Pengbian Sang & Retro Jazz and his “Music From Within” Concert Motivated Music Lovers Regardless of Age or Social Class

Santo Domingo, October 4, 2019 – The recently held “Music from Within” concert, headed by Dominican jazz group Pengbian Sang & Retro Jazz, successfully exceeded all expectations when the venue was filled to capacity with jazz and regular music lovers.

The event, held at the Manuel Rueda Hall in Santo Domingo, on Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28, was the perfect occasion for the band to present some of its new repertoire.

It is a well-known custom of the Pengbian Sang & Retro Jazz group to present new material during their concerts as a way of surprising their loyal followers who, since 2011, have monitored and enjoyed the band’s impressive trajectory. This occurred in this latest two-day concert experience, where the group and its followers connected at a much higher level than in previous concerts.

The public’s warm response to the 18 musical pieces performed turned into an emotional roller coaster for all. The pieces performed are all from the group’s “Jazzing up Dominican Music” production. And one of the concert’s highlight moments was the world premiere of the piece “Anacaona,” written by the group’s percussionist Edgar Molina. The musical piece moved the public and encouraged it to dance to its rhythm, a fusion of the local merengue, jazz and funk.

The concert was a top-quality production, with an innovative use of lights and visuals, allowing the public to perfectly appreciate the talent of each musician on stage. The interaction between the musicians, as well as their technique, interpretation and the presence of each member of the band added to a truly magic evening of top-quality music. Without a doubt this will be a memorable concert for the standing-room only audience that attended the event both days.

Bass player Pengbian Sang, the group’s musical director, was accompanied by top vocalist Nairoby Duarte; guitarist Federico Méndez; sax player Jesús “Gury” Abreu, Álvaro Dinzey, piano and voice; Edgar Molina, percussion and Guy Frómeta, drums.

Special guests were Zvezdana Radojkovic, Militza Iankova, Luis Augusto Martínez and Milena, Zivkovich, all members of the country’s National Symphony Orchestra, who played special string arrangements of popular Dominican songs arranged by Pengbian Sang. The audience’s response was immediate and enthusiastic, including various instances of spontaneous ovations. One particular Dominican song, “Siña Juanica,” an icon of Dominican folklore, brought tears to many in the audience.

The concert opened with Edgar Molina’s “Historias Sonoras,” an interesting musical dialogue using Dominican drums.

On the concert, distinguished American composer, arranger, producer and professor Corey Allen – Director of the Contemporary School of Music of UNPHU University, in Santo Domingo – told Sang when the concert concluded: “I want to congratulate Retro Jazz for their performance. The concert’s rhythm (going from one song to the other), the attention to details (specifically the introductions, interludes and closings), and the general level of musicality and professionalism of all on stage turned the performance into the best concert I have listened to since I arrived in the country. It is truly impressive that Retro Jazz is not the same band that I listened to in the Nuryn Sanlley Amphitheater a few years back. It has reached a different level of confidence, no hang-ups, and world-class sound. Even though ‘Anacaona’ was the highlight of the evening, I had no favorites. Everything was world-class. You must be very proud!”