monterrico's blues

SEGUNDO CICLO:
Featured musicians/instruments:
Performed by Daniel Diaz ( Acoustic Piano, Keyboards, Acoustic and Electric Basses, Upright Bass, Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Percussion, Drums, Programming.)

With :

Manuel Miranda (Peru): Flutes, Soprano, Alto and Tenor Saxes.
Daniel miguez (Argentina) : Drums.
Julian hojman (Argentina): Tenor Sax.
Juan cruz urquiza(Argentina): Trumpet.
Gustavo Paglia (Argentina): Bandoneon.
Gabriel kirschenbaum (Argentina) : Acoustic Guitar.
Horacio lopez (Argentina): Percussion.
Rikhi hambra(Argentina) : Percussion.
Miguel angel amaral (Uruguay): Voices.



DANIEL DIAZ:


Studies:

Born in Lanús, Argentina in 1963, Daniel Díaz began playing bass in 1980. In 1983 he started to study theory, harmony, and bass and a year later he was working as a professional, backing several singers in small clubs around Buenos Aires. During the eighties he kept studying (harmony, counterpoint, ear training, etc.) attended to several courses and clinics such as: orchestration with Carlos Franzetti, Improvisation with Gary Burton, Production and Bass with Pedro Aznar, Tango History and Language with Horacio Salgán, and Argentine folkloric rhythms with "Cuchi" Leguizamon.

In 1992 he travelled the U.S.A where he studied improvisation (with Bruce Gertz and Oscar Stagnaro at Berklee College of Music in Boston) and bass (with Mark Egan and Percy Jones in New York City and Alexis Skjlarevsky in LA.).


Teaching:

From 1985 till 1997 in Buenos Aires, and from 1999 until 2000 in Paris, France, he gave bass, harmony and composition classes both in his studio and in some schools in Argentina (“ITMC”, “La Escuelita”, etc). In 2004/2005 he started teaching again (bass, guitar and composition).


Professional Experience & Solo Career:

He played professionally in Argentina from 1983 until 1997 (playing other instruments among with bass) and toured and recorded with many local rock, fusion, folklore and tango bands. He worked with some of the finest Argentinean musicians, including Daniel Binelli, Antonio Agri, Virgilio Exposito, Hector Starc, Horacio Lopez, Lucho Gonzalez, among many others.

He developed an extensive career as an arranger and musical director for bands and singers in Buenos Aires, especially in the Tango, Folklore, and Pop scene.

In Paris he keeps producing and doing studio work, mostly specialising in audio editing and final mix down of several projects (Hilton McCormick, Lucia Abonizio, Hermes, Assoc. Edith Stein, Francis Lalanne, Etc)

In 1993 "The Years Alone" which is a selection of 11 of his songs composed between 1986 and 1993. In that album Daniel Diaz played most of the parts (fretless and fretless basses, keyboards, acoustic and electric guitars, percussion, drums, etc.) but included guest appearances of many fine South American players, providing a large variety of colours and sounds, such as Ricky Olarte’s congas, Manuel Miranda’s Sax, flute and Indian flutes, "Pato" Loza’s drums, Beto Satragni’s bass, Gustavo Paglia’s bandoneon, Rikhi Hambra’s tabla, and Miguel Angel Amaral’s voice.

The Years Alone's eleven songs combine traditional argentine rhythms like Zamba, Chacarera, Cueca, etc. with non-traditional structures and sounds inspired in rock, jazz, and classical styles. The more traditional/pastoral songs have a particular mood with the use of instruments from north Argentine, Peru and Bolivia, such as the Quena, Pinkullo and the Sikus, as well as Tango's traditional Bandoneon. He continued this recording/composing career with “Segundo Ciclo” (1997), with an instrumentation and sound similar to The Years Alone’s but adding trumpet and a more intensive use of acoustic instruments (acoustic piano, Spanish guitars, contrabass, acoustic bass guitar).

He signed a recording contract with North American label Green Linnet/Xenophile, and “The Years Alone” was released in the US and Canada in January’1996.
In 2001 he signs a recording contract with Dutch jazz label Timeless Records, and “Segundo Ciclo” is released worldwide in April 2002.

He also recorded the electric “Maquina Dura” and is finishing the all-acoustic “Maquina Blanda” featuring covers and original compositions.


Present time:

Since 1997 he lives in Paris, France, where he’s been performing with several argentine-latin-jazz-tango groups, producing, recording and performing live (concerts in Paris and tours in Italy, Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, Turkey, Luxemburg, Monaco, Belgium, Andorra, Switzerland, Morrocco, and all around France).

Between 2003 and 2004 he produces an album of electronic version of Latin music classics: « Latinos Kretinos ». During summer 2004 he records a new CD with American woodwind player Bobby Rangell and Argentinean percussionist Javier Estrella. In this acoustic, intimate album, D.D. plays upright bass and his Larrivée acoustic Bass Guitar exclusively.
Both albums should be released by summer 2005.

From 2004 on, he started performances with “Latinos Kretinos”, playing acoustic and electrics guitars, Upright Bass, Keyboards and electronics. From 2003 on, he plays Upright Bass with tango group “Che Tango” and plays Fretless Bass with contemporary singer/songwriter Elise Caron. During 2003 and 2004 he performed Ginastera and Nazareth’s compositions with classical pianist Miguel Angel Estrella (playing Upright Bass).

This year he will be part of musical show « Mambo Mistico ». This play, written and directed by Alfredo Arias with music from Italian composer Aldo Brizzi and musicians from Bahia, Brazil will be performing almost every day between February and May 2005, in the prestigious Théâtre National de Chaillot in Paris, at the Maison de la Culture in Nantes in the Théâtre du Gymnase in Marseille...