Biography
Pianist-composer Silvano Monasterios was born in Caracas, Venezuela. After years of training at the Jose Angel Lamas Conservatory, he began his professional career at the age of 18, already having become experienced in a wide variety of musical genres by performing and recording with some of the most prominent Venezuelan artists.
In 1989, he traveled to Miami, Florida to participate at the Miami Jazz Festival, where he received a “Best Soloist Award”. In 1990, he immigrated to The United States where he received a scholarship from Miami Dade Community College. After obtaining an “Outstanding Soloist Award” at the University of Colorado in 1991, Silvano received a music scholarship from the University of Miami, from which he earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1995.
Silvano has performed with a number of important of artists including Ira Sullivan, Terumasa Hino & the World Jazz All-Stars, Othello Molineaux, Dave Liebman, Larry Coryell, Melton Mustafa, Marc Johnson, Donald Byrd, Paquito D’Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, Nathen Page, Randy Brecker, Sammy Figueroa, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Allan Harris, Paul Wertico, Mark Egan, Shakira, David Lee Roth, and Nestor Torres.
In 1998, Silvano was voted “New Artist of the Year” at the “Hennessey Cognac Jazz Search” in New York City. 1998 also marked the release of his first CD, Roads Not Taken, which received outstanding reviews in the U.S. and Latin America.
Unfulfilled academic aspirations led Silvano to return to the University of Miami where he earned his Master’s Degree in Jazz Piano and Pedagogy in 2004. DownBeat Magazine honored Silvano as the winner of its “Best Jazz Instrumental Soloist Award” in the Annual 28th (2005) Student Music Awards. A particularly gifted composer, he also won in the category of “College Original Song Outstanding Performance” for his composition “Avila.”
Last summer, his new recording entitled Fostered was released. Fostered features all original compositions, including “Avila”, mentioned above.
Dogleg Records, a new independent label recently released "Jazz Impressions", a concert recorded live in trio format with Grammy award winners Paul Wertico and Mark Egan. Also, a new CD by world renowned percussionist and Latin Jazz Grammy nominee Sammy Figueroa has been released by Savant Records. This CD features two compositions written,produced and performed by Silvano, including the title track, entitled "The Magician". The album was nominated in 2008 for a Grammy Award as "Best Latin Jazz Album".
Instrumentation
Silvano Monasterios, Piano
Troy Roberts, Saxophones
Rodolfo Zuñiga, Drums
John Dadurka, Bass
Jose Gregorio, Percussion
Also: WEM TRIO
Silvano Monasterios, Piano
Paul Wertico, Drums
Mark Egan, Bass
Discography
- "Roads not Taken", featuring bassist Marc Johnson
and multi-instrumentalist Ira Sullivan.
- "Jazz Impressions", a live concert with Paul Wertico and Mark Egan (summer
2007 release)
- "The Magician" with Sammy Figueroa (summer
2007 release)
- "Fostered", featuring the song "Avila", winner of a
Downbeat Magazine award as "Best original
composition"
- "Boiling Point" with Melton Mustafa
- "Mi Alma Latina" with Nestor Torres (Latin Grammy
winner)
- "Dances, Prayers and Meditations for Peace" with
Nestor Torres.
- "Pepper Trombone" with Juan Pablo Torres
- "Low Registers" with Gabriel Vivas
- "The So Then Collection" with Jesse Jones Jr
Links
| http://www.silvanomonasterios.com |