"Tony Perez could easily be the successor to Chucho Valdez and Gonzalo Rubalcaba, . . . Tony has a unique inventiveness and lyricism that seems to be taking Cuban music in a fresh new direction." -JAZZNOWTony Perez has become one of Cuba’s most accomplished musicians to recently emerge from the island’s rich and diverse musical culture. Despite his young age, Mr. Perez has performed and recorded with the stars of the Latin American popular music scene, as well as the leading Afro-Cuban jazz ensembles from the region. In 1992, he arranged for and recorded with Isaac Delgado on the singer’s seminal "Con Ganas", a landmark recording of contemporary Cuban salsa. Later years saw him compose, arrange and perform with the legendary Fania Allstars, Celia Cruz, Jose Luis Cortes, and Giraldo Piloto’s group ‘Klimax’, who called his bandmate "one of the greatest pianists in Cuban music."In 1998 Mr. Perez took over the piano chair in what may be the most internationally renowned Cuban group of all time, ‘Irakere’. More recently, "the amazing Havana pianist," as he has been called by the San Francisco Bay Guardian, also has taken part in the production of the all-star collaboration "La Rumba Soy Yo," a recording which just received a Grammy in the 2001 Latin Music Awards. As a leader, Mr. Perez has released two recordings, the 1998 solo-piano disc "Soneao" on Tamarindo Records, and the brand new "From Enchantment and Timba to Full Force Jazz," a sophisticated yet hard-driving collection of Latin Jazz originals released by Pimienta Records. It is available at major retailers in the U.S. through Universal distributions.Since relocating to the U.S., Tony Perez has embarked on a musical exploration within the confines of the more intimate piano trio setting, to further the more acoustic and jazz-oriented side of his career. The Tony Perez Trio is his first stateside project and features John Lockwood on acoustic bass and Bertram Lehmann on drums. In this context, the trio delves into a combination of original material from Perez’ latest discs, and in what promises to be a distinctly Afro-Cuban perspective, presents a fresh approach to the standard jazz repertoire. The trio will be joined on some tunes by special guest Ernesto Diaz on congas and percussion.While Mr. Lockwood is perhaps foremost known in the New England region for his regular performances with The Fringe, Laszlo Gardony, George Garzone, Joe Maneri or Billy Pierce, he has also earned an outstanding international reputation throughout his career that includes performances with legends like Joe Henderson, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Carter, Pat Metheny, Freddie Hubbard, and Gary Burton.Mr. Lehmann has earned high recognition as drummer for acclaimed Boston-based ensembles Mango Blue, Natraj, the Luciana Souza Quintet, and the Katie Viqueira Group. Additionally, he has performed with artists such as Paquito D’Rivera, Danilo Perez, Dave Samuels, Romero Lubambo, Kenny Werner and Claudio Roditi.
