Edmar Castaneda
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Edmar Castaneda

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"Edmar's Press Quotes"

"A jazz harpist of imposing talent. "
THE NEW YORK TIMES

"Edmar is.. an enormous talent, he has the versatility and the enchanting charisma of a musician who has taken his harp out of the shadow to become one of the most original musicians from the Big Apple."
PAQUITO D'RIVERA .

"The most amazing and well received new sensation for Panamanian jazz fans was Colombian harpist Edmar Castañeda. "
THE PANAMA NEWS ( JAN 21 , 2007)

"the phenomenal Columbian harpist Edmar Castaneda, whose technically astounding approach to the instrument normally associated with classical music has been registering with scenesters over the past year. Covering independent, heavily grooving bass lines with his left hand while chording and also running counterpoint melodies and dazzling triplet figures with his right hand (a kind of Charlie Hunter or Joe Passian approach to the harp),...
BILL MILKOWSKI - JAZZ TIMES
( FEB 2, 2006 )

"Rising star Castaneda has become a one-man musical wrecking crew, demolishing preconceptions about whether there’s even a place in jazz for the instrument."
Boston Herald (DEC 04 ,07
By Bob Young

"Colombian jazz harpist Edmar Castaneda, who made a more than convincing case for the harp as a jazz instrument. He was simply astonishing."
BLOOMBERG NEWS (August 3, 2007)
BY Jeremy Gerard

“As illustrated in a fascnatingly percussive performance by the harpist Edmar Castaneda”
THE NEW YORK TIMES.


“ Producing cross-rhythms like a drummer , smashing chordal flourishes like a flamenco guitarist and collating bebop and Colombian music , he was almost a world unto him-self.”
THE NEW YORK TIMES


“He nearly becomes a one man band, plucking bass lines almost invisibly while picking out melodies.”
TIME OUT

"Edmar Castaneda’s short opening set took Diana Krall’s mellow crowd by surprise. Castaneda plays the arpa llanera, or Colombian harp, a diatonic instrument from which he snatches twanging, sweet, twittering, chiming, dense sonorities like nothing else in contemporary music. Castaneda’s trio with drummer David C. Silliman and trombonist Marshall Gilkes included the “resident artists” at Umbria Jazz, performed nine times, and were among the revelations of the festival."
THOMAS CONRAD -JAZZ TIMES ( AUG 7, 2006)

"Colombian harpist Edmar Castaneda and his unique, nearly inconceivable ensemble comprising of a trombonist who also doubled on cello and a percussionist delivered the "wow" factor at the festival and captivated the large gathering around the gazebo. Obviously, the harp and the cello have not been associated with jazz, however, in the hands of classically trained virtuosos who are also imbued with enormous creativity and passion, the instruments and their inimitable sound were seamlessly transmuted into the jazz idiom with incandescent flair. Among many resplendent musical propositions cultivated by this ensemble, Castaneda stretched the harp into a fascinating percussive instrument and the band created cascades of intoxicating South American rhythms. Most of the melodies were derived from South American folk songs and the various textures of the instrumentalities spawned musical hues and effects rarely realized. Assuredly, Castaneda and crew are deserving of wider appeal."

FREIHOFER'S JAZZ FESTIVAL
June 24, 2006
By Randy Treece - various


Discography

CUARTO DE COLORES - 2005
Paquito D'Rivera / Sax - Clarinet
Oscar Staganaro / Bass
Ari Hoeing / Drums
Pedro Martinez / Congas -Bata - Vocal
Hetor Del Curto / Bandoneon
Mike Rodriguez / Trumpet
Marshall Gilkes / Trombone
Dave Silliman / Drums-Perc.

ENTRE CUERDAS" - 2009
Edmar Castaneda /harp
Marshall Gilkes/trombone
Dave Silliman /Drums-Perc.
John Scofield/Guitar
Andrea Tierra/Canto
Joe Locke/Vipes
Samuel Torres/cajon

NEW SOLO ALBUM - June 2011

Photos

Bio

Edmar Castaneda is the sort of musician who isn't afraid to challenge the established order. He's carving out a place for himself in Latin jazz on an instrument you don't often hear in his chosen genre: the Colombian harp. He's adapted intricate traditional finger picking techniques to play jazz melodies along with the Afro-Cuban tumbao (bass line). He can switch between rural Colombian dance music and jazz with a twist of his wrist literally. His musical vision is so invigorating that he's gaining fans like NEA Jazz Master Paquito D'Rivera, with whom Castaneda has performed. His Website shows him constantly on the road as a guest artist with other forward thinkers or with his touring trio. Castaneda craft a transporting mix of tradition and improvisation. Chances are, you've never heard anything like it.

Edmar Castaneda has performed and recorded (to rave critical reviews) with an impressive lineup including the Chico O'Farrill Afro-Cuban Jazz Big Band, Lila Downs, Hamilton de Holanda, Giovanni Hidalgo, Paquito D'Rivera, Wynton Marsalis, John Patitucci, Dave Samuels, and John Scofield.
News: Edmar will perform as opening for Paco de Lucia in Toronto Jazz Festival (6th June 2011)