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Papo Vazquez New CD Release Only Directly Through Papo!

GRAMMY® nominated Papo Vázquez proudly announces the release date of his 11th CD, Songs Del Yucayeke, along with bandmates, Mighty Pirates Troubadours. The CD will be released on June 21, 2024, on Picaro Records, and will be available on all digital platforms.

Available: Friday, June 21, 2024

Papo Vázquez Mighty Pirates Troubadours includes: Jose Mangual (Vocals and Chorus), Ivan Renta (Tenor Saxophone), Rick Germanson (Piano), Ariel Robles (Bass), Alvester Garnett (Drums), Carlos Maldonado (Barril de Bomba, Pandero, Guicharo, Guiro, Timbales [6], Congas [3], Bongo [10]), Reinaldo DeJesus - Barril de Bomba, Pandero, Tambourine, Congas and Papo Vázquez (Trombone, Vocals, Chorus).

Guest Artists include Rodney Jones (Guitar), Eric Figueroa (Piano), Jose Claussell (Percussion), Bruce Williams (Alto Saxophone), and Raul Rios (Trumpet).

Songs Del Yucayeke features new original compositions, and arrangements, from Vázquez running the full gamut of the ensemble’s fusion of Jazz, Puerto Rican folkloric music, and other Afro Caribbean rhythms. As always Vázquez’ Mighty Pirates Troubadoursdemonstrate why they are perennial leaders on the Latin Jazz scene.

Vázquez’ musical bona fides includes stints with some of Latin music’s top names such as Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Eddie Palmieri, Willie Colón, Larry Harlow, Hector LaVoe, Rubén Blades, and the Fania All Stars. He was a founding member of iconic musical groups such as Jerry Gonzalez’ Fort Apache Band, Manny Oquendo’s Conjunto Libre, and Batacumbele. While a member of Batacumbele, Vázquez contributed compositions and arrangements to the band’s now classic repertoire. Vázquez has also performed, or recorded, with Jazz luminaries such as Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra, Slide Hamptons World of Trombones, Wayne Shorter, Wynton Marsalis JALC Orchestra, Hilton Ruiz, and Dave Valentin, among others.

In 2008 Vázquez’ CD Marooned/Aislado, which featured an expanded 19 piece Afro-Puerto Rican Jazz Orchestra version of the Pirates Troubadours, received a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album.

The current iteration of the Mighty Pirates Troubadours includes Jose Mangual (Vocals and Chorus), Ivan Renta (Tenor Saxophone), Rick Germanson (Piano), Ariel Robles (Bass), Alvester Garnett (Drums), Carlos Maldonado (Barril de Bomba, Pandero, Guicharo, Guiro, Timbales [6], Congas [3], Bongo [10]), and Papo Vázquez (Trombone, Vocals, Chorus).

Guest Artists include Rodney Jones (Guitar), Eric Figueroa (Piano), Jose Claussell (Bongos, Percussion), Bruce Williams (Alto Saxophone), and Raul Rios (Trumpet).

Papo Vázquez

Trombonist, composer, arranger has 45+ years of career

spanning Jazz, Latin and Afro Caribbean music.

· Musical Director for the National Puerto Rican Day Parade Orchestra, (NYC/WABC) 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024

· Commissioned by Wynton Marsalis for JAZZ AND ART music series, conducted and performed with JALC orchestra, CD release August 2019

· New York Pops Education, Board of Education certified, 2018 and 2019 H.S. semester

· Presented with the NEA Master Artist Award by Pregones Theater 2011

· Grammy nominated for Papo Vázquez’ Mighty Pirates, Marooned/Aíslado, 2008

· Lead Master Class at UCLA 2022

· Lead Master Class at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music 2022

· Lead Master Classes and Performed with University of Arkansas 2024

·

Vázquez was born in 1958, in Philadelphia, PA, although his young formative year’s were in the countryside of Puerto Rico. Soon thereafter, his family relocated back to North Philadelphia's Puerto Rican community. By age 17, Vazquez headed to New York City, recorded and performed with top artists in the salsa music scene like The Fania All-Stars, Ray Barretto, Willie Colón, Grupo Folklorico Nuyorquino, Eddie Palmieri, Larry Harlow, and Hector La Voe. Vázquez became a key player in NYC’s burgeoning Latin jazz scene of the late 1970's, performing with Jerry Gonzalez, Hilton Ruiz, Dave Valentine and many others.

Went on to perform with jazz luminaries Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra, Ray Charles, Jerry Gonzalez Fort Apache and many others. By age 22, Vázquez had traveled the globe. In 1979 was selected by Slide Hampton to be part of the Slide Hampton's World of Trombones recording.

Vázquez was deeply moved by jazz at a young age, specifically cites the music of John Coltrane and J.J. Johnson as having most influenced him. In addition, his appreciation and knowledge of the indigenous music of the Caribbean provides him with a unique ability to fuse Afro-Caribbean rhythms, specifically those from Puerto Rico, with freer melodic and harmonic elements of progressive jazz.

“If you examine the signal moments of Afro-Latin music in New York since the mid-1970s, you’ll often find the trombonist Papo Vazquez in the picture, brash and precise, helping to drive the music, giving it snap and ferocity.”

– Ben Ratliff, The New York Times
 
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