Jazz Standard: New Dimensions in Latin Jazz with Enildo Rasúa

New Dimensions in Latin Jazz Presents: A Cuban Drum Series with Enildo Rasúa – New York City’s Jazz Standard continues its New Dimensions in Latin Jazz presentation of a “Cuban Drum Series,” this time featuring the US debut of percussionist, composer Enildo Rasúa.

Rasúa is a living legend of Cuban music as the creator of the “Third Hand” technique, in which three drumsticks are used to play percussion instruments and drum kit at the same time. The range of Rasúa’s work covers the entire percussive spec­trum of percussion from his transcriptions of the percussion of the Cuban rumba group Los Muñequitos de Matanzas to his work with Havana’s Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional and La Orquesta de la Ópera, from his participation with the band of Havana’s iconic Tropicana nightclub to collaborations with famous Flamenco artists Carles Benavent (Paco de Lucía Quartet) and the guitarist Chicuelo. In addition to his composing and performing career, Enildo Rasúa is one of the most in demand instructors in contempo­rary music; among his pupils are Raul Pineda (Chucho Valdés, Síntesis), Jimmy Branly (NG La Banda, Gonzálo Rubalcaba) and Horacio “El Negro” Hernández.

Jay Rodriguez – saxophone; Ben Winkleman – piano; Ricky Rodriguez – bass; Enildo Rasúa – drums & percussion.

Tickets: $20. To purchase, call Jazz Standard at 212.576.2232 | www.jazzstandard.com
Where: Jazz Standard, 116 East 27th Street, NYC, Train 6 to 28th Street.
When: Tuesday, August 6th at 7:30PM + 9:30PM

Enildo Rasúa – Biography

Enildo Rasúa was born in Guantánamo, Cuba, the very cradle of son and salsa. Raised in surroundings where music and culture played an important role, it is hardly surprising that he began his musical studies at the tender age of 6, with classes in violin and musical theory, and would later obtain his Intermediate Level of Music qualification. His high grades meant a recommendation to study high school in the prestigious Escuela Nacional de Arte, the same institution where other celebrated Cuban musicians, among them saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera and trumpet player Arturo Sandoval, also studied. He finished his musical studies in the very well-known Universidad de las Artes de Cuba (I.S.A.), where he graduated in Symphonic Percussion, Pedagogy and Popular Music, and where he was also a professor.

During an intense pedagogic career, he has given classes to musicians as famous as Arturo Stable, Ramsés Rodríguez Baralt (Chucho Valdés), Julio Barreto (Gonzálo Rubalcaba) and Raúl Pineda (Grupo Síntesis). From the mid-80s and in the 90s, he combined teaching in Havana’s most important professional music schools with the practice of his abilities as solo and accompanist percussionist in the RTV Orquesta Nacional. He was also a frequent collaborator in the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional and in the Orquesta de la Ópera. As a drummer he formed part of the Cabaret Tropicana, world famous for having presented artists as renowned as Nat King Cole, Libertad Lamarque or Josephine Baker.

Due to his deep knowledge of the musical syllabus, between 1986 and 1989 he was repeatedly asked to collaborate with the Asesoría Nacional de Percusión de Cuba, for which he carried out pedagogic inspections and gave methodology classes. He also took part in the design of new percussion teaching programmes in Cuba at both Intermediate and Bachelor Level of Music.

In 1995 he relocated to Barcelona, Spain, where he further consolidated his career teaching in important professional centres and collaborating with a number of Spanish and French universities. He ended up founding his own school in Barcelona. The rapid growth of his talent did not pass unnoticed in the musical world, and he was invited to take part in the World Percussion Encounters in Barcelona, along with such famous Flamenco artists as Carles Benavent (Paco de Lucía Quartet) and the guitarist Chicuelo. He also collaborated with Joaquín Cortés Ballet Flamenco company and with the Gelabert-Azzopard contemporary dance company.

His constant striving to further investigate and better himself has led him to carry out indepth research projects and to publish numerous didactic works that are both admired and respected by such key percussion figures as Alex Neciosup Acuña, Giovanni Hidalgo, Horacio “El Negro”, Terry Bozzio, Walfredo de los Reyes Sr. and Elliot Fine. Thanks to his great talent, his perseverance has been crowned with the creation of the innovative “The Third Hand” technique, where three drumsticks are used to play percussion and drum set instruments at the same time.