There are many ways for an artist to connect with listeners, but a strong first impression always leaves an irreplaceable mark upon an audience. A forgettable performance quickly fades into the background of our minds, becoming background noise in the club or a webpage that we passed through quickly. Strangely enough, we often remember those artists when we encounter them again, sometimes with curiosity, but most often with a negative response. When we met an artist for the first time and they deliver an offensive, boring, or simply poor performance, we usually brand the artist with that reputation, and if we can, we tend to avoid another encounter with them. Repeated exposure may change our opinions, but most likely a forgettable or negative experience leaves us disconnected from an artist. An inspiring performance burns an irremovable image into our heads of the artist, forever creating a positive association with the artist. We become inspired to buy their albums, visit their website, watch them on YouTube, and as soon as possible, we take the opportunity to hear the perform live again. Even if we later disagree with that musician’s artistic choices, that first memory of their performance always stays with us. For this reason, every performance becomes essentially important for the Latin Jazz artist - someone is always hearing them for the first time and that first impression always stays with them.

The first time that I heard harpist Edmar Castaneda, he hit me with an immediate respect and interest, something that has grown increasingly more intense after years of listening. A friend messaged me with a link to a video of a new artist that I simply had to hear; he described it as a harpist playing some incredible jazz. Initially I got visions of classically tinged jazz muzak in my head - not a sound that inspires me to find new music - so it took me a while to build the initiative and follow the link. When I got around to hearing my friend’s advice, I jumped to a video of Castaneda performing a solo piece and my whole perspective of the harp and it artistic possibilities simply exploded in my head. The mere physical act of playing the harp with such aggression, passion, and conviction captured me at first, but on many repeated listens, it was the depth of his musicality that hooked me. The ability to blend bass lines, chords, and melodies were impressive technically, and his handle upon thick jazz chords made the music colorful and interesting. Castaneda obviously understood Colombian harp technique completely, but he expanded his horizons, integrating tense trills, percussive sound effects, and extended vamps. His songwriting seamlessly blended tradition Colombian harp music with jazz improvisation and additional Latin influence. It all seemed so coherent and fluid as well; Castaneda found the connections between each style and connected them respectfully. I quickly searched the internet for more video and all the information that I could find about this amazing young artist that opened my eyes to new possibilities.

Castaneda recently inspired me again with his latest release Entre Cuerdas, a fantastic mixture of Colombian music, jazz, and more. His technical and musical skills are in top form throughout the CD, marking a serious artistic advancement since my first encounter with his music. The recording captures each detail of this growth, from the acoustic beauty of his instrument to his brash percussive attacks - put on headphones, close your eyes, and you can picture Castaneda’s harp in the room with you. There are elements of piano stylings and at other times a bit of a guitaristic approach, but Castaneda never strays too far from his personal voice as an instrumentalist. With the help of drummer Dave Silliman and trombonist Marshall Gilkes, Castaneda creates huge waves of sound that break all pre-conceived notions of style and performance practice. Silliman attacks the music with a wide variety of rhythmic styles from across Central and South America as well as the Caribbean and an interactive spontaneity that keeps the music firmly rooted in jazz. Gilkes handles the trombone with an unbelievable control, playing unison harp lines with Castanada and improvising with a smart mix of taste and fire. Castaneda provides the bulk of the material, with eight deep compositions, drawing upon his vast influences, and one beautiful piece from Gilkes. Castaneda invites several guests into the musical mixture, including guitarist John Scofield, vocalist Andrea Tierra, percussionist Samuel Torres, and two outstanding contributions from vibraphonist Joe Locke. Each piece of Entre Cuerdas resonates with thought, commitment, passion, and insight, which, in the end, give us an outstanding recording.

I’ll be doing a full review of Entre Cuerdas here at LJC - this one is just too good to miss - but for now, check out a couple of videos and hear Castaneda for yourself. The first video features Castaneda, Silliman, and Gilkes performing “Cuarto De Colores” at The Jazz Standard in New York and the second film introduces you to the new album. If this is your first time to hear Castaneda, hold onto your hats, you’ve got an addictive treat ahead of you. If you’ve heard Castaneda before, sit back and get ready for the fun musical journey that you’ve come to enjoy. Either way, make sure that you watch these videos, there’s some incredible music in them. Enjoy!

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Edmar Castanedas Trio Performing “Cuarto De Colores” At Jazz Standard

Edmar Castanedas On Entre Cuerdas

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Castaneda’s Entre Cuerdas is available now, don’t miss this one! If you want a little bit more of Castaneda, take a minute to check out his previous release:

Cuarto De Colores

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Do you have a video to contribute to satisfy our weekly Latin Jazz video fix? If so, send it in - it’s time to feed our addiction. I’m looking for live performances, from any context. I’ll most likely be posting one video per week, but if you’ve got another idea, let’s talk. So come on Latin Jazz videographers, musicians, and fans - let’s share some of our memorable videos! Get my contact info HERE

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Check Out These Related Posts:
Weekly Latin Jazz Video Fix: Tutuma Social Club
Weekly Latin Jazz Video Fix: The Making Of Off & On, The Music Of Moacir Santos, Mark Levine & The Latin Tinge
Weekly Latin Jazz Video Fix: Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble
Weekly Latin Jazz Video Fix: Sofia Rei Koutsovitis & Avantrio

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