Category Archives: BIOGRAFÍA

Galician pianist, composer, arranger and producer.

 

REDUCED BIOGRAPHY

      • Grade in classical guitar by the CPM of Ourense, Galicia (Spain).
      • Certificate of recognition in specialising in jazz and modern music by the San Diego School of Performing Music – CA-USA of the American trombonist Hal Crook.
      • Founder of the Baio Assembly School of Vigo.
      • Artist awarded at festivals in San Sebastián (Basque country) Jazz, Festival Interceltique de Lorient (France), RNE, national press and television critics. His album Andaina was selected by the German CD-Kritik magazine among the three best records of pianists of the year 2007, including pianists from around the world. DIÁLOGOS DE RNE 3 radio program named him as the pioneer of the “Muiñeira Jazz”, or what is the same predecessor of mixing traditional music of Galicia with Jazz.
      • Jazz.pt, a  Portuguese magazine considered him as one of the most important figures of the Spanish and Galician jazz.
      • 11 recorded discs. The first produced by RNE and the 8 remaining in production for different national and international labels.
      • 12 discs in collaboration with different artists and labels.
      • Multiple concerts in different prestigious international festivals.
      • Professor  of piano jazz, composition and arrangements in CSMus of Coruña – Galicia – Spain.

        ABOUT HIS MUSIC

        His creative style mixes different genres of world music with jazz, such as jota, bulería, rumba, pateado, giga, medieval ‘cantigas’, vals-venezolano, vals-modinha, choros brasileiros, afro-pandeirada, alalá-blues, raga… resulting in a sound part of the current World-Jazz of Iberian origin. His discographic work, characterized by maintaining a programmatic line, has its origins in classical guitar, his thorough research into the jazz and his direct relationship with the traditional and popular music, that make a musician with its own voice, considered by critics of RNE as the precursor of the “Muiñeira-Jazz”.

        BIOGRAPHY

        He began his musical studies at the Conservatory of Ourense – Spain, where he graduated in classical guitar under the teachings of the master Tomás Camacho and immediately takes part in different concerts organised by the Asociación Guitarrística Galega de Vigo between the years 1978 – 80.

        He attends the historical seminars of Jazz of Banyoles – Girona (1980-81) organized by the Taller de Músicos, with American Masters of great recognition and international prestige: Thad Jones, Chuck Israels, Hal Crook, Steve Brown, Jim McNeely, Ben Riley, Bill Dobbins, Sal Nistico, Claudio Roditi, musicians who introduced him into the world of jazz. Alberto learns the true philosophy about this music from these Masters.

        In 1981, he studied at the Taller de Músics from Barcelona with Mario Lecaros and teaches classical guitar at this school.

        A few months later, he moved to California – USA to study harmony, improvisation and arranging with the American trombonist master Hal Crook, where he receives the recognition and the methodology to found the Baio Ensamble in Vigo – Spain, recognized as the first jazz school in Galicia, in 1983.

        Hal Crook recomendation letter – 1982

         

        Between the years 1982-84, he formed a guitar duo with guitarist Elías Quiroga and the Cuarteto de la Baio with guitarist Cuchús Pimentel acting at various festivals, outstanding the ones organized by Xuventudes Musicais de Vigo.

        Since 1985 its studies are dedicated to piano and it will be with this instrument that he will develop his future professional career focused on the years 1985 and 86, and the events concerning the school Escuela Baio Ensamble.

        This same year (1985) he participates in the 1st seminar of Jazz of Galicia in Poio – Pontevedra, organized by the Taller de Músicos de Madrid and directed by the American guitarist master Steve Brown,  and attending classes with Bill Dobbins and Steve Brown.

        In 1987 and for 3 years, he teaches jazz at the Conservatory of Santiago de Compostela, discipline that he alternates with performances and recordings with the Noroeste band while working as musical director and arranger for the Orquesta Los Satélites fom A Coruña.

        In 1990, he works again at the Escuela Baio Ensamble combining this job with the education and interpretation of jazz,  offering concerts, jam sessions and recordings.

