Barranquilla Interprets the Jazz Version of the Dominican Songbook

Barranquilla Interprets the Jazz Version of the Dominican Songbook
Santo Domingo, October 9 2015

Over a thousand people attended the Pengbian Sang & Retro Jazz concert at the Santo Domingo Square in the Caribbean Cultural Park on Friday, September 25, as part of the nineteenth edition of the Barranquilla Jazz Festival (Barranquijazz).

The Dominican group faces the challenge of interpreting the jazz version of the Dominican Songbook in foreign beaches. The result: test passed… and by far!!!

The group had a great rapport with an audience, exposed for the first time to a Dominican jazz band. The excitement and enthusiasm of the public was felt as they enjoyed, sang and even danced to every single song of the concert that lasted one hour and fifteen minutes.

Music lover and broadcaster Orlando Ruíz, of Barranquilla, commented: “The power of Jazz, the hypnotic power of the Blues, the Caribbean and festive aroma of Reggae, the sensuality of Bossa Nova was felt in the music, but with a common and very important element highlighted in each song: the essence of each interpreted song remained intact and the composers wanted to impregnate a deep respect for identity in their compositions. That deserves the greatest exhilaration and appreciation. Not even the heat was able to obscure the mastery of these artists who managed to capture the attention of the audience and make them vibrate with each performance.

Continuing: Retrojazz also sends a direct message to all audiences that have been captivated by their music: the Dominican Republic is not just drums and güira, it is not only the land of great salsa performers (both male and female), it is not only the land of singers of the Bachata scene, but also of musicians with great capacity to create finely elaborated music in the jazz scene. These musicians are full of impressive, increasingly developing musical talent, who seek to develop all kinds of music formats in a permanent creative process, seeking to promote, through instruments and notes, their identity, which has allowed them to distinguish themselves throughout the world as a land of joy, full of music at every square inch of its territory, music that has been created to brighten and excite its people, all peoples of the world.

Pengbian Sang, bassist and leader of the group, was accompanied by Nairoby Duarte (voice); Federico Méndez (guitar), Álvaro Dinzey (piano & vocals), Jesus “Gury” Abreu (saxophones), Ezequiel Francisco (drums) and Edgar Molina (percussion).

Barranquijazz is the largest jazz festival in Colombia and the Caribbean, and is held annually since 1997 in the city of Barranquilla, bringing together leading representatives from different African and Caribbean rhythms. Among the participants this year were Panamanian pianist Danilo Pérez and famous Puerto Rican singer José Feliciano, among others.

Acknowledgements: Pengbian Sang & Retro Jazz expressed their sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic, for the support it has given to this band in the new phase of its career, trusting the group to represent the country.

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