Arturo Stable

Arturo Stable
Background information
Origin	Santiago de cuba, Cuba
Genres	Jazz, Latin jazz, Afro-Cuban jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, producer, educator and entrepreneur
Instruments	Conga, bongo, timbal, bata drums, frame drums, darbuka, djembe, pandero and cajon
Years active	1990s–present
Labels	Origen Records, Motéma
Associated acts	Arturo Stable Quartet, The Caribbean Jazz Project, Paquito D'Rivera
Website	arturostable.com

Arturo Stable (born July 7, 1975) is a Cuban master percussionist and composer. His diverse musical experience and unique sound have allowed him to work in many environments, but is best known as a Latin jazz percussionist.^[1] He has performed in many famous jazz festivals around the world such as the San Francisco Jazz Festival,^[2] and Vitoria-Gasteiz jazz festival. This talented multi-instrumentalist and brilliant composer has also played with some of the most notable jazz performers in the world including Paquito D'Rivera,^[3] Esperanza Spalding and David Sánchez,^[4] just to mention a few.

Early life

Youth

Stable was born in Santiago de Cuba, the cradle of the island nation's most important center of culture and home of such elemental music styles as the Guajira and Son. Nurtured in a family that is deeply involved in the performing and visual arts and encouraged by his father Arturo Sr., a musician and a painter, it's not surprising that the youngster began his formal study of music at the age of four, taking piano and theory lessons.

Early education

When his family moved to Havana, Arturo continued his music education. He earned his first degree, in percussion, at the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory, the same esteemed institution that has over the decades groomed the talents of countless other celebrated Cuban musicians, among them pianists Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Hilario Durán and saxophonist Yosvany Terry. In 1993, Stable relocated to Puebla, Mexico, a bustling metropolis south of Mexico City. While there, he polished his skills as a percussionist working as a sideman, performing everything from Latin jazz to rock and traditional Latin styles He also began his career as an educator, teaching classical and Afro-Cuban percussion at the Puebla State University (Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla). At the same time, Stable continued his quest of knowledge, pursuing a post-graduate degree in music education from the Puebla State Development University.

Career development

2001–07

His rapidly expanding talents did not go unnoticed. In 2001, Stable received a scholarship to study at the Berklee College of Music. By 2003 he had earned a degree in Contemporary Writing and Production and cultivated friendships with many of the musicians who accompany him on his solo artist career. After graduating from Berklee, Stable released his first album as a leader called "3rd Step" in 2004. The album's name had its origins in a three-step process that Stable had planned to fulfill his dream of becoming a skillful musician. The first step involved moving to the U.S. in order to have the chance to fulfill his career goals. The second step consisted of furthering his learning and growing musically. Finally, the third step was to create a recording where he could apply all the lessons he had learned (thus far).^[5] Stable's debut album was received with warm reviews including those from Latin Beat Magazine, which stated "Stable, who also composed and arranged, shows that he has staying power with this first project.”

Throughout the years following his debut album, Stable began to expand his musical horizons and enrich his cultural knowledge even more. On July 2006 Stable played as a member of Javier Vercher's Sexteto for the 30th edition of the Vitoria-Gasteiz jazz festival (Spain). Stable contributed as a co-founder of Musinetwork School of Music (currently the most important music education website for Spanish speakers) in 2007. There, he has reached music students from all over the world who cannot afford the cost of studying abroad with great professors and has helped them master the skills and knowledge they will need to become talented musicians.^[6]

Also in 2007, Stable released his 2nd lead album "Notes on Canvas". The album obtained several great reviews including that of JazzTimes magazine which stated that "Emotive melodies and masterful arrangements reflect his subjects' origins, while Stable thrusts directly to the center with powerful rhythmic leadership".^[7] In this superb Jazz masterpiece that includes the participation of more than a dozen of great musicians, Stable composed each tune inspired by 9 different paintings that Stable chose from his favorite pieces of art.^[8] The album's release was celebrated on December at Cachaça Jazz Club,^[9] where Stable led a stellar quintet, featuring saxophonist Miguel Zenon, pianist Robert Rodriguez, bassist Edward Perez and drummer Henry Cole.

2008–present

Stable played a major role in the 10th International Puebla Festival (Mexico) on September 2008. During the closing of the event, Stable played as a featured guest with the Puebla State Symphony Orchestra,^[10] which performed one of Stable's compositions titled "Suite Omnira". Following the success from the previous year, Stable returned to Mexico as the Adjunct Artistic Director of the first Puebla Jazz Festival in 2009.^[11] Here, he collaborated with the Puebla State University and other sponsoring institutions to bring an impressive arrangement of great musicians, including Newman Taylor Baker, James Newton, Dave Samuels and Stable himself among many others.

In 2009, Stable also released his 3rd lead album titled "Call" This album won best album of the week in the Latin Jazz Corner^[12] and received great reviews from many notable sources. Latin Jazz Network described it as "craftsmanship at its finest."^[13] A few months after the album's release in 2010, DRUM Magazine wrote a 2-page article about Stable and this newly released album. The magazine stated that Call "redefines the outer limits of Latin jazz through complex and compelling original works and an outpouring of virtuosic performances by Stable and his quintet."^[14]

While working resolutely in his career as a performer, Stable's never-ending thirst for knowledge made him return to the academy to pursue a higher degree in music. In 2010 Stable acquired a master's degree from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

On January 2012, Stable teamed up with pianist Elio Villafranca and the Cuban duo crafted an exquisite Jazz album titled "Dos y mas". In this album, the two great musicians' similar backgrounds and musically rich experiences can be heard "as these two meld their minds and marry their musical intentions to create a program of organic, original music."^[15] JazzTimes magazine stated that "their kinship goes far beyond technical facility or theory. It's more spiritual."^[16]

Stable currently resides in the U.S. where he also serves as an endorser of and clinician for Ritmo Percussion and is the Chair of the Hand Percussion Department at the University of The Arts in Philadelphia. Later in 2012, Stable is also preparing to release in partnership with Ritmo Studios a new line of instruments many of which are his own design. This master percussionist and talented composer is one of the most prominent upcoming Latin Jazz talents of his time.

Discography

Albums as leader

• "3rd Step" (Origen Records, 2004). Arturo's first album as a band leader.
• "Notes on Canvas" (Origen Records, 2007). This recording includes the participation of more than 15 musicians, featuring Grammy award winners Paquito D'Rivera and David Sánchez among them.
• "Call" (Origen Records, 2009). Call is a quintet outing showcasing pianist Aruan Ortiz, bassist Edward Perez, saxophonist Javier Vercher and drummer Francisco Mela, with special guest Ian Izquierdo on violin.

Albums as co-leader

• "Dos Y Mas" (Motéma, 2012). This is the debut recording of Elio Villafranca and Arturo Stable's exquisite new piano and percussion collaboration.

References

External links

• Official site