| JC | ||
|---|---|---|
| External links | ||
New Music Spotlight: |
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||
KUKULCÁN | ||
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, Jazz Music is defined as “A style of music, native to America, characterized by a strong but flexible rhythmic understructure with solo and ensemble improvisations on basic tunes and chord patterns and, more recently, a highly sophisticated harmonic idiom” (2007). Easily, this next artist by all odds fits this description when it pertains to his music. Ralph Torres of the group KUKULCÁN is keeping in tradition with other great jazz legends the magic and beauty that makes Jazz Music the music that speaks to the soul.
Q. What aspect of making music excites you the most right now?
A. Firstly, I Like to introduce myself my name is Ralph Torres, vocalist, saxophonist and flutist and leader of my group Kukulcan. Taking music where music has never gone before is extremely exciting to me and fun.
Q. What aspect of making music gets you the most discouraged?
A. None of it; its all good.
Q. What are you up to right now, music-wise? (Current or upcoming recordings, tours, extravaganzas, experiments, top-secret projects, etc).
A. I am writing more music and will be in the studio and having rehearsals to debut new tunes.
Q. What's the most unusual place you've ever played a show or made a recording? How did the qualities of that place affect the show/recording?
A. Located outdoors in the town of Big Bear; which is near Los Angeles, California in the Angeles Crest Mountains area. The echoes from the music seemed to travel a long distance after bouncing off the canyon walls reciprocating through the trees and plants, now that’s surreal.
Q. In what ways does the place where you live (or places where you have lived), affect the music you create, or your taste in music?
A. I have lived in multicultural sections of towns where all types of music is played and the affect has been a good one on me.
Q. When was the last time you wrote a song? What can you tell us about it?
A. Last tune I wrote a few days ago is up-tempo.
Q. As you create more music, do you find yourself getting more or less interested in seeking out and listening to new music made by other people...and why do you think that is?
A. NO. I love creating all the time and having my own identity.
Q. Lately what musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn to as a listener? (Old or new music? Music like yours or different from yours?)
A. I like mainstream Jazz and Latin Jazz.
Q. Name a band or musician, past or present, who you flat-out LOVE and think more people should be listening to. What's one of your all-time favorite recordings by this band/musician?
A. The Duke Ellington, Milton Nacimento, and Pharoah Sanders.
Q. What's the saddest song you've ever heard?
A Town Without Pity and Corner To Corner
Main Account:
http://www.kukulcanmusic.com/
CD Baby Account:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/kukulcan
Source:
"jazz." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Answers.com 30 Oct. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/jazz
Photo used in this story was provided by Ralph Torres.
