Kites Over Havana
Paquito D’Rivera Presents: The Vitral Saxophone Quartet featuring Paquito D’Rivera.
Colors of a Vitral
In 1927, saxophonist Marcel Mule founded in Paris the ‘Quatuor de la Garde Republicaine”, probably the premier saxophone quartet in history. Like a modern Joseph Haydn who gave rise to the first String Quartet, the creation of “Le Patron” – as the French virtuoso was called with devotion by a legion of admirers – led to thousands of saxophone ensembles that have sprung up like mushrooms around the world.
The Island of Cuba was not an exception and in 1943 Tito D’Rivera, a young and restless habanero tenor sax player brought together with Vicente Viana and other enthusiasts, the group they named “Conjunto Sinfonico de Saxofones”, which debuted in the Espadero hall of the National Conservatory with works by Gottschalk, Lecuona, Albeniz, Cervantes, Mozart, Gilberto Valdes and Garcia Caturla.
Years later, that nearly lost tradition of the classical saxophone in our country was revitalized by professor Carlos Averhoff, who organized his own quartet in the early 1970s. It was especially for his group that I wrote “Wapango”, the piece that opens the present CD.
In the Spanish language, Vitral means stained glass window, so the tireless Oscar Gongora and his “Saxophonians” do honor to the name of the group with this colorful collection of music by Aldemaro Romero, Roman Filiu, Alejandro Garcia Caturla, Gabriel Senanes and the one who modestly signs this note, feeling like he’s in heaven among all these creative composers and instrumentalists.
Saxophonically yours:
Paquito D’Rivera
Vitral Saxophone Quartet
- Oscar Gongora – soprano saxophone
- Roman Filiu – alto saxophone
- Alejandro Rios – alto, tenor saxophone
- Raul Cordies – baritone saxophone
Featuring:
- Paquito D’Rivera – clarinet, soprano saxophone (2, 3, 4)
- Yosvany Terry – tenor saxophone, shekere (2, 3, 4, 6, 12)
- Dr. Paul Cohen – C melody saxophone (4)
- Dr. Adonis Gonzalez – piano (2, 3, 6)
Tracks
- Wapango (Saxophone Quartet) by Paquito D’Rivera
- Afro (Saxophone Quartet, Piano and Shekere) by Paquito D’Rivera
- Kites Over Havana (Saxophone Quartet, Clarinet and Piano) by Paquito D’Rivera
- Berceuse (Saxophone Septet) by Alejandro Garcia Caturla
- Zapateo Oriental by Roman Filiu
- Tan Tango (Saxophone Quartet & Piano) by Gabriel Seanes
- Cuarteto Latino Americano Para Saxofones by Aldemaro Romero
- I Fandango
- II Serenata
- III Choro Y Tango
- Momento Musical by Alejandro Garcia Caturla
- La Nana by Roman Filiu
- Berceuse Campesina by Alejandro Garcia Caturla
Paquito Records/Sunnyside Records. (Read the full press release – PDF.)
