BIOGRAPHY
PEDRO MENENDEZ is a brilliant Argentinian composer and virtuous multi-instrumentalist (Piano, Guitar, Winds, Bandoneon) distinguished for being one of the avant-gardists of the fusion style in Argentina.
His unique composition style is the reflect of long quests for the rythms of his country folk music: tango, chacarera, candombe, strong influences of jazz, bossa nova and contemporary classical expressions.
As a bold creator he proposes a different South American musical concept. Melodies are lyric and complex. Pieces are rich on harmonic modulations and elaborated counterpoints. Traditional local rythms are reinterpreted on polirythms variations, irregular meters and a varied instrumentation.
As a virtuous multi-instrumentalist, he changes from the Piano to the Guitar, Flute, Soprano Sax or Bandoneon with surprising ability.
His work can be appreciated throughout a vast discography and extense career of local and international performances in Argentina, Brazil, USA, Canada, Germany, Norway, France and India, including SXSW MUSIC FESTIVAL (Editions 2010/2009/2008, Austin, Texas, USA), CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK 2009 (Toronto, On, CANADA), FESTIVAL DE INVERNO SESC RIO 2008 (Petropolis, Teresopolis, Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL), FESTIVAL BUENOS AIRES Jazz y otras Músicas (Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA), among the most recents.
He was born in Buenos Aires in 1957.
He has been dedicated to the music since he was 7 years old. He studied with professors as the worldwide- known Oscar Aleman ( Josephine Baker's jazz guitarist), Arturo Schneider (Astor Piazzolla´s flutist) and the contemporary classical guitarist Miguel Angel Girollet, among others. He also attended the composition career at the UCA (Universidad Católica Argentina).
He has recorded 13 discographic works with compositions of his own and the participation of distinguished musicians as Osvaldo Fattoruso on drums (from the latin jazz Band 'Opa'), Rodolfo Mederos, Marcelo Nissinman on bandoneon, percussionist Rubén Rada, musicians from the Colón Theatre orchestra, among others.
In the field of contemporary chamber music, he has written several pieces including a concert for Vibraphone and Strings dedicated to the Argentine Soloist Daniel Serale that was premiered on the International Percussion Festival of Patagonia, Argentina, 2006, a concert for Marimba dedicated to the Mexican wellknown Soloist Javier Nandayapa and a work of 20 pieces for Piano based on Latin American rythmics (‘Viaje por Latinoamérica’/Voyage through Latin America’ Book I / Book II). He has also written and recorded a concert for Guitar and Orchestra.
He has composed incidental music for television, theatre and cinema (Argentina and the Munich School of Cinema).
Troughout his career he has also performed as sessionist with many well-known musicians of the local scene of Argentina, like Luis Salinas, Agustín Pereyra Lucena, Guillermo Reuter (2004 SGAE Award), Daniel 'Pipi' Piazzolla, Lito Nebbia, Bossa n´Stones, etc.
He has a long career in international live performances in US, Canada, Norway, Germany, Spain, France and Brazil, including -among the most recent-, SXSW Music Festival & Conference 2010/ 2009/ 2008 (Austin, Texas, USA), CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK 2009, Toronto, ON, Canada (March 2009), & FESTIVAL DE INVERNO SESC RIO 2008 (Petrópolis, Teresópolis & Nova Friburgo, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRASIL (July 2008).
Since 1986 he is the Artistic Director of Contemporaneo Art Music, an Argentine record label dedicated to genres as tango, jazz, crossover, folk, world and contemporary classical music.
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