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Michel Camilo

Pianist and composer Michel Camilo was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in 1954. Fascinated with music since childhood, he composed his first song at the age of five, then studied for 13 years at the National Conservatory. At 16, he became a member of the National Symphony Orchestra.

Seeking to expand his musical horizons, he moved in 1979 to New York, where he continued his studies at Mannes and Juilliard School of Music. His composition Why Not? was recorded by Paquito D'Rivera as the title tune for one of his albums, and The Manhattan Transfer won a Grammy Award for their vocal version in 1983. His first two albums were titled Why Not? and Suntan/In Trio.

Camilo made his Carnegie Hall debut with his trio in 1985. Since then, he has become a prominent figure performing regularly in the United States, the Caribbean, Japan and Europe. December 1987 marked his debut as a classical conductor when the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic invited him to conduct a recital featuring the works of Rimsky-Korsakoff, Beethoven, Dvorak and Camilo’s own composition, The Goodwill Games Theme, which won an Emmy Award. That year, he became the musical director of the Heineken Jazz Festival in his native Dominican Republic, a post he held through 1992.

November of 1988 marked his debut on a major record label with the release of his self- titled album, Michel Camilo (Sony). The album became an instant success and held the top jazz album spot for ten consecutive weeks. His next recording, On Fire, was voted one of the top three Jazz Albums of the Year by Billboard, and 1990s On the Other Hand was a top-ten jazz album. All three releases reached the number-one position in radio airplay.

Camilo’s list of compositions, recordings and other achievements throughout the '90s is vast. His composition Caribe was recorded by pianists Katia and Marielle Lebeque, and by the legendary Dizzy Gillespie, in 1991. His Rhapsody for Two Pianos and Orchestra, commissioned by the Philharmonia Orchestra, premiered a year later at the Royal Festival Hall. In 1993, Gavin and Billboard magazines picked his Rendezvous as one of the top jazz albums of the year.

Camilo performed a series of piano recitals in 1996 as part of Copenhagen’s Cultural Capital of Europe celebration, and also debuted at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, and Carnegie Hall in New York. That same year, he performed in Israel, Spain, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Switzerland, where he debuted at Zurich’s prestigious Tonhalle concert hall as part of the Jazz Piano Masters series.

He served as co-artistic director in 1998 for the first Latin-Caribbean Music Festival at the Kennedy Center, which featured performances by his trio and big band, as well as the world premiere of his Piano Concerto with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Slatkin. The following year, he toured with Cuban jazz pianist Chucho Valdes, and debuted with the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to compiling an extensive discography and maintaining a rigorous performance schedule, Camilo has composed and recorded a number of Spanish film scores over the years, and holds honorary degrees from his alma mater, Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo, and UTESA University of Santiago, Dominican Republic (he’s the youngest person to ever receive the distinction from the latter school). In 1992, he was named a Knight of the Heraldic Order of Christopher Columbus by the Dominican Government.

At the turn of the millennium, his 2000 Verve release, Spain, with guitarist Tomatito, won Best Latin Jazz Album in the first-ever Latin Grammy Awards. Camilo also performed in a trio concert in 2000 presented by the New Jersey Chamber Society with special guest Paquito D'Rivera.

In 2001, Camilo appeared on the soundtrack CD for the acclaimed Latin jazz film Calle 54, directed by the Oscar-winning Spaniard Fernando Trueba. In addition to his activities as a composer and pianist, Camilo lectured and performed at many universities and colleges throughout Europe and the United States�"including New York University, Berklee School of Music, MIT, William Paterson College (in New Jersey) and Puerto Rico Conservatory.

In November 2001, he was awarded the Silver Cross of the Order of Duarte, Sanchez & Mella from the president of the Dominican Republic, the highest honor that the government can give.

2002 marked a special year for Camilo with two albums: Classical and Jazz. In February, Decca released his Concerto for Piano & Orchestra, Suite for Piano, Strings and Harp & Caribe, to celebrate his guest appearance with the NSO conducted by Leonard Slatkin at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

In March 2002, Telarc released Triangulo, Camilo’s Grammy Award nominee trio recording, which features bass guitarist Anthony Jackson and drummer Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez.

