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Hector Martignon

New York based-, Colombian born Hector Martignon has composed, orchestrated, produced, performed and recorded music in a wide spectrum of genres, from Classical and Crossover, to Jazz and World Music, to Rock and Pop. His five albums as a leader, two as co-leader (MOZART’s BLUE FANTASIES and BACH’s SECRET FILES) as well as his work on over a hundred albums, scores for five feature films, three Broadway Musicals and multiple other projects, showcase his wide-ranging area of expertise.

After several nominations as a sideman, two of his five solo CDs were nominated for a GRAMMY Award (REFUGEE, 2008, and SECOND CHANCE, 2010) . He arranged and performed parts of the score of Ang Lee’s OSCAR-nominated movie EAT, DRINK, MAN, WOMAN.

His first professional recording was at age 18 (Mikis Theodorakis’s “Canto General”) while one of the most recent was on legendary rock band CHICAGO’s latest production, the Latin-tinged “EXITOS”.

He has written symphonic orchestrations, performed and recorded by the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra and compositions like ABRE LOS OJOS, CIERRA LOS OJOS, commissioned and premiered by the MUSICA DE CAMARA STRING ORCHESTRA at St Patrick’s Cathedral in April 2011. Hector is currently working on a first CD with his BANDAGRANDE Big Band + String Quartet as well as an album with selections out of a series of 7 solo piano recitals at the Ludwigsburg University of Education (Germany), where he conducts a “compact seminar” on Classic Music-based improvisation every November.

As a requested sideman he has toured the world with such greats as Paquito D’Rivera, Ray Barretto, Gato Barbieri, Steve Turre, Don Byron, Tito Puente and was featured pianist with Max Roach’s PROJECT AMERICA at the 92 St Y.

His joy of teaching has made him a requested guest-lecturer and performance teacher in music faculties and academies in several countries of Europe, Japan, North- and South America. Hector wrote an instructional book on Latin piano commissioned and published by Hal Leonard, the SALSA PIANO BOOK.

• Martignon’s abilities as a pianist have always been enriched by his interest in varied musical genres. He paid for his studies of classical piano and composition at the prestigious Freiburger Musikhochschule in Germany by performing with the best Afro-Cuban and Brazilian bands of Europe, backing stars like Celia Cruz and Ismael Quintana on their European tours, and recording with Tata Güiness and Arturo Sandoval. At the same time he was attending seminars of contemporary composition with masters like Gyorgi Ligetti, Luigi Nono and Karl Heinz Stockhausen. He also performed classical music in recitals and concerts in Germany, Italy and his native Colombia, specializing in Chopin, Bach and Debussy.

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Album Review

Carlos Jimenez: Woods

Read "Woods" reviewed by Richard J Salvucci


Carlos Jimenez is a kind of metaphor for Latin jazz, from Yonkers, New York, to Puerto Rico ("the island") and back, with instrumental and stylistic stops along the way. Jazz flute has had some storied practitioners, and Jiménez is obviously well along getting a foothold there too in this, his sixth album since 2005. Interestingly, Jiménez says Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaría spurred his transition from brass to woodwind, which speaks volumes about the importance of polyrhythms to Latin jazz. If ...

5
Album Review

Nelson Riveros: The Latin Side of Wes Montgomery

Read "The Latin Side of Wes Montgomery" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


After delving into the repertoire of legendary guitarist Wes Montgomery at a gig in the not-so-distant past, six-stringer Nelson Riveros was struck with the idea for this tribute project. Playing true to Montgomery's work and legacy, while pulling from his own Colombian roots and imbuing the music with varied elements drawn from the broader Latin lexicon, Riveros brands this album with a syncretic signature and a hefty helping of pure joy. Opening with “Road Song," Riveros retains ...

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Album Review

Hector Martignon: Second Chance

Read "Second Chance" reviewed by Jerry D'Souza


In his notes to Second Chance, pianist Hector Martignon reflects on second chances and the wide ranging impact they can have on a person. On another plane, he muses on the second chance he has given to some of the compositions he had played with other bands, or to which he had given a different interpretation. Martignon's compositions sing eloquently, as they embrace a wide framework of styles. As a pianist, he essays a fine skill that is ...

