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Alfredo Rodriguez

Painted in the broadest of strokes, the stories of Alfredo Rodriguez and Pedrito Martinez may seem similar: both started life in Havana, discovered their gifts and passions for music and headed to the States, where they melded the music of their homeland with a wide variety of influences, each in his own deeply personal way.

Zoom in a little, though, and the two paths differ considerably. Rodriguez was born into a musical family, his father a popular singer and TV host. A child prodigy, he studied classical piano at the prestigious Conservatorio Amadeo Roldán and Instituto Superior de Arte while playing popular music in his father’s orchestra by night. While performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2006 he was discovered by his future mentor and producer, the legendary Quincy Jones.

Martinez, on the other hand, honed his craft on the streets of Havana, learning the deeply-rooted percussion and vocal style of Afro-Cuban folkloric and religious music. Nearly a decade Rodriguez’s senior, the master percussionist and vocalist arrived in the U.S. in 1998, was soon awarded First Place at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Afro-Latin Hand Drum Competition, and appeared in the documentary film, Calle 54. He then co-founded a Latin fusion group, Yerba Buena, with which he toured extensively and recorded several successful albums. Pedrito has performed or recorded with Wynton Marsalis, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Angelique Kidjo, Chucho Valdés, and James Taylor. He has been leader of his own quartet since 2005 with a GRAMMY® Award-nominated album released in 2013 on Motéma Music. 

As a result of their differences, Rodriguez and Martinez share a natural chemistry that makes for a galvanizing musical experience when they come together. Their first duo outing, Duologue (due out February 1, 2019 and available for pre-order now via Mack Avenue Records), finds the pair exploring a range of moods and influences, from Cuban classics to collaborative original compositions to a number of unexpected favorites.

Despite their shared Cuban roots, Rodriguez and Martinez didn’t cross paths until both had moved to the States. The pianist caught a set by the always-thrilling Pedrito Martinez Group at a jazz festival and instantly knew he wanted to work with the percussionist. “There are times when you feel something and know that you want to collaborate with someone,” Rodriguez explains. “That was one of those occasions.”

The first opportunity for the two to team up came with the recording of Rodriguez’s second album for Mack Avenue, The Invasion Parade, on which Martinez’s stirring vocals and virtuosic percussion appear on two tracks. Busy schedules kept them on separate paths for the next several years, until they reconvened for a stint at New York City’s Jazz Standard and a short tour in early 2017, their first chance to test the waters as a duo.

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Radio & Podcasts

Finders Keepers

Read "Finders Keepers" reviewed by Michael Ambrosino


All racked up and ready to go! Your latest musical adventure celebrating our 80th episode! The best that Jazz has to offer on Currents--your soundtrack to the future voice of Jazz. Featuring Alfredo Rodriguez, Kurt Elling, Charlie Hunter,Miguel Zenon, Luis Perdomo, Wayne Escoffery, Clark Sommers, Walter Smith III, Nicole Zuraitis, Johnathan Blake, Arman Sangalang, Thomas Marriott and Michael Feinberg. ...

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Album Review

Alfredo Rodriguez: Duologue

Read "Duologue" reviewed by Chris Mosey


Alfredo Rodriguez is the classically trained son of Cuban singer/composer “Alfredito" Rodriguez. In 2009, he accompanied his father on a concert tour of Mexico, decided not to return to his homeland, and asked for political asylum in the U.S. Once there, he began a music career aided by veteran producer Quincy Jones. In 2015, he won a Grammy nomination for his arrangement of the classic Latin American folk song “Guantanamera" at the 57th GRAMMY Awards.Pedrito Martinez is a ...

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Album Review

Alfredo Rodriguez/Pedrito Martinez: Duologue

Read "Duologue" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


When running down the names of notable and somewhat recent Cuban exports in the jazz realm, Alfredo Rodriguez and Pedrito Martinez both rank at the top of the list. Rodriguez, a conservatory trained pianist with a strong familial connection to the aural arts, came under the wing of the great Quincy Jones back in 2006. He made his way to the United States three years later and began taking the world by storm when he delivered his stunning debut--Sounds Of ...

Album Review

Alfredo Rodriguez: Tocororo

Read "Tocororo" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Il terzo disco del pianista cubano scoperto da Charlie Haden conferma il sodalizio col produttore Quincy Jones e la permanenza nell'etichetta di Detroit. Dopo l'acclamato Sound of Space, legato alla tradizione musicale della sua isola e l'eccellente conferma in The Invasion Parade, intriso di riferimenti etnici e classici, Rodriguez amplia notevolmente la prospettiva. Il disco prende il nome dall'uccello simbolo di Cuba, che non sopravvive in gabbia ed è visto come simbolo di libertà. Il pianista intende esprimerla ...

