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Aruán Ortiz

Pianist, violist, and composer Aruán Ortiz – born in Santiago de Cuba, and resident of Brooklyn – has been an active figure in the progressive jazz and avant-garde scene in the US for more than 15 years.

Named “one of the most creative and original composers in the world” (Lynn René Bayley, The Art Music Lounge), he has written music for jazz ensembles, orchestras, dance companies, chamber groups, and feature films, incorporating influences from contemporary classical music, Cuban Haitian rhythms, and avant-garde improvisation. Aruán consistently strives to break stylistic musical boundaries.

Since his arrival in the United States, Aruán has played, toured, or recorded with jazz luminaries such as Wadada Leo Smith, Don Byron, Greg Osby, Wallace Roney, Nicole Mitchell, Cameron Brown, Michael Formanek, William Parker, Adam Rudolph, Andrew Cyrille, Henry Grimes, Marshall Allen, Hamiet Bluiett, Oliver Lake, Rufus Reid, Graham Haynes, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Nasheet Waits. He has also collaborated with choreographers José Mateo, Danis Mora, and Milena Zullo; filmmakers Ben Chace, Mariona Lloreta, and Mónica Rovira; poets Abiodun Oyewole from The Last Poets; writer/poet/filmmaker Mtume Gant; DJ Logic and Val Jeanty Inc.; and renowned German writers Angelika Hentschel and Anna Breitenbach.

Aruán has received numerous accolades including the Composer Fellowship Award at Vermont College of Fine Arts (2016); the Doris Duke Impact Award (2014); the Composers Now Creative Residency at Pocantico Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (2014); the Jerome Foundation Travel & Study Grant (2013); Latin Jazz Corner’s Arranger of the Year (2011) for his contribution on the album, “El Cumbanchero” by flutist Mark Weinstein (Jazzheads, 2011); Fundación Autor, SGAE, and Generalitat de Catalunya study grants (2002); Semifinalist, Jas Hennessy Piano Solo Competition, Montreux, Switzerland (2001); and Best Jazz Interpretation, Festival de Jazz in Vic, Spain (2000).

He also performed on Grammy Award winning singer/bassist Esperanza Spalding’s trio debut album, "Junjo" (Ayva Música, 2006). All About Jazz said, “The trio has…splendid flashes of precision from pianist Aruán Ortiz who is excellent throughout.”

His 2010 album "Alameda" (Fresh Sound New Talent), which combines modern jazz, contemporary classical music, and Afro-Cuban rhythms, received four stars from the UK based magazine Jazzwise and was named one of the top ten jazz CDs of the year. In response to the quartet's second album, "Orbiting" (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2012), DownBeat magazine called Aruán "...one of the most versatile and exciting pianists of his generation." The album also received four stars from Jazzwise Magazine and Jazz Journal in the UK, and was chosen as one of the top ten contemporary jazz albums of 2012 by Something Else! webzine.

Aruán’s work consolidates intense research and development on specific themes related to architectural patterns and information drawn from non-musical contexts. Inspired by Afro-Haitian traditions and how those traditions can be expressed through multiple genres, Aruán’s music channels his sound through avant-garde and progressive jazz, serial music, and contemporary classical language, focusing on decentralized roles and multiples themes and interacting collectively in ways similar to a string quartet.

His unique musical vision has been covered in magazines and newspapers in Europe and the US including Jazz ‘n’ More (Swizerland), The Guardian (UK), Expresso (Portugal), The New York Times, DownBeat, JazzTimes, Jazziz, The Boston Globe, Chicago Jazz Magazine, San Diego Union Tribune, and All About Jazz (US), Jazzpodium (Germany), Musica Jazz, Il Muro Magazine, Il Corriere della Sera and Jazz Convention (Italy), The Ottawa Citizen (Canada), The Irish Times (Ireland), and Way Out West (Japan), among many others.