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Album Review

Hector Martignon: Second Chance

Read "Second Chance" reviewed by Edward Blanco


Columbian-born jazz pianist Hector Martignon firmly believes in second chances in life; whether as a form of redemption or renewal, they serve as important new opportunities. On his second ZOHO release, Second Chance presents an exciting blend of Latin-flavored music, drawing on influences ranging from Brazilian and Colombian idioms to elements of Afro-Cuban rhythms, in a vibrant frame of Latin jazz. Penned for wife Amparo, Second Chance has many meanings, the from personal to the second chances we all have ...

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Album Review

Hector Martignon: Refugee

Read "Refugee" reviewed by Ralph A. Miriello


In listening to pianist/vocalist Hector Martignon's Refugee, I was immediately attracted to his notable sidemen, including Richard Bona, Kenny Baron, Eddie Gomez and Jeff “Tain Watts. Martignon obviously has the chops, and so the only question is if his music is compelling enough to carry off an album as a leader. He has done so admirably.The title song is a hard-driving tour de force, with a deeply grounded bass line from accomplished Cameroonian virtuoso Bona. With the bottom ...

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Album Review

Hector Martignon: Refugee

Read "Refugee" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Native Columbian Pianist Hector Martignon closes his liner notes to Refugee thusly:

“Although I play the acoustic and electric pianos in all tunes...I prefer the role I almost instinctively adopted, paraphrasing Auguste Rodin: provide boulders of marble of distinctive shapes and sizes to a group of sculptors and then collectively carve out the most beautiful shapes imprisoned inside those rocks.

Not having read these words before listening to the disc, the thought struck me that Martignon, like Ellington with “Concertos ...

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Album Review

Hector Martignon: Refugee

Read "Refugee" reviewed by Jerry D'Souza


Pianist Hector Martignon gathers together the musicians who played as Foreign Affair for this, his third recording as leader. The group began as an acoustic trio before going the electric route in 1998. Besides the two recordings, Portrait in Black and White (Candid, 1996) and The Foreign Affair (Candid, 2000), there were tours and concerts. Martignon thus collected a wealth of musicians over the years.

Martignon wrote the music with one or more of the featured musicians in mind. Two ...

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Contest

Enter the ZOHO "Hector Martignon - Second Chance" Giveaway

Enter the ZOHO "Hector Martignon - Second Chance" Giveaway

Source: All About Jazz

All About Jazz members are invited to enter the ZOHO “Hector Martignon—Second Chance“ giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on October 17th. Click here to enter the contest

(Following Hector Martignon at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.)

Good luck! Your Friends at ZOHO Music

About Hector Martignon In an exciting program of 6 Martignon originals and 4 North and South American standards, Martignon confirms his eminent position as ...

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Performance / Tour

Hector Martignon and the Foreign Affair Thursday December 20th, 9:30 PM at Nuyorican Poets Cafe

Hector Martignon and the Foreign Affair Thursday December 20th, 9:30 PM at Nuyorican Poets Cafe

Source: Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services

Please Join... HECTOR MARTIGNON and the FOREIGN AFFAIR Celebrating the NOMINATION of their CD REFUGEE for a '08 GRAMMY At the NUYORICAN POETS CAFE (3rd Str, bet, B and C avs) Thursday December 20th, 9:30 PM Featuring: Fellow GRAMMY nomine BOBBY SANABRIA (dr) VINNY VALENTINO (guit) ARTURO STABLE (perc) EDWARD PEREZ (b) HECTOR MARTIGNON (p) And many great ...

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Performance / Tour

Hector Martignon May 29-May 31 at Zinc Bar

Hector Martignon May 29-May 31 at Zinc Bar

Source: Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services


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Performance / Tour

Hector Martignon Upcoming Appearances

Hector Martignon Upcoming Appearances

Source: All About Jazz

Wed, May 16th 8 PM, CACHAA, 8th Street, Macdougal Street, NYC with Foreign Affair Trio Thu, May 17th, NUYORICAN POETS CAF with Foreign Affair Fri, May 18th, 7 PM. With, Peekskill, NY Afro-Rican Jazz with Los Pleneros de la 21, Sun, May 20th, Phoenix AR, with Joe Burgstaller Tue, Wed, Thu May 29th, 30th and 31st, ZINC BAR with Foreign Affair RECORD RELEASE PARTY WED 30TH 9:30 PM at the ZINC BAR, ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Woods

CJMartinete Music Co.
2022

buy

Second Chance

Zoho Music
2010

buy

Refugee

Zoho Music
2007

buy

Not That Far Away

From: Woods
By Hector Martignon

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