ABOUT ENCUENTRO NYC
ENCUENTRO NYC unites New York City’s Colombian talent every year presenting nearly 60 musicians on one stage. Founded in 2003 by Colombian pianist, composer and bandleader Pablo Mayor, the festival celebrates the richness of the traditions of Colombian music, while at the same time supporting the innovations and developments of these traditions. Past artists have featured special guests Totó la Momposina, Plectro Trio, and such local artists as MAKU SoundSystem, Edmar Castañeda, Lucía Pulido, Marta Gómez, Samuel Torres, Hector Martignon, Pablo Mayor’s Folklore Urbano Orchestra, Gregorio Uribe Big Band, Grupo Chonta, Grupo Rebolú, Sebastián Cruz, Alejandro Flórez, La Cumbiamba ENeYe, Johanna Castaneda y su Grupo Llanero, Ricardo Gallo, and Chia’s Dance Party, among others. A grass-roots production of the husband/wife duo, musicians Pablo and Anna Mayor, ENCUENTRO NYC’s broader mission is to promote Colombian culture in the U.S.A., positively transforming the external face of Colombia through the voices of its artists young and old.

M.A.K.U. Soundsystem official site | M.A.K.U. Soundsystem on Facebook
| M.A.K.U. Soundsystem on Twitter | M.A.K.U. Soundsystem on Bandcamp

M.A.K.U Soundsystem is an immigrant band from New York City. With most of its members hailing from Colombia, M.A.K.U embodies an active quest for identity through sound and bodies in motion, and puts on a party for everyday people. Born in 2010 the band has independently released two full-length albums, one EP, and toured across the U.S. with their fiery grooves.

M.A.K.U’s distinctive sound is enriched with a variety of musical backgrounds brought to the table by each of its members. Although not inherently discernible there are hints of Colombian Folklore, Psychedelic-rock and Caribbean grooves. It all comes together through a D.I.Y. attitude of getting things done, from composing to releasing independent records; M.A.K.U is as much about the music as it is about a way of life.

On stage MA.K.U juxtaposes traditional Colombian percussion, drum-set, synthesizers, electric base, guitar and sizzling horns, creating an explosive performance filled with unshakable grooves. Lyrically M.A.K.U talks about the realities of everyday people, encompassing love, hardships, culture, and the immigrant experience, but with a positive, spiritual and sometimes humorous spin.

M.A.K.U released their first album at Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors’ La Casita in the summer of 2010. Vamos Bien is an experimental record made as the band explored different musical landscapes and collaborators. This album served as a stepping-stone for the formation of the band.

By 2011 the band consolidated its members and further developed its sound leading to the recording of their second record MAKUMBALA. This time the album was recorded directly to tape and with all musicians playing together, choosing the best out of three takes. MAKUMBALA was released at S.O.B’s as a limited 7-inch vinyl single, and a full-length digital download. The album art on this record was the result of collaboration with Brazilian street-artist Eder Muñiz, who took the ideas and concept developed by the band and turned them into a breathtaking mural. Photographs of the mural were adapted to fit the cover, providing the final touch to the band’s second musical work.

M.A.K.U’s third album M.N.D. (Music Never Dies) was released as a 12-inch vinyl EP at New York City’s Joe’s Pub in November of 2012. Through it the band illustrates its discovery and development of a shared musical language they like to refer to as “Immigrantbeat.” Recorded at Brooklyn’s The Bunker Studio in collaboration with Strange Weather, M.N.D. came together by choosing the best out of a few takes of the full band playing virtually in the same room, in an effort to capture the rambunctious energy of their live performances, and once again recording directly onto tape. The album art was developed in collaboration with members of a local New York band called The Peeps, and illustrates a combination of scenes described through the album’s lyrics with splashes of vibrant color and lively characters. This art was featured on Remezcla (an online Latin culture magazine) as one of the best 12 album covers of 2012.

In August of 2013 M.A.K.U released the official music video for the song El Jugo from M.N.D. In a raw and simple way the video aims to illustrate the struggle found in following artistic dreams while working extra to make a living in the hustle of New York City. Directed and edited by Max Ocampo, this message quickly reached a wide audience thanks to multiple shares through social media and a variety of music blogs and online outlets both local and internationally.

M.A.K.U is currently tightening new grooves and sharpening their moves for the completely independent recording of their fourth album to date, to be released in 2014.