In 2013, Aruán collaborated with the New York-based presenter Revive Music, to produce and curate Music & Architecture, a series of concerts featuring some of the most legendary, forward-thinking, and creative improvisers on the New York scene. These concerts inspired by Iannis Xenakis’s book “Music and Architecture,” were focused on translating patterns, symbols, and structures related to serialism and expressionism in contemporary music, but unusual to jazz improvisation. After the success of this series, journalist Tomas Pena stated, "...The music evoked images of mathematical equations, great architectural works and brought to mind the New York loft scene of the 1970s, where free jazz reigned supreme."

Aruán’s artistic curiosity has led to projects beyond the jazz landscape. He received a commission from the José Mateo Ballet Theater on the occasion of their 25th anniversary to compose the score for a new choreographic work, "Pagano or No." This score, heralded as “one of the most significant works of music" by Latin Jazz Network, was recorded on the album Santiarican Blues Suite released by Sunnyside Records in 2012 and premiered by the Camerata Urbana Ensemble at the Next Wave Festival at BAM in New York. In 2013, Aruán wrote "Collage," an original piece for the ballet commissioned by the YOUME Orchestra. This piece was premiered at the Casa del Jazz Festival in Rome, Italy by the YOUME Orchestra, conducted by Aruán with choreography by the Milena Zullo Ballet. The same year, Aruán was invited by the University of Albany to conducted “Variations,” a free improvisation piece for Orchestra and prepared piano, performed by The University-Community Symphony Orchestra and pianist Bob Gluck.

He holds a MFA in Music Composition by Vermont College of Fine Arts, and as a composer, his growing portfolio include works such as Two Short Stories for String Quartet performed by Secret String Quartet and New MUSE String Quartet, Pandemonium in Clave for percussion trio and piano premiered by Talujon Percussion Ensemble, Ogguere (when the soul of the earth dances around spectral motions) for brass quintet premiered by Brooklyn Brass, and the upcoming Hints of Leguedé for Solo Flute, and Afro-Haitian Living in the Midst of a Twisted Globe for violin, cello and piano trio, premiered in February 8th, 2018.

His most recent albums released by Intakt Records have received 5 stars from prestigious jazz magazines such as Jazziz and DownBeat. Hidden Voices (2016) was lauded as “a solid and unique new sound in today’s jazz world” by Matthew Fiander in PopMatters. And his solo piano effort Cub(an)ism (2017) was called "a genius exercise in the exploration of depth and perception that reveals a bright new wrinkle in the relationship between music and mathematics, reimagining Afro-Haitian Gaga rhythms, Afro-Cuban rumba and Yambú into heavily improvised meditations on modernism that recall John Cage and Paul Bley. Stunning." (Ron Hart, The Observer).

In 2014, Aruán composed the score for the feature film "Sin Alas,” the first American movie filmed on Cuban soil in 50 years. This film was nominated by the Curaçao Film Festival for the Yellow Robin Award in 2015. Aruán’s work will also be heard on the Spanish short film "The Beating."

He has been invited as a visiting artist to perform and teach at Longy School of Music, Cambridge, MA (2006 and 2007); Tanglewood, MA (2006); Royal Academy of Music (2011) and Trinity College (2012) in London; Campus Artístico Can Geli, Girona (2013); Percento Musica, Rome (2011, 2012); Scuola Popolare di Musica, Fermo, Italy (2012); Krakow Jazz School (2014); Institut Musical of Formation Professionnelle, Provence, France (2014); University of Jalapa, Mexico (2013); Jazz Academy Novi Sad, Serbia (2013); Long Island University, NYC (2014); University of Albany, (2012 -2013); California Jazz Conservatory, Berkeley (2014); and Brookhaven College School of the Arts, Dallas, (2014), among many others. He has taught at Berklee College of Music and Queens College CUNY.

