Album Notes

Saxophonist and flutist Antonio Arnedo may have come to his muscial
career later than most, but in the more than 10 years since he recorded
his first CD, he has earned a reputation as one of Colombia's premier
jazz musicians. Arnedo's own unique style, which incorporates the tunes
and rhythms that charaterize Colombian folk music with jazz, can be traced
to his early work with Francisco Zumaque on a revolutionary project called
MACUMBIA, which bravely attempted to fuse jazz and classical music with
the Black folk music of Colombia's Carribean coast. He's also collaborated
with several of Colombia's most popular artist's, including Carlos Vives and
singer/guitarist, Clauda Gomez. On COLOMBIA, his U.S. debut on Adventure
Music, Arnedo is joined by critically acclaimed jazz guitarist Ben Monder and
percussionist Satoshi Takeishi, among others.


ANTONIO'S BIO:

Antonio Arnedo is one of the best Jazz musicians these days in Colombia. He can easily move from playing sax with the National Symphonic Orchestra as soloist to teach at one of the most prestigious local Universities, Universidad Javeriana de Bogota, all with the same talent that he shows while playing with his Jazz band.

About his first CD as a leader, "Travesia", recorded in 1996 he told writer Hugo Chaparro "To me, in this record there's no fusion but mixture. And this mixture obtains a conjunction, a reunion of elements, conceived by the right musicians. There's a guitar player who plays Jazz but can also relate to other elements and become a "cumbianbero", someone who can play a "Pasillo", who knows all the impulses behind other rhythms and can swing to them".

Arnedo recorded a few months ago his 4th CD in 4 years, closing with it a stage in his career on which he went back to his musical beginnings, to those tunes and rhythms that characterize Colombian Folk music and that have become an inherent part of his style. With his music, Arnedo achieves something unique, making us, colombians, feel proud of a country mostly known by intolerence and violence.

This quiet, gentle and talented man lets us connect with a different idea of nation, the dream of a Colombia in Peace, enjoying its natural diversity and its human richness.

Antonio initially studied Geology at Universidad Nacional but after a few semesters, music ended up by seducing him. He worked with Francisco Zumaqué in a revolutionary project called Macumbia on which Zumaqué attempted a fusion between Jazz, Classical music and the Black folk music of the caribbean coast of Colombia. Remembering those days, Arnedo told Hugo Chaparro : "I couldnt read charts and my efforts resulted in wrong interpretations. Zumaqué confessed to me later that he didnt take me out of the project just because he respected my father so much (A well known musician) and because of solidarity with me".

It was Arnedo's total dedication that led him to overcome the many obstacles of starting late in music. Playing everyday and practicing for long hours, getting to weigh just 85 pounds, Antonio became the inspired and talented Jazz musician we know today.

His discography as group leader is the following :

Travesia (1996)
Encuentros (1997)
Origenes (1998)
Colombia (2000)