 2005 at mexican newspaper La Jornada
- Café Jazzorca - Jazzorca Records
