Equatorial

Biography

Biography Born in Quito Ecuador, Alex Alvear is a composer, arranger, bassist and singer with a musical career spanning more than 26 years.  During his musical life in Ecuador, Alex was co-founder and co-director of Promesas Temporales and Rumbasón, two ensembles who forged a milestone in the development of the new Ecuadorian music.  In 1986 he traveled to Boston in order to study Composition and Jazz Arranging at Berklee College of Music.  After less than one year in Boston, Alex was already w...

Biography Born in Quito Ecuador, Alex Alvear is a composer, arranger, bassist and singer with a musical career spanning more than 26 years.  During his musical life in Ecuador, Alex was co-founder and co-director of Promesas Temporales and Rumbasón, two ensembles who forged a milestone in the development of the new Ecuadorian music.  In 1986 he traveled to Boston in order to study Composition and Jazz Arranging at Berklee College of Music.  After less than one year in Boston, Alex was already working on diverse projects with arranging, bass and singing in the genres of Latin Jazz, Afro-Latin folklore and Salsa.  At the end of the 80's he was one of the founders and the director of the group Aché,  which was a pioneer of Afrocuban music in Boston and received various nominations for the Boston Music Awards.  During this time he worked with renowned latin musicians including percussionist and singer Orlando "Puntilla" Rios, percussionist Daniel Ponce and the famed singer Celia Cruz. His musical career includes numerous participations in Jazz, Folklore and World Music festivals at the national level as much in the US as in Latin America and Europe.  Since 1988 he has appeared extensively in schools, universities and arts associations in Massachusetts teaching and giving concerts, demonstrations and classes in the music of the Caribbean and Latin America. Among others, Alex has appeared with such artists as Israel Lopez "Cachao", Paquito D'Rivera, Phil Woods, John Santos, OSvaldo Golijov, Lalo Rodriguez, Luisito Quintero, Nestor Torres, Chiara Civello, Raices Habaneras, Las Hermanas Marquez, Jonatha Brooke & The Story, Candido, Jamey Haddad, Alain Mallet and Francisco Aguabella. In 1996 Alvear embarked on an original music project entitled Mango Blue, which incorporates elements of Jazz, R&B and Funk fused with traditional Afrolatin music.  Mango Blue has performed at the local, regional, national and international level in prestigious concert halls, festivals, clubs and concert series, as well as appearing on numerous radio and television programs.  En 2003 Alvear was invited by PBS and its network in Boston, WGBH, in order to make a television special about Mango Blue, which was rebroadcast over 65 national public television stations, which program received an Emmy.  His first album, "IMMIGRANT BLUES", includes 12 tunes composed and arranged by Alvear.  In addition to his work with Mango Blue, Alvear performs with numerous artists in New York in genres ranging from Jazz, Latin and Brazilian to traditional Afrocuban, Funk and Rock. Manguito, an off-shoot of Mango Blue has been providing educational programs for K-12 schools, colleges and universities in the New England region for over ten years, as part of Young Audiences of Massachusetts.  This program offers workshops and lecture/performance demonstrations on the music of the Caribbean and Latin America.  In addition, Manguito performs extensively in festivals, clubs and corporate engagements. In 2006, thanks to the funding of FONSAL, Alvear finished production of "EQUATORIAL", a project inspired by traditional music of Ecuador, which includes fourteen compositions and original arrangements.  This project joined the talents of 18 musicians from different parts of the world, including the famed Paquito  D'Rivera.  "Equatorial" is the result of almost 20 years of work as a composer.  Produced by Alain Mallet, Equatorial includes such traditional rhythms as Pasillo, Sanjuanito, Albazo, Yumbo and Bomba with a very personal interpretation incorporating modern and traditional song elements, as well as Jazz, Tango, and Afrolatin music.  Despite all of these influences, Alvear's purpose has been to maintain the essence of each traditional style, keeping in tact the flavor and essential identity of each. Alex Alvear has also been an active promoter and producer of Latin art and culture in New England, including the production of New England's only Latino performance series, amongst other arts programs at Villa Victoria Center for the Arts since 1992.  This cultural program has been promoted through IBA, an association for the development of Latino community with headquarters in Boston, where Alvear works as  Performance and Production Manager. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.