M.A.K.U has been the recipient of the globalFEST Touring Fund in 2012 and was nominated and selected as one of nine artist to join the 2014-15 New York State Presenters Network Touring Roster. They have been featured in such prominent media outlets as Afropop, WNYC, NY Daily News, Village Voice, TimeOut NY, Remezcla (NY, Los Angeles and Chicago), Periscope, Sounds and Colours.

M.A.K.U has performed at universities, festivals and venues across the east and west coast including: SXSW (Austin, TX), GlobalFest (New York, NY), Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival (Lincoln Center, New York, NY), S.O.B’s (New York, NY), Joe’s Pub, (New York, NY), Le Poisson Rouge (New York, NY), BAMcafé Live, (Brooklyn, NY), Music Hall of Williamsburg (Brooklyn, NY), Brooklyn Bowl (Brooklyn, NY), Millennium Park (Chicago, IL), Old Town School of Folk Music (Chicago, IL), World Music Festival (Chicago, IL) Real Art Ways (Hartford, CT), Global Roots Festival, The Cedar, (Minneapolis, MN)
Echale Festival (San Antonio, TX) Levitt Pavilion (Pasadena, CA), Los Globos (Los Angeles, CA, Global Union(Milwaukee, WI), Concert of Colors (Detroit, MI), Musikfest (Bethlehem, PA), Small World Music Festival (Toronto, Canada) Swarthmore College, Princeton University, Darmouth College to name but a few.

Laura Kalop is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Her passion for gospel, soul and pop, together with the years of training and natural musical ability, have greatly contributed to her projects. Through her father, Colombian Andean music has also had a strong influence for Laura’s career. She has been featured in two of the most important festivals in Colombia, ¨Festival Mono Núñez¨ and ¨Ruitoqueño Festival”. The development of a new musical proposal came from the two influences mentioned above. They have led to this elaborated project that combines innovating sounds with memorable melodies and offer a new look at Colombian music.
 
Laura has had the opportunity to perform at diverse and important scenarios in Colombia, such as the Luis Angel Arango Concert Hall (Colombia), The National Museum (Colombia), and recently at the Ernesto Díaz Almécida auditorium, with the Juvenile Symphonic Colombian Orchestra (Colombia), among others.
 
She’s currently doing a Vocal Performance master’s degree at New York University, and working in the SEA’s Theater production “Romance”, as part of the principal roles in the cast.
 
“Laura possesses an excellent voice, but above all, she knows how to use it in both styles she wants to combine. On faith that she succeeds.”…”What is evident on Laura’s music is that she strongly expresses her vital concerns as a contemporary urban woman whose profession is being an artist. In this way, she actively commits to express her reality. Perhaps, can there be something more authentic?”
 
Manuel Bernal (Program notes) Young Performer Series, Bank of the Colombian Republic 2012.
 
Laura Kalop on Spotify

Juan Andrés Ospina publishes his CD “BBB: Barcelona, Bogotá, Boston” in 2009. The music of the album compilates original pieces that Ospina composed during his years in the three cities that give name to the album, in which he combines elements from the jazz idiom (such as the improvisation, the instrumentation and the harmonic language) with more traditional ones taken from Colombian styles such as the cumbia, the pasillo and the bambuco. The repertoire has been requested for educational purposes from institutions such as the NEC (New England Conservatory), the Universidad Javeriana (Bogotá, Colombia), Berklee College of Music and the UNT (University of North Texas), and legendary saxophist Paquito D´Rivera included one of the pieces of the album into the repertoire he currently performs with his quintet.
 

Juan Andres Ospina official site

Juan Andres Ospina Facebook official

Grupo Rebolú official site
Grupo Rebolú on Soundcloud

Is an Afro-Colombian musical ensemble comprised of some of the finest Colombian musicians in the United States. The group came out of the desire of Ronald Polo (vocalist/composer/gaitero) and Morris Canate (master folkloric percussionist) to promote the rich musical traditions of their ancestors; the Afro-descendents of Colombia’s Caribbean coast.

It is their belief that these folkloric traditions should continually evolve over time and with the ideas of new generations of folklorists, a belief surely reflected in their music.

The original compositions of Ronald Polo forge new paths for Colombian music while respectfully remaining faithful to its ancestral roots. In the process, they create a truly unique musical and cultural experience.

From traditional songs to original compositions, the entirety of Rebolu’s repertoire is loaded with energy, history and danceability. Their unique reinterpretations of traditional Afro-Colombian rhythms such as Gaita, Tambora, Chalupa and Bullerengue, among others, make it extremely well suited not only for festivals and cultural events, but also for nightclubs. We hope you listen and enjoy..