        In 1993 he goes back to his studies of classical and Baroque harmony with maestro Pablo Beltran, coinciding with an order of the galician harpist and songwriter Emilio Cao, adapting his music for the classical Orchestra of Madrid within the Xacobeo 93 program.

        Between 1996 and 2000 he recorded two pioneer discs in the mixture of Galician folk music with jazz and symphonic music.  Ramón Trecet, the director of the program Dialogos 3 of RNE gave name to his style as the “Muiñeira Jazz”.

        This project is a prelude to create the Alberto Conde Trío with bassist Baldo Martínez and the percusionist Nirankhar Khalsa, working with him over the next 7 years, producing and recording two new albums for the Nuba – Karonte Records label and the participation in the album Flamenco Jazz with great international success.

        In 2002, premiered his opera prima Sonidos de Bitácora.

        In 2007 starts his job as teacher of piano jazz at the Conservatorio Superior of Music of A Coruña where continue teaching like professor.

        In 2009, the American guitarist Steve Brown invites him to collaborate in the production and recording of a new album in formation of Sextet, titled Atlantic Bridge, album recorded in New York and registered by Karonte (Spain) and Brown Cats (USA) . At that time, and under the direction of  Steve Brown, he teaches master classes and work-shops an the prestigious New York Cornell University and at Ithaca College.

        In 2012 he produced and recorded a new album titled “Villa-Lobos a new way” with the soprano Carmen Durán and the Atlantic Trio (base of the  Atlantic Bridge band, formed by bassist Kin García, drummer Miguel Cabana and the own Alberto Conde) with texts by the poet and musicologist JR Bustamante, who revises and adapts to jazz the work of the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos.  This disc was released in 2013 by Karonte Records, presented and edited with the sponsorship of the Xunta de Galicia.

        In 2014 he recorded and premiered a new recording project with the title Human Evolution Music Project in the X Festival Imaxina Sons of Vigo, programmatically revising human evolution and resulting from the crossbreeding of Iberian Jazz with the classical music of India and being pioneer in the interactive dialogue of the piano with the sitar. The disc is released by the label Jazz Records of Coimbra – Portugal.

        bio-ac2

In December 2015, a new work of artistic creation begins with the Cuban singer Diana Tarín, presented at the XXXI International Jazz Plaza Festival in Havana and which will give rise to the audiovisual project “Corriente del Golfo” in the coming years.In 2017, he performed a series of concerts in Lisbon with the Iberian Roots trio in order to record a new tribute album to the Portuguese pianist Bernardo Sassetti. The album is released by the Clean Feed label in 2019 under the title “The Wake of an Artist – Tribute to Bernardo Sassetti” later presented at the Lisboa Hot Clube, at the Encontros Internacionais de Jazz of Coimbra 2019 and the Camoes Foundation of Vigo, among other scenarios.

In 2018, he recorded the 2nd album of the Atlantic Bridge group at the Noela Theater in Noia, presenting the new project at the Noia Festival that same year.

In 2019, together with the academician Afonso Vázquez Monxardín, from the Royal Academy of the Galician Language, and the Galician historian and writer Luís Cuntín Docampo he developed the project “Jazzliza – A nosa voz de sempre nas nosas voces de hoxe: Desde Alfonso X a Xela Arias”; composition work and arrangements of 11 works based on the history of Galician poetry, composed in orchestral score for the C.S.M. Bigband by the jazz department of the Superior Conservatory of Music of A Coruña students and the collaboration of the composer Pablo Beltrán. Work premiered under the direction of Alberto Conde on 6/6/2021 at the Teatro Colón in A Coruña with the production of the City Council with the collaboration of the Department of Linguistic Normalization of Xunta de Galicia.

In 2020, he receives a commission from the Patronato García Lorca for the musical creation on poetic texts of the Granada Universal Poet, a work that will be performed and broadcast live from the Federico García Lorca Park in Alfacar – Granada on 8/18/2020 to commemorate the 84 Tribute to the poet and all the victims of the Spanish civil war.

