Distancia Rodrigo Almonte

• 1 Toribio [6535 km] 04:15
• 2 OCD [10000 km] 08:45
• 3 Crown Heights [6535 km] 05:46
• 4 Shorter Steps [10000 km] 07:54
• 5 Noggin [10759 km] 07:22
• 6 Utjawi [2527 km] 03:58
• 7 The Journey of the Lonely Cloud [10000 km] 11:33
• 8 In the Depth of Winter [10000 km] 07:13
• Total Runtime 56:46

Info for Distancia

How far do you need to go to experience music more intimately? In what direction should you embark on a musical journey? I can’t think of a straight and universal answer to these questions, but I know that beautiful and enticing music comes from a plethora of experiences, a creative journal nurtured by different cultures, moments in time, places in this world.

Every piece of music on DISTANCIA is an honest representation of a pilgrimage of different distances that I had to walk, musically and geographically speaking, in order to find inspiration and to create a representation of myself and my experiences as a musical nomad.

Every image on DISTANCIA is also a search for beauty and uniqueness in nature. I was inspired by photographer Kel Portman’s project Walking the Land, for which he decided to walk a set distance in different directions starting from the same place in order to capture the complex variety and beauty that this world has to offer, and to celebrate this variety by creating artistic masterpieces that are only possible thanks to the visual syncretism created by the influences of different environments.

I relate this process of artistic syncretism to my musical journey; different distances travelled, different directions taken, different cultures that nurtured my way of composing and improvising, from classical music to contemporary jazz, passing through traditional Peruvian and Brazilian music.

All of these influences, together with the unique musical path that each member of the band has walked and projected onto the performance, and the improvisation recorded on this album, represent a glimpse into a musical journey that hopefully inspires others to embark on their own adventure.

Rodrigo Almonte, guitar
Daniel Juárez, tenor saxophone
Lorenzo Vitolo, piano
Rafael Abdalla, bass
Roberto Pistolesi, drums
Rogerio Boccato, percussion (tracks 1, 3, 5, 8)
Michael Moore, alto sax (tracks 4, 5)

Rodrigo Almonte
is a Peruvian guitarist and composer based in Dublin. He has played extensively on the Peruvian and European jazz scene with his own different musical projects. His lyrical melodies, fresh chords and intricate rhythms are equally present and well-balanced on his solos and compositions. With his South American and contemporary jazz influences, Almonte brings a unique approach to music.

Born in Arequipa, Perú, Rodrigo Almonte started his musical studies from an early age immersing himself in Peruvian Music and later influenced by blues, latin music and jazz. In 2013 he won a scholarship to study at Souza Lima Conservatory in Sao Paulo, Brazil. At the same time he studied Composition and Arranging at EMESP in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In 2015 he went back to Peru to focus on studying the basis of Afro Peruvian and Andean Peruvian Rhythms with masters like Andres Prado and Hugo Alcazar. Almonte was awarded a scholarship to finish his studies in the prestigious Newpark Music Centre in Dublin, Ireland.

In 2018 Almonte was awarded the Hanze Scholarship to study a Master Degree in Jazz Performance at Prince Claus Conservatory in Groningen, Holland with a semester abroad in NYC, where he received lessons from some of the finest musicians from the New York Jazz Scene and graduated Cum Laude. Some of his mentors were: Lage Lund, Yotam Silberstein, Victor Gould, Tommy Halferty, Lupa Santiago, among others.

Rodrigo is the co-founder of Peruvian Jazz Project and has recorded with various projects in Peru, Brazil and Ireland and aims to release his debut album “Distancia” as a leader soon.

This album contains no booklet.