On the occasion of Spanish National Day, the embassy of Spain and Omni Music presented “The Dhaka Flamenco Jazz Project,” which was held on October 23 at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Spanish artists Mariano Abello and Juan Ortiz played such melodious and mesmeric music that they had the audiences applauding with profound appreciation at the end of each piece. The artists were especially invited to Bangladesh for the celebration of Spanish National Day.
A total of five performers were on stage, Mariano Abello (saxophone and flute), Juan Ortiz (keyboards), Saad (bass guitar), Shahbaz Khan Pilu (drums) and Hablu (congas). The band played popular tune by many famous international musicians, starting with Chick Corea and Spanish-oriented Latin music including Blues, Flamenco, and Jazz. The show had all the oomph factor and flamboyance required to floor the audience.
The event was indeed a cultural exchange where music broke the language barrier and channeled an easy communication media. Mariano charmed the audience with his mesmeric tune, played using the saxophone, Juan had his first experience of playing the harmonium and was seen to enjoy himself immensely. At the end, the solo performance of Saad, Hablu and Pilu created a catchy rhythmic atmosphere for the concert. Their tempo created such intensity that many among the audience were tempted to match steps with the tune.
Mariano Abello started training at a young age, in Spain, where he performed with various groups in different styles including blues, flamenco, jazz, and bossa-nova. He also taught general music in public and private schools. In 1996, he moved to USA to complete his musical education in jazz. In 2002 Mariano received his bachelors in Jazz Studies and in 2005 an MA in woodwind performance and pedagogy from Florida Atlantic University. He played in the Kathmandu Jazz Festival in Nepal.
Juan Ortiz began his musical studies at the age of four in Spain. Later on, he completed the Piano Jazz degree with teachers like Iñaki Salvador, Perico Sambeat and Jorge Rossy, in 2006. Besides playing jazz, Juan has been involved in projects with different kind of backgrounds such as funk, reggae, pop, rock and folk.
Spanish Ambassador Luis Tejada was present at the concert.