Awards

Latin Jazz Corner’s Arranger of the Year 2011 for his contribution on the album, “El Cumbanchero” (Jazzheads 2011) by flutist Mark Weinstein

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Aruán Ortiz: Pastor's Paradox

Read "Pastor's Paradox" reviewed by Alberto Bazzurro

by Alberto Bazzurro
January 23, 2024

Eccellenti i brani solo strumentali, a tratti un po' verbosi, zavorrati (come accade spesso, del resto) quelli con l'aggiunta di Mtume Gant alla “dizione": si potrebbe sintetizzare così questo album del pianista cubano (ma da oltre vent'anni di stanza negli USA) Aruán Ortiz, ma sarebbe ovviamente eccessivamente semplicistico. Allora diciamo che anche gli episodi con voce aggiunta (tra i quali deve rientrare pure il conclusivo “No Justice, No Peace, Legacy!," dove lo slogan del titolo viene proferito ...

Album Review

Aruán Ortiz: Pastor's Paradox

Read "Pastor's Paradox" reviewed by Karl Ackermann

by Karl Ackermann
October 25, 2023

When clarinetist and saxophonist Don Byron and pianist Aruán Ortiz teamed up for the recording of Random Dances And (A)Tonalities (Intakt Records, 2018) they brought an unprecedented wealth of stylistic experiences to the studio. The result was an unconventional duo sound that blurred the distinctions between their collective comfort zones. Byron and Ortiz return on the gorgeous Pastor's Paradox, sounding joined at the hip and untethered, simultaneously. In this (mostly) quartet setting, Byron and Ortiz are joined by ...

Album Review

Ivo Perelman / Arun Ortiz / Lester St. Louis: Prophecy

Read "Prophecy" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
June 12, 2023

Movies run through our heads all the time and Prophecy, the latest excursion into the unruly unknown by tenor saxophonist and tireless creator Ivo Perelman and his two latest partners-in-crime, pianist Aruan Ortiz and cellist Lester St. Louis is just the soundtrack for them. Boisterous, disconcerting, consoling. Musically obtuse yet oddly accessible for the love scenes and elegies. Music restless for the reveal. Hypnotic themes for the terse encounters between lead characters or the silent parsing of the ...

Radio & Podcasts

Aruán Ortiz, Ferg Quill, Simon Lucaciu, Papanosh & More New Releases

by Ludovico Granvassu
March 28, 2023

Organ grooves, a take on the Jackson Five opened by the merciless beat of an Ornette Coleman alumnus, a few compelling debut albums, the ongoing collaboration between Aruán Ortiz and James Brandon Lewis, the return of Joshua Abrams' meditations for large ensemble and more make this week's playlist worth your attention... Happy listening! PlaylistBen Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" Mondo Jazz Theme 0:00 Ari Joshua, Skerik feat. Delvon Lamarr, Grant Schroff ...

Album Review

Aruán Ortiz Trio: Serranias: Sketchbook For Piano Trio

Read "Serranias: Sketchbook For Piano Trio" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
March 22, 2023

Pianist Aruan Ortiz hails from Santiago de Cuba, but he has resided in the United States for two decades. Musically he is a first cousin to pianist Matthew Shipp with his approachable and often intense and avant-garde keyboard style; and he seems a stylistic grandson to Thelonious Monk with his joyful angularities and off-kilter interludes. But he is the son of Cuba, his music mixing in a cubist way the island nation's toques, rumbas, son and conga, tinted at times ...

Album Review

James Brandon Lewis Quartet: Molecular Systemic Music Live

Read "Molecular Systemic Music Live" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
September 21, 2022

With Molecular Systemic Music Live, saxophonist James Brandon Lewis and his quartet present the compositions of his 2020 album Molecular. The difference is that things are a good deal more stretched out. The music has gone from a single CD to a two CD package. With the extended tunes, the musicians—especially pianist Aruan Ortiz—get more opportunity to explore the permutations of the compositions, and the compositions have more fire, more searing energy. The music is freer. Opening with ...

