ARUAN ORTIZ 'Cuba(an)ism'

ARUAN ORTIZ “Cub(an)ism”

Bergamo Jazz 2025's musical journey kicks off with a pianist of Cuban origin who has played an important role in the contemporary jazz scene for many years now. Born in Santiago de Cuba, Aruán Ortiz has since settled in Brooklyn and Spain: among the overseas musicians with whom he has collaborated are Esperanza Spalding, James Brandon Lewis, Greg Osby, Andrew Cyrille, Cindy Blackman Santana, Terri Lyne Carrington, Oliver Lake, Don Byron, Rufus Reid, Wadada Leo Smith, Wallace Roney and others. For the Swiss label Intakt, he has recorded several albums, including Cub(an)ism, recorded solo in 2016 and become a reference for his solo piano performances. A record whose pieces, as Florian Keller wrote in the liner notes, were born «from specific ideas and states of mind, imperceptibly developed along systematic constructions peppered with unexpected events. Despite a certain formal adherence, the music of Cub(an)ism always remains sensual. Using clear but flexible systems, the music thrives on structures and surprises. Crystalline structures dissolve abruptly, clear forms blur like a reflection in stormy water, before resurfacing. Ortiz's music breathes this magic, the charm of dancing structures. That of Aruán Ortiz è is therefore an eclectic pianism, which draws its lifeblood from the various experiences he has had around the world, in contact with different cultures.

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