Duende PromoPage - The Phillips Agency

DUENDE QUARTET
Duende, a word of Andalusian origin literally meaning goblin or imp, is
sometimes described as the indefinable, magical power of creativity
that results in a work of art, or simply as soul. Kenneth Tynan used the
term duende to describe the understated music of jazz pioneer Miles
Davis, and defined it as "...the ability to transmit a profoundly felt emotion
with the minimum of fuss and the maximum of restraint." Duende is a
musical value that has inspired all of the members of the quartet…
Harry Appelman — piano/keyboards
Josh Schwartzman — bass
Mark Merella — percussion
Sam "Seguito" Turner — percussion
duende
quartet
Photo: Frank Stewart for JALC
The Duende Quartet plays Latin Jazz in the style of Mongo Santamaria,
Cal Tjader and Willie Bobo with a nod to the Blue Note sound of the'60's.
In a unique small group setting Duende Quartet captures the vibe of the
jazz combo while using the rhythms of a Cuban conjunto. Duende has a
vast repertoire ranging from traditional Cuban songs to modern jazz
compositions.
The Duende Quartet has been chosen twice by Jazz at Lincoln Center to
tour internationally under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State's
American Music Abroad program. The group was one of six jazz
quartets to tour in 2007, and one of ten selected in 2009. Formerly
known as the Jazz Ambassadors, this program has hosted such
legendary musicians as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Dizzy
Gillespie. Duende played concerts and led workshops in India,
Bangladesh, the Philippines and Taiwan in March 2009, and in Turkey,
Albania, Cyprus and Bosnia in February 2007.
CRITICAL ACLAIM!
... Appelman plays piano with an economical, supple grace and beautifully developed
ideas. This is not a fiery Latin-Jazz outing typical of the genre but it has a thoughtfulness
that suggests the kind of approach Bill Evans might have taken were he a Latin player.
The result is a satisfying set with pleasurable discoveries throughout. Though the
outward fireworks may be muted, the interplay between Merella, Turner and Schwartz,
with Appelman's incisive lines yield the kind of heat that is generated from strong ideas
rather than the vacuity that results from blind virtuosity. All in all, this is a very satisfying
date and worthy of an enthusiastic recommendation.
— David Kane; Cadence Magazine, July 2008
LISTEN at: www.myspace.com/duendequartet
... The Duende Quartet specializes in small-combo arrangements for piano, bass and
percussion that are intimate, interwoven and, thanks to unexpected shifts in meter, delightfully inventive.
... It's Duke Ellington's "African Flower," however, that inspires the most alluring and subtly textured performance: a
rhythmically insinuating showcase for bassist Josh Schwartzman, best known for founding the Baltimore-based band
Rumba Club, and seasoned percussionists Mark Merella and Sam "Seguito" Turner.
— Mike Joyce; The Washington Post, March 28, 2008
"... happy, soothing, and jumping jazz..."
— Patricia Leslie; The Examiner, June 17, 2009
Harry Appelman
Performing jazz has taken Harry Appelman to five continents. In addition to the two Duende tours, he has performed at the Gnaoua and World Music
Festival in Morocco, at the Montreux Jazz Festival, and in Egypt with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. He participated in an earlier U.S.
State Department sponsored tour of South and Central America in 2002. Harry has toured with the Woody Herman Orchestra and the Artie Shaw
Orchestra. He was a finalist in both the 1987 and 1988 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competitions and a prizewinner in the 1989 Great
American Jazz Piano Competition. Harry has performed in small groups led by Eddie Daniels, Gary Thomas, George Garzone, Jerry Bergonzi, Jim
Snidero, Valery Ponomarev, Brian Lynch, Don Braden, Vincent Herring, Jack Wilkins and Walt Weiskopf, among others. He is a member of the Latin jazz
group Afro Bop Alliance and also plays with Palmetto recording artists Rumba Club.
Mark Merella
Mark Merella's professional career spans over 25 years, covering a wide range of styles. He has performed with Fred Foss, Rene Mclean, Tom Williams,
Eva Cassidy, Mary Wilson and percussionist Steve Berrios, co-founder of the Fort Apache Band. As part of Havana Select he played for Celia Cruz's
induction into the Smithsonian and at 1997's Black Music Conference in Chicago. Mark has played at many embassies, the White House and the
Kennedy Center. His educational experience includes residencies, workshops, private lessons and recording for the Warner Bros. band method series,
which is used in high schools across the country. A highlight of Mark's career was playing with the Latin Jazz All Stars alongside Steve Turre, Ray Vega
and Andy Gonzalez. He currrently co-leads the group Mosaic.
Josh Schwartzman
Josh is best known as founder, bassist and contributing arranger and composer for Rumba Club since its inception twenty-two years ago. He can also
be found playing bass or piano in a variety of musical settings. Josh studied at the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock, New York in the early eighties
and lived in Spanish Harlem where his interest in Latin music was nurtured. For several years, Josh studied arranging and composition privately with the
late Dr. Asher Zlotnik, of the Peabody Institute of Music. Josh has performed in the DC area musical theater scene, most recently in the 2008 Israeli
operetta "David in Shadow and Light", a modern and quirky biblical song and
dancefest, much of it in odd-time signatures. He has shared the stage with wellknown jazz and Latin musicians alike (Tito Puente, Billy Higgins, Giovanni Hidalgo,
David Williams, Nestor Torres, Jon Faddis).
Sam Turner
This highly esteemed percussionist, from New York City, has worked nationally and
internationally with such legends as Machito, Frank Sinatra, James Brown, Charles
Mingus, Dexter Gordon, Freddie Hubbard, Randy Weston, Don Pullen and many
others. He may be best known for his 15-year long stint as sideman with Lionel
Hampton, or his classic recordings with Monguito Santamaría that many feel defined
the boogaloo genre of the seventies. Sam has performed all over the world as well
as at some of the most prestigious concert venues in New York (Blue Note, Birdland)
and in the nation's capitol (Kennedy Center, Blues Alley). Sam is a recipient of the
United Nations Peace Award, and makes his home in Washington DC where he
performs with Rumba Club as well as with many other jazz and Latin artists and works
with the Prince George's Arts Council teaching and performing in schools.
The Phillips Agency
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