Extended Analysis

Brass And Ivory Tales

by Hrayr Attarian
November 23, 2021

Innovative saxophonist Ivo Perelman celebrates his 60th birthday with the release of a magnum opus, Brass And Ivory Tales. Recorded over a period of seven years, this nine-volume box set is impressive in both its depth and breath as it matches Perelman with a different piano master per disc. The improvised duets are usually the first documented meeting between the two musicians and the instant and rapidly evolving synergy is fresh and thrilling. Both remarkable and expected is Perelman's ability ...

Recording

Michaël Attias Presents "Nerve Dance" Featuring Aruán Ortiz, John Hébert & Nasheet Waits

Source: Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity
January 20, 2017

Available March 10, 2017 on Clean Feed Records “Like a high-quality electronic product manufactured by the Panasonic Corporation, the career of alto saxophonist Michaël Attias has always involved being slightly ahead of his time...”—Ken Waxman, JazzWord Nerve Dance—saxophonist/composer/bandleader/conceptualist Michaël Attias’ sixth album (available on Clean Feed Records, March 10, 2017), which deals with the aesthetics of spontaneity, the theory of elasticity and the concept of equality in music, is an expansive, spirited debut from Michaël Attias’ new Quartet, featuring Aruán ...
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Recording

Whirlwind Recordings Releases: The Aruan Ortiz And Michael Janisch Quintet - Banned In London

Source: Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity
January 23, 2013

Whirlwind Recordings Proudly Releases: The Aruan Ortiz and Michael Janisch Quintet - Banned in London U.S. Release Date: January 29, 2013 Featuring: Greg Osby, Raynald Colom & Rudy Royston! ONE OF THE MOST TALKED ABOUT GIGS AT THE 2011 LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL took place at the Pizza Express on Soho's Dean Street by the Aruán Ortiz and Michael Janisch Quintet. On January 29, 2013 Whirlwind Recordings will release this critically acclaimed performance in the U.S. Banned In London has garnered ...
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Contest

Enter the "Aruan Ortiz & Michael Janisch Quintet - Banned in London" Giveaway at All About Jazz!

Source: All About Jazz
January 5, 2013

All About Jazz members are invited to enter the Whirlwind Recordings “Aruan Ortiz & Michael Janisch Quintet - Banned in London“ giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on February 4th. Click here to enter the contest

(Becoming a fan of Michael Janisch at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.)

Good luck! Your Friends at Whirlwind Recordings About Banned in London

One of the most talked about gigs at the ...
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Event

Bob Gluck & Aruan Ortiz: "Textures And Pulsations: CD Release Concert

Source: Robert Gluck
December 29, 2012

Pianists Bob Gluck and Aruán Ortiz will celebrate the release of “Textures and Pulsations," their new duet recording on Ictus Records at the Booklyn-based Shapeshifter Lab on Thursday, February 7. The 9pm show will feature improvisational works for two pianos, Moog Synthesizer, and digital processing. The duo's improvisations range across genres and musical forms, and feature poignantly etched live electronics, creating a colorful, virtuosic brew of subtly shifting textures, lyrical melodies, and great grooves. Dave Sumner (eMusic “Jazz Picks") writes: ...
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Performance / Tour

This Friday, April 27 - Pianist/composer Aruán Ortiz & Camerata Urbana Ensemble CD Release Party @ Ibeam

Source: Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity
April 25, 2012

Pianist/Composer ARUÁN ORTIZ & CAMERATA URBANA ENSEMBLE CD RELEASE PARTY Presenting Music From Their New CD “SANTIARICAN BLUES SUITE" (Sunnyside Records) IBEAM MUSIC This Friday, April 27th @ 8:30PM Aruán Ortiz, piano, compositions Zoe Hillengas, flute Machiko Ozawa, violin Lynn Bechtold, violin Edmundo Ramirez, viola Brian Sanders, cello Pedro Giraudo, bass Enildo Rasúa, percussion Fransua Sayas, percussion
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Recording

