Born: July 17, 1978 Primary Instrument: Guitar
Since moving to NYC in 1997, Sebastian Cruz has been a prominent and influential musical voice in the development of a Colombian New York sound that has, over the past ten years, gradually become an ebullient musical scene and community. Performing in NYC in venues such as Joe’s Pub, Central Park’s Summer Stage, CultureFest at Battery Park, BAM Café, and others, Sebastian has been involved as leader, band member, composer, arranger and musical director with leading Colombian based projects in New York. These projects include Coba, La Cumbiamba eNeYé, Luc-a Pulido’s ensemble ” where he is musical director and with whom he has traveled extensively in the U.S. and Europe ” , and now “Sebastian Cruz and The Cheap Landscape Trio.” In all these environments, Sebastian has distinguished himself by constantly searching for unique and deeply personal ways of integrating elements of a rich and ancient musical tradition with a more current and urban sensibility.
After releasing two celebrated CDs with his former band Coba, featuring his work as composer and songwriter in a more intricate and poetic setting, Sebastian Cruz presents yet a new angle on redefining Colombian music with “Sebastian Cruz and The Cheap Landscape Trio.” For this new project, Sebastian composes with resourceful simplicity, clarity of statement, while exploring his unique voice as a versatile electric guitar player. The music travels organically and with playfulness from its Colombian roots through its many ‘electric’ influences including rock and jazz improvisation.
Sebastian Cruz and The Cheap Landscape Trio Debut CD is an energetic, spontaneous and honest record. Recorded entirely live, it was produced in just two sessions of two hours each, capturing the energy of the trio without artifacts.
Featuring Sebastian Cruz on guitar and composition, Ruben Samama on bass and Joe Saylor on drums, the Cheap landscape trio plays distorted cumbias, punk fandangos, dizzy bullerengues and more cultural incongruencies of that sort.
Awards:
2002 ASCAP Award, composition for theater
Last Updated: November 28, 2008
”(Sebastian) has become one of the most creative and multifaceted Colombian musicians (in NY)”Radio Nacional de Colombia
“sebastian cruz, the mind behind the wonderful coba, has a new project called “cheap landscape,” and it'll blow your mind. This is colombian, no doubt, but with sebastian's frenetic distorted guitar, it's something you've never heard before.”
Robert Kelly-Chonta Records
“Cruz has left calmness aside to pronounce his fury” and “Everything sounds spontaneous, maybe because it was all recorded live in four hours going from the overwhelming calmness of “preludio empañado” and “cometa de plumas, to uncontrollable 'descargas' like “Caranga” and “Paradis Quarter.” Latin American edition of Rolling Stone magazine, about the new CD by Sebastian Cruz and the Cheap Landscape Trio
>Sebastian Cruz and The Cheap Landscape.
Independent. 2008
>Tibaguí - Retrato
Independent. 2008
>Lucía Pulido - Luna Menguante
Adventure Music. 2008
>Coba - Canción Mandala
Chonta Records. 2006
>Samurindó - Cuando Ovejas
Chonta Records. 2006
>La Cumbiamba eNeYé
Chonta Records. 2006
>Lucía Pulido - Dolor de Ausencia
licensed in Colombia through FM records. 2005
>Coba - Coba
Independent. 2003
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Epiphone Casino with Lindy Fralin Pick-ups, Mesa Boogie Blue Angel Amp, Fender Blues Jr. w/jensen speaker amp, assortment of pedals (some home made!)including: Ernie Ball volume, Line 6 DL4, Voodoo Lab tremolo, Vintage ProCo RAT, Range Master (home made)and silcon fuzz face (home made)
