Roberto Fonseca: Zamazu

Born in 1975 in Havana (Cuba), pianist Roberto Fonseca had a meteoric early career. At age 15 he began to perform at Havana's international Jazz Plaza festival. In 1997 he and saxophone/clarinet player Javier Zalba founded the group Temperamento whose debut CD "En El Comienzo" was awarded "Best Jazz CD" at the Cubadisco Fair 1999. From 1999 to 2001 Roberto recorded three more albums under his own name. He also worked as a sideman pianist, hip hop producer, film composer and fashion model. Roberto Fonseca has been described as "the most promising and important talent in Cuban music", "a true revelation", "outstanding among pianists of his generation".

Roberto's career took an unexpected turn when he met Rubén González, Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo, Cachaíto López, Guajiro Mirabal, Manuel Galbán and all those legends out of the Buena Vista Social Club. In 2001 he was invited to replace Rubén González in the Ibrahim Ferrer Orchestra and played piano and keyboards for Ferrer in more than 400 concerts in Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. In 2002 he also joined Omara Portuondo's band. He was a featured soloist at the 2002 Tokyo Jazz Festival sharing the stage with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Mike Brecker.

A great live performer with an overwhelming stage presence, Roberto Fonseca shows a virtuosic, fiery, eclectic, sometimes nearly orchestral approach to the piano. In Ferrer's words: "Boy, can the kid play!" A mixture of Cuban soul and jazz history, Fonseca's piano artistry includes unbelievable high-energy runs on the keyboard, a trace of Monk's angularity and a fine sense for poetic melodies. On his new album "Zamazu" he is assisted by his long-term musical partner Javier Zalba (clarinet, soprano sax, alto sax, flute) and an incredibly flexible Cuban/Brazilian rhythm section. Offering Latin jazz of the highest order, Fonseca's musical fantasy ranges from ecstatic joyfulness to dark, dramatic moods, from airy ear-catchers to slightly oriental mellowness. Says Variety magazine: "He is paving the way firmly for Buena Vista Social Club: The Next Generation."