ISRAEL VARELA w/PAT METHENY at VITORIA JAZZ FEST 2009.
w/PAT METHENY, DIEGO AMADOR & JAVIER COLINA. VITORIA JAZZ FEST 2009.
ISRAEL VARELA, W/ DIEGO AMADOR TRIO!
ISRAEL DRUM SOLO W/ PAT METHENY
W/ DIEGO AMADOR TRIO, special guest: JAVIER COLINA
w/PAT METHENY & DIEGO AMADOR 5TET
Oct 27th w/ KAMAL MUSALLAM Trio, at FORMULA 1 MUSIC FESTIVAL at the Corniche. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Oct 29th w/KAMAL MUSALLAM Trio, Emirate Palace, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Oct 30 ISRAEL VARELA DRUM CLINIC(Drum recording techniques & production) AT PMI Sing & Swing Training Centre, (Battuta Mall) Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
31 Recording Session w/ KAMAL MUSALLAM, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Nov 1st ISRAEL VARELA Drum Clinic(performance) at PMI Sing & Swing Training Centre (Battuta Mall), Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Nov 4th w/ KAMAL MUSALLAM Trio, at park amphitheatre, Doha, Qatar.
Nov 5th w/ KAMAL MUSALLAM Trio, at Qatar Zuc, Doha, Qatar.
Nov 20th w/ CLAUDIO FILIPPINI & DANIELE CAPPUCCI, Beba do Samba Club, Rome, Italy..
Dec. 3rd w/ DIEGO AMADOR Quartet, at Auditorio Eduardo del Pueyo. Zaragoza, Spain
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DATES 2010
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Jan 16th w/ DIEGO AMADOR Quartet, Auditorium S.Antonio, Morbegno, Italy.
Jan 17th w/ Ciuri Ciuri Jazz, BLUE NOTE, Milan.
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Jan 18th w/ DIEGO AMADOR Quartet, Moody Jazz Club, Foggia, Italy.
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Jan 19th w/ DIEGO AMADOR Quartet, Monopoli, Italy.
Feb 21-22-23-24 w/ DIEGO AMADOR Quartet, TBA
Mar 11th, w/ DIEGO AMADOR, Seville, Spain.
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Mar 12th, w/ DIEGO AMADOR, Malaga, Spain.
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Mar 13th w/ DIEGO AMADOR, Granada, Spain.
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Apr 17 w/ CYRANO JAZZ quartet, (Band co-leaded by Otmaro Ruiz(piano), Bob Sheppard(sax), Alfredo Paixao(bass), Israel Varela(drums).at Auditorium S.Antonio, Morbegno, Italy.
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Apr 19th w/ CYRANO JAZZ Quartet, at Moody Jazz Club, Foggia, Italy.
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Apr 23 w/ CYRANO JAZZ Quartet, at 1799 Jazz Club, Acqua viva delle fonti, Italy.
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Apr 24 w/ CYRANO JAZZ Quartet, at Petra Live Club - Ceglie Messapica, Italy.
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Apr 26-27-28 w/ DIEGO AMADOR Quartet(Chile-Uruguay, dates tba)
Apr 29th-30th w/ DIEGO AMADOR Quartet, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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May 1st w/ DIEGO AMADOR Quartet, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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ISRAEL VARELA
Since arriving in Rome, drummer-vocalist-composer Israel Varela has been one of the most in demand drummers in Europe, capturing the attention of the international music scene. But it is in the context as a leader in his own right that the gifted artist from Tijuana has revealed all his creativity.
Has performed or recorded around the world with some of the finest Jazz, Pop and Flamenco Artists such as: PAT METHENY, DIEGO AMADOR, HIRAM BULLOCK, ABE LABORIEL, ANDREA BOCELLI, ALEX ACUNA, GARY WILLIS, PINO DANIELE, MONTSE CORTES, RAIMUNDO AMADOR, ALFREDO PAIXAO, PAOLO DAMIANI, OTMARO RUIZ, BOB MINTZER, CARLES BENAVENT, JOHN PENA, RENE TOLEDO, INTERNATIONAL PHILHARMONIA OF THE CALIFORNIAS ORCHESTRA, BAJA CALIFORNIA ORCHESTRA, JAVIER COLINA, MICHAEL MANRING, and many more.