In 2021, together with the bassist and composer Kin García, he produced the album “Portus Apostoli” for the Atlantic Bridge Jazz Project with the sponsorship of the Concello de Noia with the Xunta de Galicia collaboration, presenting the album at the 44 Vitoria – Gasteiz Jazz Festival.

In 2022 present the album Portus Apostoli with Atlantic Bridge Jazz Project in a II Jazz – Class Festival in Vigo – Galicia – Spain with organized and sponsored bay Vitruvia Café and Vigo Council.

AWARDS

    • 1986 Second Prize in the 21st Festival of Jazz of San Sebastian, within the first international competition held in the Plaza de la Trinidad with the Baio Ensamble group.
    • 1986 finalist in the first  Muestra Nacional de Jazz for young performers held in Mallorca and organized by the INJUVE with the Baio Ensamble group.
    • 1987 finalist in Primer Concurso Internacional de Composición para Orquesta de Jazz Contemporáneo, Fundación Plató -SGAE in Madrid.
    • 1990-first prize in Premio de la Crítica de RNE as musical director, composer and arranger of the album (LP) 50th anniversary of the Orquesta Los Satélites de A Coruña, edited by Fonomusic.
    • 1997 – Award group revelation at the Interceltic Festival of Lorient – France with Alberto Conde group, coinciding with the presentation of the album A Lagoa dos Atlantes.
    • 1997 – Premio Nuevas Músicas in the TVG Luar program and newspapers Faro de Vigo and Ideal Gallego prize for best galician vanguard disc with A Lagoa dos Atlantes.

      MEDIA

      He recorded for TVE programs: “Jazz entre amigos”,  “La Buena Música”, “Solo Jazz”

      RTP2 “Esectv”, different programs at RNE, RTVG, National Radio of Portugal, France, Italy, North American radios, etc.

      FESTIVALS

        • Throughout his career he has participated in different festivals of Jazz and new music such as:

       

      • Festival de Jazz de Murcia 1984
      • Festival de Jazz de San Sebastián 1986  (2nd Prize in the first international competition with Baio Ensemble)
      • Mostra Nacional Jazz Mallorca 1986
      • Festival Intercéltico de Lorient, 1997
      • Festival de Música y Danza de Granada 2002
      • Festival Internacional de Jazz y Blues de Pontevedra 2003
      • Muestra Nacional Jazz Salamanca 2004
      • Jazz ao Centro Coimbra 2005 (Portugal)
      • Ressons jazz 2005 (Espai de Barcelona)
      • Festival Internacional de Jazz de San Javier 2005
      • Festival Imaxina Sons 2006 (Vigo)
      • II Ciclo 1906 (Estrella de Galicia) 2009
      • Festival Imaxina Sons 2010 (Vigo)
      • Universijazz Alcalá de Henares, Guadalajara y Torrejón 2010
      • Odio L’Estate, Festival Villa Carpegna (Roma) 2010
      • XVI CICLO DE JAZZ BARRIÉ DE LA MAZA 2011
      • X Festival Imaxina Sons 2014 (Vigo)
      • XI Festival Imaxina Sons 2015 con la Orquesta de Jazz de Galicia.
      • XXIV Jazz no Parque – Serralves 2015 – Oporto.
      • III Festival IKFEM 2015 – Tui – Valença.
      • XXXI Festival Internacional Jazz Plaza – 2015 La Habana.
      • 2019 Naples Piano City Festival – Main Concert – Antisala del Maschio Angioino
      • Encontros Internacionais de Jazz de Coimbra – Portugal 2019
      • 84 Tribute to the poet and all the victims of the Spanish civil war. Alfacar – Granada 2020
      •  44 Vitoria – Gasteiz Jazz Festival 2021
      • 2nd Jazz – Class Festival of Vigo 2022

COLLABORATIONS

He has played with musicians such as Kenny Wheleer, Roy Hargroove, Hal Crook, Steve Brown, John Stowell, Jorge Pardo, Scott Hamilton, Walter White, Rosario Giuliani, Carlos Barretto, Alexandre Frazão, Baldo Martínez, Nirankar Khalsa, Cuchus Pimentel, Shakir Khan, Vikas Triphati, Kin García, Giovanni Amato, Giulio Martino, Giampiero Virtuoso, Miguel Cabana, Yissy García, Rodolfo Argudín “Peruchín”, Roberto Somoza, Diana Tarín, José Valente and others.

