SAN JOSÉ JAZZ SUMMER FEST

SUNDAY - AUGUST 11, 2013

YOSVANY TERRY, NATALIE CRESSMAN AND PELLEJO SECO

PHOTOS BY TOM EHRLICH © 2013

This is the first of two or three galleries from Sunday, the last day of this year's Summer Fest.

I consider Cuban saxophonist and chekere master, Yosvany Terry, one of the most creative musicians alive.  Yosvany is a band leader, composer/arranger and educator.  He is constantly involved in new innovative projects, such as writing music for a contemporary opera, developing jazz music based on Arará music and rhythms and developing jazz music based on  parranda celebrations in Cuba as well as a new project which fuses jazz and classical music with Yosvany playing sax, a cello player and pianist.

Yosvany gave a talk about his career on Sunday morning at the Summer Fest and somehow after being up half the night, I made it to the lecture to listen and photograph.

Yosvany Terry

Yosvany and the interviewer

I have known Yosvany for a long time and even wrote an article on him once, but every time I hear him speak about his music and his life I learn something new.  He did a great job of explaining his music education in Cuba and how musicians are encouraged to share and pass on their knowledge and skills to the younger generation.

After finishing his lecture, Yosvany Terry performed with his quartet at the Main Stage.  His quartet consisted of four of the best jazz players in New York City which included:

YOSVANY TERRY - LEADER, SAX, CHEKERE

YUNIOR TERRY - BASS

OSMANY PAREDES - PIANO

OBED CALVAIRE - DRUMS

Yosvany Terry chekere

Obed Calvaire, a young Haitain American from Miami durmming style is a perfect match for Yosvany's style of Afro-Caribbean jazz

Left to right Yosvany Terry, Osmany Paredes and Carlos Caro (Cuban percussionist)

Obed Calvaire

Osmany Paredes

Yosvany sax and his brother Yunior Terry on bass

Yunior Terry

Natalie Cressman is a young trombonist, singer, composer and band leader who has a bright future in store.  The daughter of two musicians - Jeff Cressman (trombonist) and Sandy Cressman (vocalist), leads a band called Secret Garden. Natalie excells in all aspects of her music.

Natalie Cressman

Natalie on bone

Lead by the talented Ivan Camblor, Pellejo Seco is the San Francisco Bay Area's top Cuban Son Band.

Ivan Camblor tres and vocals

Sulkary Valverde

Antonio Lortado

Sulkary vocals, Ivan vocals and tres

Carlos Caro bongo and Carlos'  mother (who was visiting from Cuba) on maracas

Mario Silva trumpet, Carlos Caro's mom maracas

Left to right Gerardo Borras, Carlos Caro, Carlos'  mom

Ivan Camblor

Gerardo Borras

Sulkary Valverde and Yaniel Nario

Carlos Caro and his mom

Yaniel Nario

Gerardo Borras

Ivan Camblor

Antonuo Lortado