Roberto Fonseca

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Roberto Fonseca 2012

Roberto Alain Fonseca Cortés (born March 29, 1975 in Havana ) is a Cuban pianist , composer and arranger .

Live and act

Fonseca was born in Havana in 1975 as one of three sons. His family was very musical, his father was a percussionist , his mother a singer . This particularly promoted the musical ambitions of her son, who at the age of 4 initially started playing the drums, but then switched to the piano.

After completing his composition studies at the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) in Havana, Fonseca recorded his first album, which was awarded as the best jazz album at the 1999 Cubadisco Festival . At first he saw himself as a pure jazz musician, but that changed through his contact with the Buena Vista Social Club ; through this Fonseca discovered traditional Cuban music for himself. He played on behalf of the already sick Rubén González at the Buena Vista Social Club and after his death replaced González in the orchestra of Ibrahim Ferrer , with whom he performed in more than 400 concerts worldwide. Fonseca also worked as arranger and co-producer on Ferrer's latest album, Mi Sueño , which was nominated for a Grammy in 2007. He has also performed with Omara Portuondo , Orlando “Cachaíto” López , Miguel “Angá” Díaz , Carlinhos Brown , Bebo and Chucho Valdés , Herbie Hancock , Michael Brecker , Wayne Shorter and other musicians.

Roberto Fonseca reached the international stage with his album Zamazu (2007) on the Munich label Enja . His piano art impresses with a combination of precise rhythm and intense emotion. The album Zamazu strengthened this impression. “It is simply a masterpiece,” wrote Jazzthetik , “a record that, without exaggeration, can be described as one of the most beautiful that Cuban music has produced to this day.” In the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Oliver Hochkeppel recognized “the signature of one coming world stars ”.

His album Akokan ( Yoruba for "heart"), released in spring 2009, was created in the Egrem studio in Havana, where stars like Nat King Cole recorded in the 1950s . Accompanied by musicians who have been working with him for more than twelve years, Roberto Fonseca succeeded on Akokan in packing the power of a live performance into a studio album. On the album At Home (2015), which was created together with the Malinese singer Fatoumata Diawara at the festival in Marciac , the pianist explored the musical bridges between Mail and Cuba.

Roberto Fonseca also modeled for the French fashion label agnes b . He is a follower of the Santería religion, which is widespread in Cuba .

Discography (selection)

  • Temperamento: En el Comienzo (1998, EGREM )
  • Roberto Fonseca: Tiene Que Ver (1999, EGREM)
  • Roberto Fonseca: No Limit: Afro Cuban Jazz (2001, JVC Japan)
  • Roberto Fonseca: Elengo (2001, EGREM)
  • Roberto Fonseca: Zamazu (2007, Enja )
  • Roberto Fonseca: Akokan (2009, Enja)
  • Roberto Fonseca: Live in Marciac (2010, Enja)
  • Roberto Fonseca: Yo (2012, Jazz Village)
  • Roberto Fonseca: Dia da Vitória (2015, Estúdio Rec)
  • Roberto Fonseca & Fatoumata Diawara : At Home - Live in Marciac (2015, Jazz Villa ( Harmonia Mundi ))
  • Roberto Fonseca: ABUC (2016, Impulse! Records )
  • Roberto Fonseca: Yesun (2019, Mack Avenue Records )

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jazzthetik, Felipe Tadeu 4/2007
  2. ↑ Süddeutsche Zeitung - SZ Extra, April 12, 2007
  3. ↑ http://www.enjarecords.com/cd.php?nr=ENJ-9534 ( Memento from August 4, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ Hammering Man in: FAZ of April 26, 2012, page 42

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Fonseca, Roberto
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Fonseca Cortés, Roberto Alain
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Cuban jazz pianist
DATE OF BIRTH March 29, 1975
PLACE OF BIRTH Havana