In the field of education, he teached lots of musicians: Miguel Ogando, Carlos Barruso, Kin García, Carlos Rodgarman, Carlos Calviño, Paco Charlín, Santi Quintans, Guillerme Fernández, Xosé Miguélez, Lucía Martínez, Miguel Jacobo, Gabriel Peso, Iago Mouriño, Alfredo Susavila.

ORCHESTRAL PROJECTS AND ARTISTIC PRODUCTIONS

  • In  2002 he premiered Sonidos de Bitácora (Symphonic Concerto for guitar and Orchestra), played by guitarist Tomás Camacho and the Joven Orquesta Sinfónica de Viana do Castelo (Portugal) under the direction of Miguel de el Castillo. The premiere has three concerts under the patronage of the Xunta de Galicia, which recognizing his success, gives him four more concerts.
  • In the 2005 premiere Entremares y Orquesta (Concerto for trio of jazz and big band), presented in the first contest of the Festival Iberojazz by Alberto Conde Trío and the Diputación de Ourense’s Big Band under the direction of Pablo Beltran, co-arreanger with Alberto of the orchestral score.  One part of this concert is represented again in 2010 at the Festival Odio L’Estate de Roma, with the Sant Louis Big Band under the direction of Antonio Solimene.
  • He created and directed the Festival Iberojazz between 2005 and 2011, organized and sponsored by Concello de A Coruña, proposing a philosophy concerning the presentation of the new values of the jazz of the Iberian Peninsula with special attention to Galicia, an exhibition on the most noteworthy new projects made in Spain and Portugal, and a programme of exchanges with different national and international conservatories and music schools.
  • He directs the musical production of the CD Jazz Volume III – Conservatorio Superior de Música da Coruña – Department of Jazz recorded at the CSM Coruña  (4/17/2009) by Servizo de Produción da Radio Galega, acting Pablo Barreiro as recording and mixing technician.
  • In 2011 he produces and directs, with the sponsorship of the Department of education and university of A Xunta de Galicia, the Dvd for the show Galitalia Jazz Meeting, within the  Iberojazz 2011 festival, which shows the new creations for big band of the Primera Promoción de Titulados de Jazz de Galicia alongside works of Italian renowned composers and arrangers, with the Italian saxophonist Rosario Giuliani as soloist and with Kin García directing the Bigband del CSM de A Coruña and with Antonio Solimene as guest director.
  • In 2014 takes part in the production and original idea of the spectacle Diálogos Sinfónicos con el Jazz, for Symphony Orchestra and jazz trio, which recreates a new reading of famous pieces of classical-romantic orchestral repertoire with jazz trio, within the activities organized annually by the CSM in A Coruña.
  • In 2015 she collaborates as guest pianist Jazz Orchestra of Galicia in the recording FAME and presentation of Cd, within the XI Festival Imaxina Sons of Vigo.
  • A regular guest at the XI International Jazz Colloquium dedicated to the Network in Defense of Humanity , held in May Hall – Cuba Pavilion on 17 and 18 December 2015 , within the Jazz Plaza International Festival of Havana.
  • He directs the CSM – Coruña Big Band between 2018 and 2021, highlighting, among others, the live recording on May 6, 2021 at the Teatro Colón in A Coruña and the production in 2022 of the live DVD of the show “Jazzliza from Alfonso X to Xela Arias”, with the collaboration of A Xunta de Galicia, the Council of A Coruña and the CSMus of A Coruña.

Diploma

Program of XI Coloquium International of Jazz 17-12-15 La Habana

Photos coloquium