“Balsa de Fuego” / Colombian world music

“Balsa de Fuego” / Colombian world music Presented by Terraza 7.

Date: Friday, August 9, 2024.

Time: 10:00 pm.

Admission: $20: Cover charge for mezzanine.

Featuring:

• Justin Flynn / Saxophones
• Melissa Baena / Trombone
• Daniel Neville / Marimba; vibraphone
• Andres Fonseca / Drums
• Juan Sebastián Monsalve / Bass Guitar and direction.

About “Balsa de Fuego”:

This band blends Caribbean Cumbia, Joropo from the Colombo-Venezuelan plains, Currulao from the Colombo-Ecuadorian Pacific coast, and North American jazz. Led by Colombian composer Juan Sebastian Monsalve, known for his pioneering work with Curupira, the project brings together diverse musicians from the New York music scene, achieving a powerful contemporary sound rooted in tradition.

About Juan Sebastian:

Juan Sebastian, a bass player from Bogotá, is a crucial figure in the history of jazz in Bogotá. Reviewing Monsalve’s biography and musical career covers much of the historical development and growth of the Bogota jazz scene over the last quarter-century. He has performed at Jazz al Parque with emblematic groups such as the Tico Arnedo Quartet, María Sabina, and his projects like Curupira and Juan Sebastian Monsalve Jazz Cuarteto. Monsalve has also collaborated with international jazz greats like Anat Cohen, Sofía Rei, Jeff Ballard, and Jason Lindner. His versatility allows him to navigate various musical genres beyond jazz, including punk, rock, academic music, rap, Indian music, and a wide range of Colombian folk music.

In the 2000 edition of Jazz al Parque, he met musicians with whom he later recorded a key album in Colombian jazz discography, “El Bunde Nebuloso,” in New Jersey. For 20 years, he has directed and played bass for Curupira, a forerunner of new Colombian music. Monsalve has participated as a composer, producer, arranger, bass player, and guest soloist in projects with artists such as Susana Baca (Peru), Sofía Rei (Argentina), El Kanka (Spain), Tita Parra (Chile), Dora Juárez (Mexico), Jason Lindner (USA), Kraken, 1280 Almas, Andrés Cabas, Maía, and Carlos Vives, among others.