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Duende Quartet

About Me

Duende is proud to have been chosen again by Jazz at Lincoln Center as one of ten American groups to tour abroad in 2009, under the auspices of the State Department, as part of the program Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad. This recent tour, from March 4 to March 30, included India, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Taiwan -- check out the photos! Formerly the Jazz Ambassadors, this program has hosted such legendary musicians as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie. Duende also toured Turkey, Albania, Cyprus and Bosnia in February 2007.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 11/11/2006
Band Members: Harry Appelman – piano & keyboards ; Josh Schwartzman – bass; Sam Turner and Mark Merella - various hand percussion
Influences: The Duende Quartet is devoted to playing Latin Jazz in the style of Mongo Santamaria, Cal Tjader and Willie Bobo with a nod to the Blue Note sound of the’60’s. In a unique small group setting (with piano as the lead instrument) Duende Quartet captures the vibe of the jazz combo while using the rhythms of a Cuban conjunto. Duende has a vast repertoire ranging from traditional Cuban songs to modern jazz compositions.Along with more traditional Latin Jazz fare, the quartet's repertoire includes an energetic rendition of Cole Porter's "So in Love" and a unique take on Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson", with just a hint of Led Zeppelin.
Sounds Like: The Duende Quartet

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Record Label: Unsigned

My Blog

Bangladesh

As everyone knows, Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world.  People frequently pressed up to the windows of our van, hoping that our guilty consciences would prod us to give them some ...
Posted by on Fri, 29 May 2009 06:58:00 GMT

India

We spent the first few days in Kolkata, after a long flight from DC via London.  Not a highlight... there must be more to this city than dirt and smog, but we didn't see it.  Lots of people sleeping o...
Posted by on Mon, 04 May 2009 19:40:00 GMT

Duende travels around the globe, March 2009

Washington DC, via London to Kolkata, Shillong (in India's Meghalaya state), Chennai, Dhaka, Manila and Cebu in the Philippines, Taipei and other Taiwan cities, back to DC via Tokyo.  Around the world...
Posted by on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:15:00 GMT

Buy our CD here!

"The Duende Quartet specializes in small-combo arrangements for piano, bass and percussion that are intimate, interwoven and, thanks to unexpected shifts in meter, delightfully inventive." ...
Posted by on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:13:00 GMT

preliminary info. for Spring '09 tour

India--Kolkata, Mar 4 - 5--Shillong, Mar 6 - 8--Kolkata, Mar 9--Chennai, Mar 10 - 13Bangladesh--Dhaka, Mar 14 - 19Philippines--Manila, Mar 20 -21--Cebu, Mar 22 - 23--Manila, Mar 24Taiwan--Taipei, Mar ...
Posted by on Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:16:00 GMT

Duende chosen again to tour for State Department

The Duende Quartet was one of 10 groups recently chosen by Jazz at Lincoln Center to tour the world in 2009!  Click here for Press Release in PDF form
Posted by on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 01:44:00 GMT

Duende plays with Candido!

Last Monday, Sept. 8, Duende had the honor of sharing the stage with the legendary percussionist Candido Camero, pioneer of the multi-conga technique who has been featured with Machito, Dizzy Gil...
Posted by on Sat, 13 Sep 2008 03:09:00 GMT

Mike Joyce’s review of Duende CD in Washington Post

DUENDE QUARTET"Duende Quartet"IndependentFriday, March 28, 2008; Page WE12THE DUENDE QUARTET’s self-titled debut is strictly a hornless affair, perhaps not what you’d expect of a band that...
Posted by on Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:08:00 GMT

This band has cajons.

...
Posted by on Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:52:00 GMT

Buy the new CD here.

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Posted by on Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:33:00 GMT