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Concept Overview

This CD features a range of Latin American/Cuban compositions arranged for the Nahui Saxophone Quartet comprising soprano, tenor, alto, and baritone instruments.

Artist Information

Nahui Sax is a saxophone quartet formed of talented Mexican musicians from different parts of the country, all of them trained professionally in the Faculty of Music at “Universidad Veracruzana”. The project was born in 2017 in Xalapa with the intention of performing quartet saxophone music, classical repertoire, as well as traditional and popular Mexican and Latin American composers.

The band name "Nahui" is proudly inspired by Nahuatl language following their Mexican roots and Mexican identity, which are the fundamental characteristics of the quartet. “Nahui” means "four" in Nahuatl.

The quartet has performed different concerts obtaining a very positive response from the audience. Some of the forums where “Nahui Sax” has been presented successfully are: Faculty of Music at Universidad Veracruzana’s auditorium, Nuntempa Festival in 2017, “Universidad Anáhuac Xalapa”, State's Superior Institute of Music Auditorium, The 1st International Meeting of Arts Veracruz 2018 ̈CIELO MEXICA ̈ in Xalapa city, Oaxaca's Faculty of Fine Arts Auditorium (UABJO), III Naolinco International Music Festival 2018, 4th Chamber Music Competition Mateo Oliva - where they obtained the 3rd place, 3rd Xalapa International Saxophone Festival 2018, Cancun International Music Festival 2018 -where they performed in different forums in the city, Nuntempa Festival 2018 where they presented their concert “A la carte”.

Always looking for the high quality in their musical performance, as well as demonstrate the saxophone quartet in chamber music. This has led to actively maintain their training and complete assembly studies with different recognized teachers in the musical scene, such as Timothy Patrick Mckeown (USA), Albert Julià (SPAIN), Jean- Yves Fourmeau (FRANCE), Chroma Quartet (MEXICO), among others.

Composer Information

Álvaro Carrillo Alarcón was born in 1921. He absorbed many types of musical influence while growing up. In 1940, Carrillo enrolled in the National Agricultural School in Chapingo, where he composed his first songs as a student. In 1945, he graduated in Agricultural Engineering. Carrillo was a prolific composer, writing more than 300 songs during his life; many were boleros, a Mexican-style rhythmic ballad. His career was ended abruptly when he died in a car accident on 3 April 1969. His songs have continued to be covered by Mexican and international artists in the decades since his death. Mexican musicians and singers know many of the songs from the Álvaro Carrillo songbook by heart.

Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla 1921-1992) was an Argentine Tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music. A virtuoso bandoneonist, he regularly performed his own compositions with a variety of ensembles. In 1992, American music critic Stephen Holden described Piazzolla as "the world's foremost composer of tango music".

Marcelino Guerra (1914-1996), nicknamed "Rapindey", was a Cuban singer, songwriter and guitarist. He spent much of his life in the United States and retired in Spain. As a vocalist, his primary role was segunda voz (harmony singer). He is best remembered for his compositions, which included many guarachas, boleros (Convergencias being one of the best known), and songs that straddle both genres.

Ryszard Siwy was born in Poland in 1945 and in 1985 he was a naturalized Mexican. Graduated with a master's degree as a concert accordionist from the F. Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw. From 1962 he was a piano accompanist. He toured Europe and the former Soviet Union with various Polish music groups, especially accompanying singers. He worked as a composer and arranger with various orchestras in Poland. In 1974 he was musical director of the Artistic Ensemble of the Polish Army "RADAR".

In 1976 he was awarded a scholarship from the Polish Kosciuszko Foundation to specialise in the study of arrangement and composition at Berklee College of Music in Boston. In 1979 he became an arranger and composer at the Universidad Veracruzana. As a professor at the UV Faculty of Music, he has taught various subjects such as music theory, harmony, counterpoint, composition workshop, jazz harmony, accompaniment practices for pianists and guitarists, instrumental and orchestral arrangements. Since 2005 he has also been a professor at the Mexican Center for Graduate Music in Puebla where he teaches the subject of Musical Analysis. He has written music for theater, cinema, classical and popular music concerts, both in Poland and in Mexico. His innumerable arrangements and compositions cover all musical styles.

Osvaldo Ferrés (1902-1985) was a Cuban composer. He is famous for his more than 300 songs composed, especially his boleros that gave him international fame, being one of the most performed Cuban artists outside the island. Ferrés did not play any musical instrument and lacked formal musical training, being unable to read or write music. When he composed, the lyrics and the melody came at the same time. When he had the song, he memorized it, sometimes with the help of his wife, and hummed it on a tape recorder. Later he would pass the recording on to someone with musical knowledge to transcribe it.

Dámaso Pérez Prado (1916 –1989) was a Cuban bandleader, pianist and composer who popularized the mambo in the late 1940s. He frequently made brief appearances in films, primarily of the rumberas genre ( featuring dancers of Afro-Caribbean musical rhythms). The success of his orchestra and hits such as “Mambo No. 5" earned him the nickname "King of the Mambo". His stage name was simply Pérez Prado, although his brother Pantaleón also used the same name in the 1970s, which led to confusion. Pérez Prado became a naturalized citizen of Mexico in 1980, where he died in 1989. His son, Pérez Jr., continues to direct the Pérez Prado Orchestra in Mexico City to this day.

Marketing and Press

This new CD will be fully serviced to key press/media. Please request a physical review copy or a link for digital files if preferred via email to john@musicandmediaconsulting.com – likewise for interview requests.