Michel Camilo

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Michael Camilo (born April 4, 1954) is a pianist and composer from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He is known as a great jazz, latin and classical pianist with superb technical ability, and has played and recorded with many world-famous musicians. Michael lists some of his main influences as Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, and Art Tatum.

1 Background
2 Association with other Musicians
3 Discography
4 External links

[edit] Background

Michael was born into a musical family and as a young child showed great aptitude for the accordion that his parents gave him. Although he enjoyed the accordion, it was his grandparents' piano that sparked his interest the most, so at aged 9 he asked his parents to buy him one. Their response was to first send him to the Elementary Music School, part of the National Conservatory, and then a year later to grant his wish.

The formal system of the music school taught Michael to play in the classical style, and by aged 16 he was playing with the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic. Michael comments on his first encounter with the sounds of jazz, in an interview with the All About Jazz website:

”The first time I heard jazz was when I was 14 and a half. I heard the great Art Tatum on the radio playing his solo piano rendition of 'Tea for Two.' That immediately caught my ear. I just wanted to soak it in, to learn to play that style. Then I found out it was jazz.”

Michael studied for 13 years at the National Conservatory, and whilst developing his strong classical abilities was also heavily influenced by the bop tradition, and by the contemporary jazz of Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea. His influences at this time also included Horace Silver, Errol Garner, and the ragtime music of Scott Joplin.

When the Harvard University Jazz Band visited the Dominican Republic and heard Michael at a jam session, the bandleader encouraged him, 'You should be in the States', and so the idea was planted. In 1979 Michael moved to New York to study at Mannes College and at The Juilliard School, and broke onto the international stage in 1983 when Tito Puente's pianist was unable to make a concert at the Montreal Jazz Festival. On a recommendation, without hearing him, Tito asked Michael to play. Cuban reedman Paquito D'Rivera was in the audience, and immediately offered him a place in his band. For four years Michael toured internationally with Paquito, and recorded two albums with him.

Michael's emergence as a star in his own right began around 1985, the year he debuted with his trio at Carnegie Hall. In that same year he toured Europe with Paquito D’Rivera’s quintet, and recorded his first album, Why Not?, for Japan’s King label. In 1988 Michael debuted on a major record label, Sony, with the release of Michael Camilo. This became a bestseller and held the top jazz album spot for ten consecutive weeks. Other bestselling albums followed and so did the accolades, including a Grammy and an Emmy. Michael's collaborative 2000 album with flamenco guitarist Tomatito Spain won Best Latin Jazz Album in the first Latin Grammy Awards.

As well as being an outstanding performer, Michael is a talented composer and has written scores for several Spanish language films including Los Peores Años de Nuestra Vida and the award-winning Amo Tu Cama Rica.

Michael tours extensively, and lectures in Europe, the US, and in the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico. He holds several honorary degrees, a Visiting Professorship and a Doctorate at Berklee College of Music, and has been honored in his home country by being named a Knight of the Heraldic Order of Christopher Columbus, and being awarded the Silver Cross of the Order of Duarte, Sanchez & Mella.

[edit] Association with other Musicians

Michael's regular trio lineup for many years was his long-term friends Anthony Jackson on contrabass guitar and El Negro (Horacio Hernandez) on drums. Charles Flores has occupied the trio's bass seat since their Grammy® winning album Live at the Blue Note. Lately Michael has drummer Dafnis Prieto as part of his trio. This new trio with Charles and Dafnis will be featured on the April 2007 upcoming release Spirit of the Moment.

Other notable musicians he has played with include Tito Puente, Paquito D'Rivera, Dizzy Gillespie, Toots Thielemans, Airto Moreira, Chuck Mangione, Stanley Turrentine, Claudio Roditi, Mongo Santamaria, George Benson, Eddie Palmieri, Jon Faddis, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Lew Soloff, Tania Maria, Jaco Pastorius, Patato, Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, Chuck Loeb, Giovanni Hidalgo, Wynton Marsalis, Katia and Marielle Labèque, Dave Valentin, Flora Purim, Delfeayo Marsalis, Chucho Valdés, Joe Lovano, Herbie Hancock, Tomatito, John Patitucci, David Sanchez, Hiromi, Cachao, Marcus Roberts, Steve Gadd, Danilo Perez, Gary Burton, Billy Taylor, Dave Weckl, Hilton Ruiz, Roy Hargrove, Romero Lubambo, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen, Lenny Andrade, Birelli Lagrene, Marian McPartland, Leonard Slatkin and Arturo Sandoval.