August 2003 marked the Telarc release of his latest album Live at the Blue Note, featuring Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez on drums and Charles Flores on acoustic bass. This two-CD set captures the quintessential Camilo “sound” live for the first time and was awarded a GRAMMY for Best Latin Jazz Album.
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Conrad Herwig: The Latin Side of Horace Silver

Read "The Latin Side of Horace Silver" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
September 16, 2020

New York-based trombonist Conrad Herwig began exploring the “Latin side" of various jazz musicians in 1996, with The Latin Side of John Coltrane, which earned him the first of four Latin Grammy Award nominations. Since then, Herwig has done the same for Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson and, now, pianist Horace Silver. The formula is trim and solid; choose several of an artist's more notable compositions and recast them in a rhythmic Latin framework. For The Latin ...

Album Review

Michel Camilo: Essence

by Chris Mosey
September 1, 2019

Michel Camilo is a virtuoso pianist who mixes jazz, Latin and classical. Playing as part of a trio, he is famous for hitting the listener with a constant barrage of technique as dazzling as it is tiring. Fortunately, the big band format of Essence puts the lid on such displays. The album forms a retrospective on Camilo's career. It opens with “And Sammy Walked In" from the maestro's 1989 album On Fire. It is dedicated to Sammy ...

Album Review

Michel Camilo: Essence

by Dan Bilawsky
June 12, 2019

In numerology, the number 25 is connected to wisdom and an air of curiosity. Both traits, not surprisingly, speak directly to this pianist at the moment he delivers a dynamic big band album--his 25th release to date--a full quarter century after his first leader effort to explore this format. Essence's playlist spans decades, with all new Michael Philip Mossman arrangements on Camilo classics from as far back as his debut, Why Not? (Evidence, 1985); the band is ...

Album Review

Michel Camilo: Live In London

Read "Live In London" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
November 8, 2017

While he may be best known for fronting dynamic trios, piano titan Michel Camilo does just fine by himself. There's tremendous propulsion, clarity, and strength in play when Camilo takes to the bench, and there's truly no place better to hear that than in a solo setting. Camilo has explored this format on record before--first on Solo (Telarc, 2005), later on What's Up? (Okeh, 2013)--but those efforts spoke to his work in the studio. Live In London ...

Live Review

Tribute to Ernesto Lecuona: Michel Camilo, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Chucho Valdés

by Harry S. Pariser
July 9, 2015

Tribute to Ernesto Lecuona: Michel Camilo, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Chucho Valdés Symphony Hall San Francisco, California June 21, 2015 Individuals hearing of a tribute concert to be held commemorating the work of legendary musician Ernesto Lecuona might be forgiven for furrowing their brows. For Lecuona--despite his status as an extraordinary pianist, composer and bandleader--is known to but a relative few. One reason for his lack of notoriety is that he came from a different era: ...

Catching Up With

Michel Camilo: From Dominica to Spain and Back Again

by Derrick A. Smith
April 5, 2015

This interview was first published at All About Jazz in July 2000. After performing more than 40 concerts together, longtime friends Michel Camilo and Tomatito recorded Spain, an album that fuses their respective backgrounds of Latin Jazz and flamenco. Spain was released in the country of its title in 1999 to wide critical acclaim and strong sales. At its best, the disc incorporates both broad styles into a third stream that belongs solely to Camilo/Tomatito. Their backgrounds provide ...

Album Review

Michel Camilo: What's Up

Read "What's Up" reviewed by Larry Taylor

by Larry Taylor
June 24, 2013

Jazz piano virtuoso Michel Camilo is known for his bombastic technique. For example, after a set at the Monterey Jazz Festival a couple of years ago, I stuck around and talked to the piano-tuner hired to rejuvenate the strings. He stood shaking his head in dismay after Camilo's hard driving workout, which had been a crowd-pleaser. Camilo's What's Up takes, however, a different approach. This is his second solo effort in his nearly 30-year career, his first ...

Event

Newport Festivals Foundation Gala: Cassandra Wilson, Michel Camilo, Jon Batiste

Source: Carolyn McClair Public Relations
March 3, 2015

Newport Festivals Foundation 5th Annual Gala Celebrates George Wein’s 90th Birthday with Cassandra Wilson, Michel Camilo and Jon Batiste & Stay Human NEWPORT, RI: Don’t miss one of Newport’s favorite social events when the Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc. returns to The Breakers on Saturday, August 1, at 7:30 pm for its Gala Benefit featuring performances by Cassandra Wilson, Michel Camilo, Jon Batiste and Stay Human, to celebrate the 90th birthday of festival impresario George Wein. Although his birthday is October ...
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Recording

