If you moved the Andes to New York, you'd get this debut CD from Anibal Rojas - a saxophonist with indigenous roots in a modern world - pairing his East Coast sax sound with quena, zampona, and more for a new twist on World music.

11 MP3 Songs
WORLD: South American, JAZZ: Contemporary Jazz

Show all album songs: ah knee ball Songs


Details:
Anibal Rojas is a saxophonist with indigenous roots in a modern world. His is the music of the immigrant, the sound of integration and assimilation, the blending of cultures, classes, and musical traditions.

His debut CD, âah knee ball,â is the musical interpretation of his lifeâs journey so far â from Chile to the United States, (âLos Andes, Part I,â âLos Andes Part II,â and âThe Midnight Zone,â respectively pay homage to Chileâs mountains and itâs coast); from child to adult (âWalkingâ). And what a life it has been.

Born in Chile, Rojas emigrated to the U.S. in his early teens. His parents, fleeing political persecution, rented him a saxophone and signed him up for music lessons to keep him out of trouble. To supplement the familyâs income â his fatherâs modest doctoral student stipend â Rojas spent his summers as a migrant worker in Iowaâs cornfields. All the while, he was learning too â English and music. He scored a full music scholarship auditioning on a horn that was held together with rubber bands and four years later scored a degree in music performance from the University of Iowa.

A classically trained jazz lover, Rojas moved to the East Coast and found work with R&B and funk bands, who appreciated his screaming altissimo and big, colorful sound. He spent a few years touring with oldies R&B groups like Cuba Gooding and the Main Ingredient as well as with funk bands like Skintight and the New York Horns. The gigs took him from across the country (The track âLe Montroseâ recalls his first trip to L.A.) and halfway around the world, to Morocco where he played for the king.

But all the while, the soundtrack playing in his head was the music of the Andes, voiced on saxophone and on indigenous instruments like the quena, quenacho, and zampona. And while valuing his career as a sideman, he wanted to make music that was his own. Depending on the day â or what kind of music they heard him playing â âexpertsâ advised Rojas to make a smooth jazz, Latin jazz, funk, pop, or R&B record. But while in New York, he spent some time with Latin Grammy winner Nestor Torres, who advised him to âjust write music thatâs a reflection of who you are as a person.â

And thatâs exactly what âah knee ballâ is. To be sure, the recording showcases Rojasâ world-class saxophone and EWI chops, but it also features his considerable skill on a variety of flutes and indigenous instruments and pays homage to his Mapuche Indian heritage. âThis music is a reflection of who I am as an immigrant, a Chilean, a Mapuche, a U.S. citizen, and a citizen of the world,â Rojas says. âThatâs how I see myself â as a citizen of the world. I speak more than one language fluently. I can move comfortably among cultures. And I think my music has those same qualities.â

Rojas has performed and/or recorded with Latin jazz great Ray Mantilla, Tom Bowes of Tower of Power fame, Cuba Gooding and the Main Ingredient, MâoudSwing, the Latin Jazz Journey, former Spin Doctor Anthony Krizan, Dennis Gruenling and Jump Time, The Diablo Project, Barry Sames, Ralph Bowen, Mario Rodriguez, Todd Bashore, Kenny Davis, SVETI, Mason Brothers, Marlon Simon and the Nagual Spirits, Conrad Herwing, Alex Hernandez, Roberto Quintero, Zen Zadravec, The Philadelphia Funk Authority, and Skin Tight & The New York Horns.

Rojas has twice traveled to Morocco to perform for the King and his guests, has played major venues nationwide, including Carnegie Hall, The Kimmel Center, The Walker Arts Center, The Apollo Theater, Universal Studios Amphitheatre, and The Greek Theater, and has appeared on the television shows "Access Hollywood," "The Joan Rivers Show," "Good Morning America," and "The Today Show."

For more information, visit www.anibalrojas.com.