Humberto Ríos &
Pablo Rodríguez
This Atlantic duo rethinks one of chamber music's oldest pairings. Music carefully crafted and left open. Struck, prepared, stretched and extended.
Live
Album
Debut album, 2019
Conversaciones
On CD and digital via Bandcamp.
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Listen
About
Humberto Ríos and Pablo Rodríguez began as an impromptu jam at Codarts Rotterdam in 2016, a knock on a practice-room door. Ten years on, the music still works the same way: open, playful, curious.
The music draws on jazz, the folk traditions of Cuba and the Canary Islands, and contemporary chamber music, without settling in any of them. Improvisation reshapes each piece from one performance to the next. Beyond the extended techniques, the palette includes a second violin tuned an octave down, a stomp box and light live processing, while the core stays acoustic.
Individually, they have worked with artists including Roy Hargrove, Ambrose Akinmusire, Samora Pinderhughes, Jorge Pardo, Carles Benavent, Antonio Lizana, Trio Da Kali, José Manuel León, Oene van Geel and Tim Kliphuis, among others. Humberto currently plays with Niña Pastori and is a member of the Cuban Jazz Syndicate; Pablo is a member of the North Sea String Quartet and the Brainteaser Orchestra.
They were finalists of Keep an Eye The Records at the Bimhuis and have been selected for the JAZZ I AM, LPA Market and MAPAS showcases. Their debut album, Conversaciones (2019), led to concerts at the Bimhuis, Jazz à Juan and Auditorio de Zaragoza.
“Humberto Ríos played not only the keys but also the piano strings, while Pablo Rodríguez transformed his violin into a mandolin or a cajón.”
The duo
Humberto Ríos piano
Havana-born pianist Humberto Ríos (Humbe) trained classically in Cuba and Spain and studied jazz and world music at Codarts Rotterdam. Winner of the Leiden Jazz Award (2018), he has played the North Sea Jazz Festival with his D.H.D Trio and currently performs with Niña Pastori and the Cuban Jazz Syndicate. Based in Madrid.
Pablo Rodríguez violin
La Palma-born violinist Pablo Rodríguez, based in the Netherlands, has developed his own percussive and harmonic techniques for the violin. He plays with the North Sea String Quartet, Tijn Wybenga & Brainteaser Orchestra and the Marmoucha Orchestra, and has shared the stage with Pat Metheny, Ambrose Akinmusire and Jorge Pardo.