Paint your village and you will be universal.Tolstoy

Pinta tu aldea y serás universal. Tolstoy

I spent a lot of time in 2012 looking for a guest artist for our 2013 Winter Carnival concert. I came across a video online of the Gregorio Uribe Big Band. Interesting, but the band was more of a “little big band”: didn’t have the full instrumentation of the Barbary Coast Jazz Ensemble.

A week later I reached out to Kabir Sehgal, a talented Dartmouth/Coast alum who’s very cued into the New York music scene. Kabir mentioned Gregorio Uribe, so I took another look. Though performed by a smaller ensemble, Gregorio’s music was unique, energetic and inspiring. Kept looking, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Gregorio. It ended up being a no-brainer. “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!” Kabir gave me Gregorio’s contact information. I reached out and Gregorio was thrilled and excited! One of the best decisions ever! From the perspective of music, energy, joy and emotion, the Winter Carnival concert with Gregorio Uribe was one of the stand-out highlights of my time at Dartmouth, and all the students in the Coast felt the same way!

Gregorio Uribe is a vocalist, accordionist, composer/arranger and bandleader—and one of the most charismatic performers any of us has ever seen. At one point in the 2013 concert, Gregorio invited members of the audience to come up and dance onstage. Stairs on the left and right of the stage made it easy for people to get onstage, “dance” across in front of the band, then rejoin the audience. Within minutes, there was a “conga line” of about

100 folks jumping at the opportunity to dance across the stage and—hey!—since Gregorio was standing near the stairs on the right, give him a BIG spontaneous hug before going back to their seats. Everybody who danced across the stage gave Gregorio a big hug when they got to the other side: one woman hugged him for 20-30 seconds. Why hugs? Because everyone who danced across that stage was full of joy, and their joy was created by Gregorio. Most artists have an onstage persona. Not Gregorio: he’s the same onstage and off, bringing positive energy to everyone he meets every moment, every day! The Dartmouth students in the Coast knew that from the beginning of Gregorio’s week-long residency, and the audience in Spaulding that night knew it too!

Gregorio Uribe was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. During his teenage years he played drums, accordion and guitar in different bands. At age 17 he backpacked through eight countries in South America, performing in streets, buses and on beaches in big cities and small towns. Later Gregorio studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he “fell in love with big band jazz arranging,” was awarded the Steve Gadd Zildjian Scholarship Award and graduated summa cum laude in 2007. He moved to New York City in 2008 and started the Gregorio Uribe Big Band. In 2012 Gregorio was named by the government of Colombia one of the “100 Most Successful Colombians Abroad,” joining Gabriel García Márquez, Shakira and Sofi a Vergara and others.

Through his considerable skills as a jazz arranger, the big band music of Gregorio Uribe combines Colombian rhythms such as

cumbia and chandé with funk. The Gregorio Uribe Big Band has performed at Zinc Bar in Greenwich Village for the past fi ve years. They’ve also performed at the Kennedy Center (Washington, DC), the Blue Note and Iridium (NYC), the Regattabar (Boston), numerous times in Bogotá and in Europe. In 2014 Gregorio was commissioned by Arturo O’Farrill to write a composition for the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. His piece, Suite Colombia, was performed for an audience of thousands in Symphony Space (NYC). The fi rst album by the Gregorio Uribe Big Band, Cumbia Universal, released in November 2015, was celebrated with a CD release party and performance at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in Jazz at Lincoln Center.

We’re absolutely delighted to have Gregorio Uribe back with us again as artist-in-residence with the Barbary Coast Jazz Ensemble for our 40th Winter Carnival concert! Joining Gregorio are two talented percussionists from his big band, Jonathan Gómez (Colombia) and Marcelo Woloski (Argentina). Jonathan and Marcelo were both with us in 2013 as well. The 2013 Winter Carnival concert was one for the ages, and I know this concert on Friday, February 12, with Gregorio, Jonathan, Marcelo and the 24 multi-talented students in the Barbary Coast Jazz Ensemble will be too! Please bring a friend —or friends!—and step out for a wonderful evening of music, dance, light and joy with Gregorio Uribe and the Barbary Coast!

Don Glasgo

Bio information courtesy ofgregoriouribebigband.com

GREGORIO URIBE: CUMBIA UNIVERSAL

“ Gregorio shows his poetic lyricism and intelligent composing and arranging. He offers a fresh view of classic Latin rhythms.” Jazz Times

“ The big band is a combination of these things I love—big band jazz arranging with Colombian music and rhythms.” Gregorio Uribe in The Huffi ngton Post

“ The secret is out: Gregorio Uribe is the most exciting Latin musician to hit the scene in years!" Grammy-winning producer Kabir Seghal ‘05, in his liner notes to Cumbia Universal

winter 2016

JAZZLINES