Featuring musicians from Cuba, Venezuela and Canada, the Zapato Negro quartet has rapidly been building a reputation in Vancouver for its own exciting blend of progressive jazz and Afro-Caribbean rhythm. Its members have played this music at the highest level, making contributions of their own internationally to the music as a whole.
Knowing it's not enough to have talented individuals, Zapato Negro has become a real band through hard work and communication, enabling them to develop an eclectic and exciting repertoire that includes original compositions, underplayed jazz standards done in clave and classics of Latin music reworked, reharmonized or re-rhythmicized in jazz.The quartet plays the Pender Harbour Music Society's School of Music on May 25 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 and available at John Henry's in Garden Bay, Harbour Insurance in Madeira Park and Talewind Books in Sechelt.
According to bassist/composer Allan Johnston, "The idea for Zapato Negro was planted on my first visit to Cuba in 1998. My intention was to seek out Cuban bands and musicians."
While there, Johnston met drummer Gilberto Moreaux, one of the most in demand players on the Havana scene. A few years later, he immigrated to Canada and settled in Vancouver, where he was playing regular gigs with pianist Andre Abreu, who was born in Canada and raised in Caracus, Venezuela. Put them all together and add a touch of Havana-born trumpeter, Miguelito Valdes, and you have an international dish of incredible and varied flavours.
For more details on the concert, see www.penderharbourmusic.ca.
