Press kit

Texts, photos and riders for programmers and press, free to use with credit. Anything else on request at info@humbepablo.com.

Short text

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Chamber jazz from the Atlantic. Humberto Ríos (piano, Havana) and Pablo Rodríguez (violin, La Palma) keep a relaxed, open mood on stage that lets things happen: strings played inside the piano, a violin turned into percussion, a tune that becomes something else halfway through. Acoustic at the core, the music draws on jazz, Cuban and Canarian folk traditions and contemporary chamber music.

About 30 words

Chamber jazz from the Atlantic. Humberto Ríos (piano) and Pablo Rodríguez (violin) play with a relaxed, open attitude that lets things happen, drawing on jazz, Cuban and Canarian folk and contemporary chamber music.

About

Humberto Ríos and Pablo Rodríguez met in 2016 at a spontaneous jam at Codarts Rotterdam. Ten years on, they are working on new music.

The mood on stage is relaxed and open, and that is what lets things happen: Humberto plays the strings inside the piano as much as the keys, Pablo turns the violin into percussion, and a tune can turn into something else halfway through. The core stays acoustic. The music draws on jazz, Cuban and Canarian folk traditions and contemporary chamber music, and it never sounds the same twice.

Individually, they have shared the stage with Pat Metheny, Roy Hargrove, Ambrose Akinmusire, Jorge Pardo and Carles Benavent. Humberto currently plays with Niña Pastori and the Cuban Jazz Syndicate; Pablo is a founding member of the Dutch North Sea String Quartet and plays in the Brainteaser Orchestra.

They were finalists of Keep an Eye The Records at the Bimhuis and have been selected for the JAZZ I AM, LPA Market and MAPAS showcases. Their debut album, Conversaciones (2019), led to concerts at the Bimhuis, Jazz à Juan and Auditorio de Zaragoza.

Bios

Humberto Ríos, piano

Born in Havana, Humberto Ríos (Humbe) trained as a classical pianist, but Cuban music and jazz pulled him in early. At 17 he toured with Chicos de La Habana to the Barbados Jazz Festival, sharing the stage with Roy Hargrove, Horacio “El Negro” Hernández and Giovanni Hidalgo.

He studied piano in Spain with Antonio J. Pérez Roy and Enrique Bagaría and completed a master's in jazz piano and world music at Codarts Rotterdam. In 2018 he received the Leiden Jazz Award. He currently plays with Niña Pastori and is a member of the Cuban Jazz Syndicate. He is based in Madrid.

Pablo Rodríguez, violin

Born in La Palma, Pablo Rodríguez trained classically but turned to jazz at thirteen after hearing a Stéphane Grappelli record. Based in the Netherlands, he has developed his own percussive and harmonic techniques for the violin.

He studied with Alfredo García Serrano in Madrid and at Codarts Rotterdam, where he completed a master's in Latin jazz. He is a founding member of the North Sea String Quartet, plays with Tijn Wybenga & Brainteaser Orchestra and the Marmoucha Orchestra, and has shared the stage with Pat Metheny, Ambrose Akinmusire and Jorge Pardo. In 2019 he was named Best Soloist at the Canarias Jazz Showroom.

Album

Conversaciones 2019

Conversaciones is a meeting point abroad: a Canarian and a Cuban, both far from home, talking through violin and piano. The titles trace that journey: crossings (Transoceánica, Travesía hacia atardecer), farewells (Carta de Despedida) and lullabies with island roots (Canción de Cuna, Arrorró). In Aires de Lima, built on a traditional tune from Tijarafe on La Palma, the violin is played like a timple, the small Canarian guitar, and the piece opens into a miniature suite with echoes of Spanish folk music. Across the album, rhythm, improvisation and dynamics carry the conversation. The melodies hold some nostalgia, but also the energy and optimism of two young musicians at the start of something.

Label: PRG Music
Recorded: December 2018, Fattoria Musica, Osnabrück
Recording and mixing: Steffen Lütke
Mastering: João Alves, Sweet Mastering, Lisbon
Guests: Ruven Ruppik (percussion, handpan), Holger Werner (bass clarinet)
Tracks: Transoceánica, Primavera, Travesía hacia atardecer, Danza de los Tomates, Canción de Cuna, Interludio, Aires de Lima, Nuevos Aires, Carta de Despedida, PSP Blues, Arrorró
Listen: Spotify ↗ · Apple Music ↗ · Bandcamp ↗

Highlights

The duo has played Jazz à Juan (60th edition), the Auditorio de Zaragoza, the Tocando el Cielo festival in Panticosa and the Bimhuis in Amsterdam, where they were finalists in Keep an Eye The Records in 2018. They have showcased at JAZZ I AM (Barcelona, 2020), LPA Market (Gran Canaria, 2021) and MAPAS (Tenerife, 2021). Humberto received the Leiden Jazz Award in 2018, and Pablo was named Best Soloist at the Canarias Jazz Showroom in 2019.

Press

“The classical training of the two musicians allowed them to move playfully through a wide spectrum of classical music, folklore, jazz and funk, and to shine with spontaneous improvisations. […] Humberto Ríos played not only the keys but also the piano strings, while Pablo Rodríguez transformed his violin into a mandolin or a cajón.”
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