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Live Review

Alfredo Rodriguez at the Jazz Standard: Cuban Piano Prodigy's NYC Debut

Read "Alfredo Rodriguez at the Jazz Standard: Cuban Piano Prodigy's NYC Debut" reviewed by Giovanni Russonello


Alfredo Rodriguez Trio Jazz Standard New York, New York July 28,2009

Alfredo Rodriguez is fond of saying that music has been his life since he was very young. The thing is, he's still very young.

But the story of this 23-year-old pianist's daring defection from Cuba, his uncanny virtuosity--enough to pique the interest of Quincy Jones--and his all-hands-on-deck enthusiasm at the keyboard indicate that music will be his fiber for as long ...

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Album Review

Alfredo Rodriguez y Los Acereko: Cuban Jazz

Read "Cuban Jazz" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Muy Caliente Por El Fuego De Madera ...

In the wake of the moribund condition of the fine Naxos Jazz label, Naxos World pick up the slack with an excellent Cubano jazz release by the famous Cuban expatriate Alfredo Rodriguez. Born in Havana in 1936, Rodriguez percolated in that musical melting pot, assimilating classical and jazz influences until 1960 when he moved to Manhattan where he stayed until he migrated to another Cuban–dense community, Miami, where he lived and worked ...

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Performance / Tour

Jazz this week: Alfredo Rodriguez & Pedrito Martinez, Tim Rushlow, and more

Jazz this week: Alfredo Rodriguez & Pedrito Martinez, Tim Rushlow, and more

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features a couple of noteworthy duo performances, a country singer turned big-band crooner, a new location for one of Grand Center's jazz spots, and more. Let's go to the highlights... Wednesday, February 1 Pianist Alfredo Rodriguez and percussionist/vocalist Pedrito Martinez will perform for the first of four nights at Jazz at the Bistro. The two Cuban natives will be joining forces as a duo for the first time ...

Video / DVD

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Alfredo Rodriguez and Pedrito Martinez

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Alfredo Rodriguez and Pedrito Martinez

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week, StLJN's video spotlight shines on pianist Alfredo Rodriguez and percussionist and singer Pedrito Martinez, who are coming to St. Louis for a series of duo performances starting Wednesday, February 1 through Saturday, February 4 at Jazz at the Bistro. Both Martinez, 43, and Rodriguez, who's 31, are originally from Cuba, and came to the United States to pursue their musical careers in 1998 and 2009, respectively. Martinez settled in New York City, and was part of the group ...

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Contest

Enter the "Alfredo Rodriguez - The Invasion Parade" Giveaway at All About Jazz!

Enter the "Alfredo Rodriguez - The Invasion Parade" Giveaway at All About Jazz!

Source: All About Jazz

All About Jazz members are invited to enter the Mack Avenue Records “Alfredo Rodriguez - The Invasion Parade“ giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on April 22nd. Click here to enter the contest (Becoming a fan of Alfredo Rodriguez at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.) Good luck! Your Friends at Mack Avenue Records About The Invasion Parade Co-Produced by Quincy Jones, Rodríguez’ champion and mentor, and featuring a ...

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Recording

Cuban Pianist Alfredo Rodríguez, Quincy Jones Co-Produce "Sounds Of Space"

Cuban Pianist Alfredo Rodríguez, Quincy Jones Co-Produce "Sounds Of Space"

Source: Michael Ricci

Alfredo Rodríguez brings a lot to the jazz table. But the pianist and composer has been through a lot in his 26 years. Growing up in Havana, Cuba couldn't have been easy. Having an entertainment industry giant such as his father (TV presenter, popular singer) certainly provided the creative outlet, on-the-job training, and fostering of such amazing music to offset such hardship. Because this was Cuba, Rodríguez couldn't just pick up the drum sticks and go to town. He had ...

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Performance / Tour

Cuban Jazz Pianist Alfredo Rodriguez Performs at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston on Tuesday, September 13

Cuban Jazz Pianist Alfredo Rodriguez Performs at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston on Tuesday, September 13

Source: MassJazz: Jazz in Massachusetts

Cuban jazz pianist Aflredo Rodriguez is performing at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston, Massachusetts on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets to the show are $20 and can be purchased online. Rodriguez left Cuba in 2009 to pursue a musical career and has since played around the world. His influences range from Back and Beethoven to Bill Evens and Thelonius Monk. Quincy Jones, with whom Rodriguez has toured and collaborated with on new compositions, said about Rodriguez, “He ...

"[Alfredo] is very special and I do not say that easily because I have been surrounded by the best musicians in the world my entire life ... and he is the best!" —Quincy Jones

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Duologue

Mack Avenue Records
2019

buy

Tocororo

Mack Avenue Records
2016

buy

The Invasion Parade

Mack Avenue Records
2014

buy

Sounds of Space

Mack Avenue Records
2012

buy

Cuban Jazz

Unknown label
2002

buy

Qbafrica

From: Sounds of Space
By Alfredo Rodriguez

Videos

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