About the album
Huapango Nights is the debut album of Eduardo Bortolotti, a Mexican-born jazz violinist. Named after a traditional Mexican folk genre, it sums up his eight years in Poland and blends folk roots with a jazz sound.
The violinist, composer and arranger invited young jazz and folk musicians to the project, each bringing a key element to the album. Colombian bassist Edilson Sanchez joins jazz and Latin rhythms, pianist Mateusz Sobiechowski adds a modern jazz harmony, drummer Bartek Staromiejski brings a Polish-Latin expression, and Mexican musician Alberto Suazo provides the essential folk element on traditional instruments such as the jarana, the donkey jawbone (quijada) and pre-Columbian ocarinas.
The most important goal for Eduardo was to show his Mexican roots in a modern jazz setting. It is a very personal musical journey from the beginning of his career in his hometown of Puebla to the present, with arrangements of Mexican folk music alongside original jazz compositions written in Poland over the years and during 2020.
Album details
- Title: Huapango Nights
- Artist and composer: Eduardo Bortolotti
- Release date: December 11, 2020
- Format: CD
- Duration: 42:27
- Genre: jazz, folk, rock
Track list
- La Bruja (6:20)
- Prelude to Xochipilli (1:40)
- Cenzontle (5:34)
- Altered Times (5:00)
- El Cascabel (4:53)
- Cansao (4:43)
- Huapango Nights (4:40)
- La Llorona (4:55)
- Allá en el Rancho Grande (4:37)
Musicians
- Eduardo Bortolotti: violin, ocarinas (2, 3)
- Mateusz Sobiechowski: piano and keyboards
- Edilson Sanchez: bass guitar
- Bartek Staromiejski: drums
- Alberto Suazo: jarana (1, 9), donkey jawbone (5), ocarinas (2, 3)
Reviews
“Simply done with class, with great musical awareness, accessibility and catchiness.”
Wojciech Sobczak-Wojeński, JazzPRESS (July 2021)
“More than 40 minutes of a fruitful meeting between Mexican folk music and contemporary jazz, and at the same time a bold and successful debut recording.”
Alek Jastrzębski, Polish Jazz Blog
“Overall this is a promising debut album, which shows potential and talent, and is definitely worth checking out.”
Adam Baruch, The Soundtrack of My Life
“The leader’s acrobatic virtuosity makes a huge impression. An excellent debut recording by a Mexican jazz violinist settled in Poland.”
Robert Ratajczak, LongPlay
“This Latin-Slavic amalgam has produced an extraordinary record, in which Mexican airiness is successfully interwoven with Polish consistency, and folk melodies with jazz improvisations.”
Sebastian Chosiński, Esensja
“The artist knows how to translate the masters’ lesson into his own, fascinating musical story.”
Tomasz Janas, IKS-Afisz, Poznań
Quotes from Polish-language reviews are translated into English.
Read more about Eduardo Bortolotti or listen to tracks from the album.
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