Isaias Lubo

Band: Orinoko

The band Orinoko is named after one of the largest rivers in South America originating along the southern borders of Venezuela and Brazil.

Orinoko is a young international band based in Leipzig, Germany. Its music draws from a variety of world influences, Latin-jazz, fusion, Latin-pop, Latin-funk, Cuban timba, samba, Venezuelan folk, cumbia, salsa, even a bit of J.S Bach and rock elements are mixed all together into a new Latin sound.

Orinoko's debut album “Viajeros” was published on June the 29th 2011 by the German label Heideck Records and distribution by Galileo MC.

“Viajeros” (English: Travellers) has been named after, the lyrics of the first track tune which talks about the immigrant's quest and identity; and is dedicated to all the people who due to the most diverse reasons begin a travel, a quest to far unknown places to find that special something at a personal level. The album artwork tells the story in comic form of a surreal journey, reflecting this same idea.

The band was founded by Isaias Lubo, a Venezuelan composer, violinist and singer in Leipzig, Germany in 2008 with the present line up of Pocho Rosales (Cuba - Drums), Roberto Fratta (Italy - percussion), on guitar and bass, the German musicians Matthäus Krzywdzinski and Ben Hohlfeld.

Orinoko has played in numerous well established venues throughout Germany like Die Nato, Werk II and Schaubühne Lindenfels in Leipzig, Objekt 5, Händelhaus in Halle, Latinauta stage at Carnival of the cultures in Berlin and Topos jazz club in Leverkusen. “Folker” germany's leading world music magazine chose them to be presented as one of Germany's emerging talents in 2011.

Orinoko were finalists at 2011 World music contest “Creole” in Germany where the band was contacted by Ulrich Doberenz the general director of TFF Rudolstadt Germany's biggest Folk-Roots-World music festival who signed them under his label “Heideck Records” the same year.

The band has been invited to play at the prestigious TFF Rudolstadt world music festival in 2012.

About the musicians:

Isaias Lubo, born 1980 in Maracay, Venezuela (Violin, Voice and Composition)

Born into a family of musicians, he started playing the violin when he was nine years old received music lessons from his father who is a violinist in the National Philarmonic Orchestra in Caracas, he also undertook independent classical violin lessons. Isaias was always surrounded with latin-american music, his grandmother was a “boleros” singer in the 70's. In Maracay his birth town Isaias was a member of the youth orchestra, when he was 16 years old he became a member of the symphonic orchestra of Aragua in Venezuela, he played in projects involving classical, venezuelan music and latin jazz.

In 1998 he moved to Paris, France until 2003 and during this period he studied violin with Emmanuel Jaeger and Fréderic Pelassy and took part at workshops with Kristof Barati and Israel Chorberg at the same time he kept in touch with latin- american music playing and singing in latin bands. Since 2007 he has studied music and pedagogies at the university of music & theatre in Leipzig, Germany.

His compositions put all these different influences together, coming from Venezuela where as he says: “People are very much in touch with very different music styles, you may be travelling on a bus and you will hear salsa or any venezuelan or latin american music, at a concert hall we heard and played classical music, joropo or jazz, i always liked latin ska and rock, at home they sung boleros... in a country with such mixed musical culture it's sometimes difficult to put a line between the genres and thats something i like. I try to mix all those influences in my compositions.”

His interest for hispanic culture motivated Isaias to study romance linguistics and philology at the University of Leipzig where he achieved bachelor of arts in 2011.

Roberto Fratta, born in San Doná di Piave, Italy 1978 (Percussion)Roberto began to work professionally in music in 1999 in Leipzig. Later he travelled to Havana, Cuba to study with Joaquin Pozo. In 2001 he started studying Percussion at the university of music & theatre in Leipzig, Germany with Axel Schüler and Peter Bauer.

In this same year he traveled to Senegal to study with Kissima Djabate. In 2003 he began studying with Sourhakata Djabate (Guinea) in Italy where in 2005 he met Seydou Dao (Burkina Faso) who became his teacher as well. Seydou Dao's style inspired Roberto and he decided to travel to Burkina Faso between 2006/2007 where he studied with different teachers. He graduated from the Leipzig university of music & theatre in 2010. Roberto is active as a percussionist in Germany in different Band projects playing west african percussion, salsa, latin jazz and funk.

  Alfredo “Pocho” Rosales, born 1982 in Las Tunas, Cuba (Drums) Alfredo began learning to play the drums at the age of 9, at 12 he started taking percussion lessons with his main teachers Ricardo Mayo and Joaqui-n Nodarse. By the age of 17 he was working as a professional drummer for Cuban popular music as a member of the orchestra from “Cabaret Tai-no” in Las Tunas, Cuba. Later he worked as a percussionist with the band “Fiebre Latina” and the latin orchestra “Jorgito y su big band”. From there he played in the band “Eclipse” which mixed cuban popular music with jazz, this band was conducted by the trumpet player Basilio Márquez from the world renowned Cuban band Irakere, with this band he won the second prize at the competition for latin orchestras in the festival from Baranquilla carnival in Colombia. Since 2008 he has lived in Leipzig, Germany working as a percussionist in numerous latin, jazz, rock/funk, and world music projects.    

Matthäus Krzywdzinski, born 1980 in Bydgoscz, Poland (Guitar) Matt learned how to play the guitar when he was twelve years old, by the time he was 14 he started studying classical guitar with Frank Begere in Berlin and at 16 he continued his studies with Volkmar Abranowski (classical guitar) and Jörg Schippa (Jazz guitar) at that time he was playing Blues, Rock and Jazz in Berlin Clubs.

In 2002 he began studying Jazz guitar at the university of music & theatre in Leipzig, Germany with teachers such as Joachim Schönecker and Werner Neumann. In 2007 he got a scholarship from DAAD to study in Amsterdam; there he had received lessons with Jesse van Willmot. He had workshops with Joe Lovano, Peter o'Mara and Brett Willmot. He graduated from Leipzig university of music & theatre in 2011.  

  Ben Hohlfeld born 1980 in Erfurt, Germany (Bass) Ben started playing Bass at the age of 14 and double bass at the age of 16, in 1999 he won the german prize “jugend musiziert” with a special prize for the best interpretation for a work from the 20th century. In 2000 he won the prize “Jugend Jazzt” in Mecklenburg Vorpommern in Germany. Ben is active in the Leipzig jazz scene. He graduated from the Leipzig university for music & theatre in 2010.