Gregorio Uribe official site | Gregorio Uribe on Facebook

A year after releasing the Billboard Chart hitting album “Cumbia Universal” Gregorio Uribe is back to introduce you to his most recent brain-child and present his premiere music video “Media Naranja” recorded live at the infamous Congahead.

In addition to his 16- piece big band ensemble, which distinguishes Uribe, he has most recently put together a smaller more intimate set-up, reminiscent of the traditional vallenato format from his native Colombia. This smaller ensemble, which is usually composed of a trio, performs Gregorio’s original songs, which are both intimate and danceable. Although this new format is different from the big band, it still holds true to the unique style of its leader. Uribe most recently toured the East Coast (including Brown University) with his new ensemble and is in the process of recording his new songs.

Originally from Bogotá Colombia, pianist Ricardo Gallo and guitarist Alejandro Flórez have been generating several projects that relate contemporary musical expressions to the musical traditions of their homeland. In this duo project, they present their own pieces inspired by the music from the Colombian Andes. Alejandro Flórez plays in this project tiple and bandola, two traditional string instruments from the region. Gallo and Flórez explore the possibilities of improvisation and composition departing from the sounds of these instruments.
 
alejandroflorez.com
ricardogallo.com

Pablo Mayor-Folklore Urbano Orchestra official site

Pablo Mayor, whose powerhouse orchestra has redefined modern Colombian music in the last decade, will present repertoire from his latest “El Barrio Project,” a cross-cultural meeting of Cumbia and Salsa which takes his renowned Colombian band into the heart of Spanish Harlem and the birthplace of salsa—historically known as “El Barrio.” Weaving a theatrical narrative, the story presents a musical ensemble as a metaphor for a NYC community with its diverse mash-up of peoples, and the real-life relationships that develop. Pablo Mayor collaborates with other composers in this project, with theatrical direction by German Jaramillo of ID Studio Theater. The group will feature its latest vocalist, Colombian ALEA (Maria Alejandra Jiménez), and invited guests of NYC’s Latin elite: Danny Gonzalez on congas (a long-standing member of the Cuban establishment Orquesta Broadway), vocalist and songwriter “Chino” Melao (an icon in the historic era of NYC salsa) and multi-instrumentalist Eddie Venegas (Marc Anthony side-man, Orquesta Broadway) on vocals and violin.

The Folklore Urbano Orchestra is the premiere ensemble of Colombian bandleader, pianist, composer, and arranger Pablo Mayor. The group’s three highly-acclaimed CD’s, Aviso, Baile/Dance, and Corazón, have been broadcast throughout the World.

Diego Obregón was born on February 8, 1971 in Guapi, Colombia. He began to play bombo and cununo with master marimba player Silvino Mina. Eventually Diego would join Silvino Mina’s Group as well as the main folkloric group of his hometown, Grupo Folklórico Representativo de Guapi.
 
At the age of 24, Diego moved to La Tola, Nariño, where he learned to make and play the marimba. After a year, Diego moved to Cali where he opened his own marimba shop. Some of the groups in which Diego has played include Raíces Negras, Los Bogas del Pacífico, Groupo Naidy, La Cumbiamba Eneye, Folklore Urbano and Marta Gómez.
 
Today, Diego Obregón resides in New York, where he is developing his new Project, Grupo Chonta.

Sebastián Cruz official site | Sebastián Cruz on Facebook | Sebastián Cruz on YouTube

Guitarist, composer and singer-songwriter, Sebastián Cruz has led and been a part of many influential bands in the Colombian music scene in NY including Lucía Pulido, La Cumbiamba eNeYé, Samurindó, Los Aliens, and his own Coba, The Cheap Landscape Trio, and Sebastián Cruz Band. In this projects he has contributed his sound and vision through his compositions and arrangements. In the last year Sebastián has been exploring his singing voice. First singing in the subway, and later singing in restaurants around New York in order to grow as a singer. For this Encuentro Sebastián will create a brand new ensemble to rediscover some of his old songs. Some from the last phase of his band Coba, and others created for movies. This is a rare performance of very dear repertoire that has never been released, and seldom been performed.