Michel Camilo to Release Adventurous Solo Piano Album, "What's Up?", Available May 14 on Okeh

Source: DL Media
March 29, 2013

11-Track Project Spotlights a Collection of Originals, Latin and Jazz Standards OKeh will release GRAMMY, Emmy, and Latin GRAMMY® Award winning pianist and composer Michel Camilo‘s new album, What’s Up?, on May 14, 2013. The project is the Dominican Republic-born musician’s debut for the label and is OKeh‘s second overall release as part of the new re-launch initiative via Sony Classical, which focuses on documenting “Global Expressions in Jazz.” Produced by Camilo and recorded by GRAMMY Award winning engineer Phil ...
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Interview

Latin Jazz icons Michel Camilo and Luciana Souza put new twists on the mellow genre

Source: Michael Ricci
September 10, 2012

Camilo's new CD Mano A Mano mixes American jazz with Latin grooves and European classical; Souza does American standards in The Book of Chet Pianist and composer Michel Camilo says we’re in a second golden age in Latin Jazz. The first great era occurred from the 1930s through the 1950s, with “Chano Pozo, Mario Bauza, Juan Tizol with Duke Ellington, Ray Baretto playing with Charlie Parker, Candido, and Dizzy Gillespie, of course,” says Camilo, 53, who lives in Bedford, N.Y. ...
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Recording

Michel Camilo - Mano a Mano (Emarcy, 2011)

Source: Music and More by Tim Niland
July 27, 2011

Pianist Michel Camilo has developed over the years a remarkably consistent series of musical releases, ranging from solo excursions to trio albums and even large scale classical re-interpretations. This album finds him in the similar format as the excellent Triangulo album from several years ago, returning to the trio format he has been so successful with in the past. The personnel is: Camilo on piano, Charles Flores on bass and Giovanni Hidalgo on Latin percussion. The album opens with a ...
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Performance / Tour

Santo Domingo to Bedford, and Latin to Classical

Source: Michael Ricci
January 17, 2010

LEONARD SLATKIN is a big jazz fan. But he was unprepared for what unfolded when, after performing as guest conductor of the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center one spring night in 1995, he decided to catch the pianist Michel Camilos show at the Blue Note in Greenwich Village. I really hadnt heard piano playing that ferociously virtuosic in a club like that, Mr. Slatkin said in a recent interview. At the same time, the sensitivity he brought to the ...
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298

Performance / Tour

Iva Bittov, Michel Camilo and Myriam Fuks Join Gypsy Violinist Roby Lakatos for Carnegie Hall Debut

Source: All About Jazz
January 6, 2009

CARNEGIE HALL CELEBRATES THE MUSIC OF HUNGARY FROM JANUARY 24 - FEBRUARY 14 Celebrating Hungary Performances Include Appearances by Ivn Fischer and Budapest Festival Orchestra, Roby Lakatos, Beta Palya, and Peter Etvs, Among Others From January 24 through February 14, Carnegie Hall presents Celebrating Hungary, a collection of concerts that place the spotlight on the folk, symphonic, chamber, and new music of Hungary with performances by leading artists. The celebration includes an eight-day residency by renowned composer, pedagogue, ...
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Performance / Tour

Jazz Pianist Camilo Loves Living His Music

Source: All About Jazz
October 12, 2008

Pianist Michel Camilo doesn't just play jazz, he lives it. He takes his musical style and passion and incorporates it into his daily life. He even likes to travel. “I enjoy it; that is why I do it. The last 20 years or so I have managed to have friends all over the world," Camilo said during a phone call from New York. Camilo is in the late stages of a two-year world tour supporting his latest album, “Spirit of ...
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Award / Grant

Michel Camilo

Source: All About Jazz
February 10, 2004

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Performance / Tour

Michel Camilo Trio @ The Blue Note, February 24th - February 29th, 2004

Source: All About Jazz
February 4, 2004

From the desk of the Blue Note Jazz Club...

The week will feature; Michel Camilo (piano); Charles Flores (bass); Horacio “El Negro" Hernandez (drums).

Also in the same week...

Monday, February 23, 2004 - 8:00pm & 10:30pm The Harry Whitaker Project: Moment to Moment With Special Guest Gary Bartz featuring: Harry Whitaker (piano); Gary Bartz (sax); Noriko Ueda (bass); Inbar Friedman (guitar); Patmore Lewis (violin); Eric McPherson (drums)

Saturday, February 28, 2004 - 2:00pm! Blue Note ...
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