| "Their music is no longer tango, is no longer music of continental flavor. It becomes a rich tonal palette of unusual colors that bind exceptionally well and tell and embody the true meaning of today’s contemporary which is cultural and geographical." (Paolo Fresu)
"The experience Gaia Cuatro is a cultural métissage so charming that cannot have rivals." (Alceste Ayroldi) Gaia Gaia Cuatro is an amazing group born from the meeting of two of the most talented jazz musicians of Japanese jazz scene and two of the most creative and innovative Argentine musicians, active in Europe. Two different worlds that come together through music: Argentina, a country that is not only Tango, but is colored by amazing folk rhythmic variety, from passionate harmonies, from poetry that is words and music at the same time; Japan, where tradition is aesthetics, elegance, sophistication, where forms are well-finished and delicate, time is rarefied and the soul is calm. This incredible dialogue takes place between the melodic instruments of the band, where the protagonists are the virtuous Japanese violinist Aska Kaneko and the sophisticated Argentinean pianist Gerardo Di Giusto, but it happens also between rhythmic instruments, interpreted by the Argentine bassist Carlos "El Tero" Buschini and the vigorous Japanese percussionist Tomohiro Yahiro. The result is to leave you breathless. A kaleidoscope of colors and emotions of absolute originality. The compositions, all written by their, express maturity and spontaneity at the same time, poetry and vigor. Live performances come alive at the highest levels of improvisation. The two Argentinians and the two Japanese were met by chance in Paris in 2003, ones fascinated by the opposite characteristics of the others, and they thought to "let contaminate" each other, the first from the elegance, the latter from "brio". This is how Gaia Cuatro was born and, since 2004, they are going in tour around the world, especially in Japan and Europe. The band realized three albums with the Italian label Abeat Records: Udin, Haruka and Visions. Vision is a rewriting of the first album "Gaia", published by the Japanese Kaiya Records. Haruka and Vision are hosting one of the most famous Italian artists, known all over the world, Paolo Fresu, who, fascinated by their music, taken the street of this musical trip, without geographical limits, while expressing its full rich personality. "Paolo has a different color, he played with us respecting our music, but giving it its color, its aroma, a new vision, another wind." (Aska Kaneko). Aska Kaneko "The style of Aska reaches, at the same time, an impressive technique and an emotional expressiveness. Agile, lithe, delicate but strong and edgy at the same time. While she plays, the violin seems to be a continuation of her body, with perfect harmony between his inner world and the external. Through it, she can touch the hearts of the people, and through it, people can touch her soul." Aska was born in Tokyo and brought up among a family of visual artists. She began studying the violin and the piano at the age four. When Aska was still in her early teens (1974), she was invited to participate in an international quartet competition for young musicians in London in which she won the grand prize. In 1978 Aska entered Tokyo University of the Arts on a scholarship; however, she had little time for class work as she soon was being recruited to perform with professional players such as Sawada Kenji and many others. In 1987(~93) Aska joined with Satoru Shionoya, Hitoshi Watanabe, Kiyohiko Semba and the vocalist Techie to formed the avant-garde band Adi, which released four albums. In 1984 Aska established a thirty-member strings group (Aska Strings) and began devoting more time to composition of original works. In 1992 Aska released her first solo album (Multi-Venus) featuring original compositions or the electric violin. In the 1990s Aska served as a pivotal member and also as the music director for the large collaborative project with traditional musicians from throughout Asia; the resulting Asian Fantasy Orchestra performed a series of critically acclaimed concerts in Japan, at Tokyu’s Bunkamura Cultural Center, and toured extensively in Asia. Aska has also composed and arranged music for numerous theatrical productions, television commercials, anddance companies. In 1998 Aska was awarded a Bessie Composition Award for a work created at the request of choreographer Yoshiko Chuma in collaboration with the School of Hard Knocks production of the “Unfinished Symphony.” In 2000 Aska released “Mother” on Universal’s Classics Label, followed in 2004 with an acoustic solo album entitled “Betweenness.” Since then Aska has continued to expand the horizon of her endeavors. In 2004, in fact, with the japanese Tomohiro Yahiro, met the two argentine musicians Gerardo di Giusto and Carlos ‘el Tero’ Buschini, with whom started a new and strong comparison-exchange of music and cultures. So they created the group Gaia Cuatro, since then on tour in Japan, Europe and America. With the release of Ave” in the summer of 2007 