Featuring:
Sebastian Cruz, voice and requinto
Iván Barenboim, clarinet
Ryan Keberle, trombone
Chris Vanvoorst-Vambeest, bass
Jonathan Gomez-Cornejo, percussion
Martín Vejarano, drums

“Alejandro combines so many precious qualities so beloved by artists and producers and yet so rarely found all together: phenomenal gifts on his instrument, dazzling creativity and the ability to write without effort in many different musical genres.” Jorge Luis Piloto.
 
New York based composer and pianist Alejandro Zuleta; was born in Bogotá, Colombia. Carrying the Zuleta’s family legacy a long line of celebrated Colombian Vallenato musicians and son of Emiro Zuleta one of the most prolific songwriters of his generation. Alejandro grew up surrounded by this wonderful musical environment and soon acquired a versatile and distinctive voice.

CHIA’s Dance Party is a New York City-based Quintet. The band delivers a unique musical experience where infectious danceable grooves mix harmoniously with extensive compositional and improvisational work. The quintet performs original material inspired by the Colombian rhythmic and melodic traditions, yet explores different genres and compositional approaches. CHIA’s Dance Party has a distinct sound as a result of the diverse background of its musicians. Ben Stapp, an exceptional tuba player brings his vast experience in experimental, Jazz and classical music. Alex Terrier on soprano sax delivers the best, virtuosic sounds of modern jazz. Justin Wood on alto sax and flute adds adventurous and fearless contemporary sounds and concepts. Rafi Malkiel on Euphonium brings his Middle Eastern, Salsa Dura, and Colombian sounds to complement this stellar ensemble. All of these sounds are catalyzed by musical director and composer, Martín Vejarano on Drums.
 

WWW.CHIAMUSIC.COM

Since his Carnegie hall Solo debut in 2009 performing with the Azlo Orchestra, Nilko Andreas has been performing extensively on two continents as a soloist and chamber musician, in venues such as WIldthurn castle in Germany, Carnegie Hall, and the Strathmore Hall, Teatro municipal de Rio de Janeiro and Adolfo Mejia (Heredia) Theater in Cartagena. Awarded several awards including “The Recognition Award” by the city of New York for his contributions to the Arts. Other engagements include “Concerto de Aranjuez” with The Schenzhen Symphonic orchestra in China, European tour with Austrian Violist Firmian Lermer, concerts in Brazil with Barra Mansa Symphonic orchestra and soprano Angelica de la Riva, and solo concerts in Colombia, Austria, Switzerland as well as Performing at Carnegie Hall in December 12 2012. On a program dedicated to Colombian and Brazilian composers, called Amazonas 12.12.12

Colombian pianist Fidel Cuellar has built a fruitful career as a sidemen in the local Afro-latin and modern jazz scenes, playing with the likes of Bobby Sanabria, John Benitez, Carlos del Pino, Rafael Monteagudo, and Vince Cherico, among many others. In 2007, Fidel moved to New York from his home city of Bogotá to continue his studies in jazz at The City College of New York, graduating Suma Cum Laude in 2009. He is now presenting his debut album, Audiograph, produced along with Brazilian drummer Luiz Ebert, in a quintet featuring some of New York’s most promising up-and-coming musicians: Livio Almeida on saxophones, Will Caviness on trumpet, and Ian Stapp on bass.
 
Fidel Cuellar official site
Audiograph

Johanna Castañeda, vocals, cuatro, Colombian percusión, was born in Bogotá, Colombia. From a modest home, but full of artistic tradition, Johanna started her career dancing at an early age by attending the Centro Cultural Llanero, a school of folkloric music in Bogotá that specialized in rhythms from the eastern Colombian plains (llanos orientales), where she was exposed to typical rhythms, typical songs, dances, and instruments of the region. Her favorite was the cuatro, which she studied along with voice. At eight years of age, she was enrolled in the music conservatory of Tunja, Boyaca, where she alternated her regular academia curriculum with harp, music theory and singing lessons. At age 15, she and her brother, renowned harpist Edmar Castañeda, migrated to the USA. Since living in New York, she has performed regularly with her husband, Ronald Polo’s, group Grupo Rebolú, as well as Jimmy Bosch as back-up singer, traveling extensively and performing at such venues as Ravinia Concert Hall in Chicago and Kennedy Center in WA.DC (the inauguration of George Bush). She has collaborated with many artists, including RIcky Gonzalez, Milton Cardona, Alfredo Valdez Jr., Montvale Rumba album, Pacha Massive, among others.

Pajarillo Pinta’o Dance Company official site | Pajarillo Pinta’O Dance Company on Facebook