Pianist/composer Aruan Ortiz Presents A Musical Unit In Perpetual Motion On His New Recording, "Orbiting"

Source: Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity
April 3, 2012

Pianist/Composer Aruán Ortiz Presents a Musical Unit in Perpetual Motion on His New Recording, Orbiting (Available May 29, 2012 on Fresh Sound/New Talent) Orbiting features The Aruán Ortiz Quartet: Aruán Ortiz (piano), David Gilmore (guitar), Rashaan Carter (bass), Eric McPherson (drums) Aruán Ortiz Appearances Aruán Ortiz Residency at IBeam, Brooklyn, every Friday in April Aruán Ortiz 4tet, Celebrating the release of Orbiting at Smalls, April 10, 8:30-11:00 PM, featuring JD Allen, Rashaan Carter & Eric McPherson About Aruán Ortiz Jazz ...
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Recording

Aruan Ortiz Featuring Antione Roney - Alameda (2010)

Source: Something Else!
July 12, 2010

By PicoWallace Roney's live album that bowed last spring is a good record for several reasons, first and foremost because of the trumpet player's dexterity on the brass horn. In our brief review of If Only For One Night, I didn't have room to say much about the contributions of his band, but it should be noted that Mr. Roney doesn't haul around a bunch of slouches with him when he performs live. For one, his keyboardist is ...
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Recording

The Quintet Featuring Aruan Ortiz Live at the Cornelia Street Cafe on July 16!

Source: Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity
July 12, 2010

"Ortiz and his quartet explore a broad landscape of musical styles, performance techniques, and compositional strategies on Alameda, an inspired collection of diverse pieces." --Chip Boaz, The Latin Jazz Corner

“Mr. Ortiz, a young Cuban pianist with a modern jazz pedigree, leads a promising ensemble..." --Nate Chinen, New York Times

“Jazz fans applaud, and novices mark your calendars. Aruán Ortiz, critically acclaimed Cuban pianist is a 'must see,'"--The New York Post

“Utterly refreshing"--The Village Voice

The QuintetFeaturing Aruan Ortiz ...
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203

Recording

Fresh Sound/New Talent to Release Alameda from Aruan Ortiz on June 15

Source: Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity
May 18, 2010

"Mr. Ortiz, a young Cuban pianist with a modern jazz pedigree, leads a promising ensemble..." --Nate Chinen, New York Times“Jazz fans applaud, and novices mark your calendars. Aruan Ortiz, critically acclaimed Cuban pianist is a 'must see,'" --The New York Post“Utterly refreshing" --The Village Voice Alameda features Aruan Ortiz (piano & Rhodes), Abraham Burton (saxophone: 1,2,4,6,7,8), Antoine Roney (saxophone: 2,4,8), Peter Slavov (bass), Eric McPherson (drums)Jazz pianist Aruan Ortiz, “the latest Cuban ...
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Performance / Tour

Aruan Ortiz Trio: Free Concert at Mason Gross Performing Arts Center

Source: Michael Ricci
January 22, 2010

New Brunswick, NJ -- Acclaimed pianist Aruan Ortiz brings his hypnotic blend of avant-garde jazz and world music to Nicholas Music Center on Thursday, February 11. The Aruan Ortiz Trio features the Grammy Award-nominated Ignacio Berroa on drums and Ed Howard on bass. Their appearance inaugurates Rutgers University's Common Purposes Concert Series.

“You know there's all this musical depth (with Ortiz), but in performance he's able to build dynamically something from start to end," says Carlos Fernandez, an ethnomusicologist and ...
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"..one of the most creative pianists of the new generation of Cuban Jazz..." -Jazz News

"...one of the most versatile and exciting pianist of his generations." Downbeat

"an arriving of a major talent". Jazz Times

"A mark of quality on gigs and records" New York Times.

About Aruán Ortiz Quartet: "the calling card of a group of inventive, daring souls who are unbound by musical boundaries and will push them to their limit." The New York City Jazz Record