Home » Jazz Musicians » Marialy Pacheco
Marialy Pacheco
Born in Havana, Cuba in 1983, Marialy began her musical education at the age of seven studying piano in one of Cuba’s most prestigious Conservatoriums (Alejandro Garcia Caturla Conservatorium). At the age of 15 she was accepted into the National School of Arts (Escuela Nacional de Artes) in Havana, studying under Olga Valiente. At the age of 20 she was accepted into the National University of Arts in Havana, (Instituto Superior de Artes de la Havana) where she studied under Tulio Peramo for three years.
At the age of fifteen she was invited to Asturias, Spain, for her first international performance at the Festival de Jovenes Talentos. In 2002, at the age of 19, she won the Cuban competition Jo-Jazz, with Grammy award-winner Chucho Valdez presiding over the jury, and in 2004 she was invited to Bremen, Germany to record her first album Bendiciones with Weltwunder Records.
Relocating to Germany in 2004 she continued to tour Europe and build her international reputation. She was invited three consecutive years to perform in Festival Son Cuba, a touring performance that celebrates Cuban traditional music and tours Europe annually. As well as, touring extensively throughout Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands, both as a solo pianist and with her trio.
In 2006 she was invited to perform with “Cuba Percussion” (percussionists from the Sony project “Classic meets Cuba”) at the Dresden Jazz festival, and in the same year, was awarded with the Second Prize at Choral Gables Congregational Church Florida for her work for string orchestra “Güajira para Tulio”. In 2008 she was a guest soloist at concerts with Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel.
Marialy Pacheco has released 5 independent albums and in 2011 was a finalist at Europa Fest International Jazz Competition in Bucharest, Romania.
Steeped in the rhythms of her native Cuba and influenced by her love of jazz Marialy Pacheco’s third solo piano album, “Song’s That I Love” features eight “first take” tracks recorded over three hours at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts in Brisbane.
“Songs That I Love” is a captivating album of sound treasures that uncovers the vibrant musical talents of young pianist and composer Marialy Pacheco in her first Australian album release.
Tags
Marialy Pacheco: Danzón Cubano
by Ian Patterson
You can take the girl out of Cuba, but you can't take Cuba out of the girl. Pianist Marialy Pacheco left her homeland for Germany in 2004, and after a few years in Australia, settled once again in Germany. Wherever Pacheco has dropped anchor, however, she has turned to her island's music for inspiration. Nestled amongst her own compositions, albums such as Songs That I Love (Pinnacles Music, 2012), Introducing (Neuklang Records, 2014) and Duets (Neuklang, 2017) have been liberally ...
read moreMarialy Pacheco: Introducing
by Ian Patterson
The album title is something of a misnomer as Introducing is Marialy Pacheco's seventh release as leader since Benediciones (Weltwunder Records, 2005). The jny:Melbourne-based Cuban's stock has certainly risen since that introduction, notably as a result of becoming the first female winner of the Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition in 2012. A noted classical pianist too, Pacheco has recited Bach with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and guested with the Queensland Chamber Orchestra, the Camerata of St. John's. For her ...
read moreMarialy Pacheco: Spaces Within
by Ian Patterson
Spaces Within is Cuban pianist Marialy Pacheco's first trio CD since making Brisbane, Australia her home in 2009, though it's her fourth overall. It follows Songs That I Love (Pinnacle Records, 2011), an impressive solo outing where Pacheco displayed all the strengths that won her the Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition award in 2012. As good as that solo album is, Pacheco clearly thrives in the trio setting, and drummer Joe Marchisella and brother Pat Marchisella on bass prove ...
read moreMarialy Pacheco: A Sunshine State of Mind
by Ian Patterson
It takes courage and self-belief to up sticks and try your luck in another country. There is, after all, no guarantee that things will work out, and some hard times are almost assured. The language barrier can leave you feeling utterly isolated, and until you gain fluency it is not possible to be truly yourself. It's essential to pack a good supply of hope before embarking, and equally important upon arrival to maintain the ability to laugh at life's sometimes ...
read moreMarialy Pacheco: Songs That I Love
by Ian Patterson
For her third solo album, and first for Australian label Pinnacles Music, Cuban pianist Marialy Pacheco follows her truest muse--the songs closest to her heart. It follows that the eight tracks--Cuban compositions, two by Jerome Kern, two originals, and one by Paul Simon--were recorded with minimum fuss in just three hours. Consequently, these performances have a refreshingly vital immediacy, and an exciting improvisational vein, which begs the question why more artists don't take this approach in the studio. Pacheco's strong ...
read more