Aska gave external expression to her commitment to thepursuit of internal harmony and external peace. This album was released on Aska’s personal label, Disc Ave; not only the content of the album, but also a portion of all revenue generated, are directed toward peace works on this fragile Earth of ours. Over the last two decades Aska has pursued numerous collaborations with visual artists, illustrators, playwrights, and she has been deeply involved not only in the composition and arrangement of particular musical works but also in the overall production of multifaceted performance events. In recent years she has also begun conducting musical workshops with young children. In the summer of 2009 she relocated from Tokyo to the United States, where they currently reside in St. Louis. Aska continues to tour often in both Asia and Europe. "Di Giusto created a new sound in the cramped, unknown space of contemporary Latin-American music." Francisco Cruz – Le Monde de la Musique (avril 2005) Pianist and composer Gerardo Di Giusto was born on the 30th January 1961 in Córdoba, Argentina. After attending the National Music Academy of Córdoba, he furthered his studies in music in Paris at the "CIM" Jazz school and the "Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris" where he graduated with a degree in Musical Direction. Composer, arranger and pianist for the masters of “rubato” like Amelita Balter (singer for Piazzolla) and Juan Jose Mosalini in Argentine tango, for the masters of “rhythm” in Latin music like Orlando Poleo, Anga Diaz, Maraca Valles, etc. and for jazz musicians such as Julien Lourau, Magik Malik and Gerardo Di Giusto also the conduit for his enthousiastic stringed quintet “Camerata Ambigua” and on two their first successful album “La Cambiada” released under the Mañana Label founded by Eduardo Makaroff from the Gotan Project and dedicated to new forms of expression of Argentine music. His orchestral works have been performed by The Grand Harmony of the French Army, The Chamber Orchestra of Cordoba (Argentina), The Dionysus Orchestra (France) and The Camerata Romeu (Cuba). He has also performed as a solo pianist in the halls of the Sorbonne, la Halle aux Grains de Toulouse, and L’Arsenal in Metz, France. Discography: « Gaïa » (Cristal/Abeille) / « La Cambiada » (Mañana/Naïve) / Julien Lourau « The Rise » (piano) / Orlando Poleo « Lo Bueno de la Vida » (piano & composition) / Orlando Poleo « El buen Camino » (composition) / Jorge Cumbo « Cumbo Trio » (piano & composition) / Musique du film « Gazon Maudit » (piano & arrangements) / Alma Rosa « Sarada » (composition). Carlos “El Tero” Buschini Born in Despeñaderos, Cordoba, Argentine, bass player and composer, Carlos “El Tero” Buschini started his career as a young boy playing bombo and guitar with folklore bands of his region, studying classic guitar from the age of 11. He soon started his first international tours in Latin America, Europe with several groups. His training in music continued in La Comena, Cordoba, CPM Milan and AIMRA in Lyon and is complemented through numerous workshops with Franco d’Andrea, Attilio Zanchi, Alain Caron, M. Stanchev and Joe Santiago. In 1989 he permanently settled in Italy and quickly became known in the European music scene by playing with great representatives of the Italian and French jazz world such as: Julien Lourau, Bojan Zulfikarpasic, Magik Malik, Miguel Anga Diaz, Luis Agudo, Minino Garay, Javier Girotto, Antonello Salis, Tiziana Ghiglione, Phil Drummy, Olivier Ker Ourio, Laurent De Wild, Daniel Mille, Nicolas Stilo, Nicolas Folmer, Krassen Lutzkanov, Gustavo Ovalles, Daniele di Buenaventura, Daniel Garcia, Raul carnota, Barbara Casisni and manyothers. He also plays with the following Japanese musicians Aska Kaneko, Tomohiro Yahiro, Kana Hiamatsu with whom he tours Japan and Europe. today he plays in several formations:Madre Tierra ( with Javier Girotto, Natalio Mangalavite, martin Bruhn), Cordoba Reunion (with Javier Girotto, Gerardo Di Giusto and Minino Garay) Tango Negro Trio (with Juan Carlos Caceres and Uruguayan percussionist Marcelo Russillo), Gaia Cuatro (with Gerardo Di Giusto, Aska Kaneko and Tomohiro Yahiro) and Cuarteto Rosamonte (with Gabriel Perez, Leandro Guffanti, Martin Bruhn). Tomohiro Yahiro Drummer and percussionist Tomohiro Yahiro was born in Tokyo, and spent ten years of his childhood in the Canary Islands, where he learned the drums and percussion with local groups of Latin Rock. He returned to Japan in 1980, entered at the University. He stood out quickly and Kazuo Yoshida, the leader of the group Spick & Span, decided to create a collaboration with him. Decisive meeting for the launch of his professional career. It follows numerous collaborations with musicians such as Yosuke Yamashita, Shigeharu Mukai, Fumio Itabashi, Kazutoki Umezu. He also performs with Kazumi Watanabe, Taeko Onuki, Lisa Ono, Minako Yoshida and the group COBA. He is a member of the rock group "Jagatara" well known in Japan and collaborates with Shakushain, one of the most important jazz groups in Japan. Info Tour & Booking: |
Source: Gitana – News