Born in 1979 in Tijuana, Mexico, Israel grew up in family filled with singers, pianists, guitarrists and orchestral conductors. He began to perform in public at the age of five, singing and playing piano. Years later at the age of twelve he began doing gigs as a drummer with the best Tijuana local Jazz bands, and studied under Gonzalo Farrugia, and Andrei Tchernizev.
A major turning point in his life happened in 1995 when his talent was discovered by the great ALEX ACUNA. At the age of fifteen he was studying in Los Angeles privately under ALEX ACUNA(1995-1998), and later under DAVE WECKL (1998-2000) also privately.
Israel Varela has also studied at the Baja Calfiornia Conservatory, Giuseppe Verdi’s Conservatory(Milan) and Santa Cecilia Conservatory(Rome). where he covered academic classes (theory, harmony, ear training, solfege, music history, analysis & counterpoint).
He arrived in Italy on 2001 and lived in Milan were he studied orchestral percussion and contemporary music at the Giuseppe Verdi's Conservatory.
Two years later he moved to Seville were he studied and mastered all the demanding techniques, rhythms & harmonies of Flamenco Music under the great Diego Amador, Luis Amador, and all the “Amador” family, in Las tres mil viviendas. This became an important period for Varela as during this period he developed his own voice as a drummer and as a composer knowing the Flamenco Tradition and using his own original style to add to it.
He recalls: “when I first listened to Camaron, and Paco de Lucia, they blew my mind, but then when I listened to Diego Amador’s music my life Changed.
A few years later Diego Amador called him to join to his Flamenco Quartet.
His debut album "Tijuana Portrait" (2007)with original compositions was internationally acclaimed winning the Euro Latin Award 2008.
Now Varela is taking a new direction on his second album to be released on Jan 2010, experimenting not only with Flamenco, Jazz and Mexican music, but also focusing in his latest direction: "arabic music", using different sounds and textures and a new set of collaborators, including Arabic Oud player Kamal Musallam, and flamenco pianist Diego Amador.
Israel Varela is currently a member of the Diego Amador quartet(Spain), Paolo Damiani Ensemble(Italy), and leads his own band Israel Varela " Trio"(Italy).
He also teaches Drums at Centro Ottava Music School in Rome. www.myspace.com/ottava
AWARDS
1st place International Drum Contest , California 2001;-
1st place "Instrumentista" FONCA(Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes)Mexico 2001.;-
1st place Jovenes Creadores FOECA(Fondo Estatal para la Cultura y las Artes)Mexico 1999 y 2000.;-
Euro Latin Award, "Tijuana Portrait" Milan, Italy 2008.;-
Spanish Reviews
"Israel Varela es un logro para el flamenco por que huye de la simple base ritmica para crear melodias con su instrumento"Alberto Reyes. Periodico ABC de Sevilla, XV bienal del flamenco 2008.
"Virtuoso baterista que lo mismo le da tocar por Bulerias, que por tanguillos o Rumbas, sin miedo alguno, mas bien todo lo contrario, dandole una inusual soltura a la bateria en contexto flamenco" S.Cataldo, flamenco world magazine.
"Un alma frenetica, inparable, pasional e intrigante es la del baterista y compositor mexicano Israel Varela, que demuestra una capacidad envidiable de adaptamiento a cualquier cultura musical que encuentra en su camino.....un artista del Tercer Milenio. M.Leopizzi, Revista Music Around Net.
"Si el encuentro con Alex Acuna puede considerarse el verdadero punto de partida para el viaje musical de Israel Varela, la publicacion de su disco "Tijuana Portrait" representa un grande testimonio de su actual modo de ver al musica. Es soprendente como en un album de debut pueda existir tanta madurez artistica y al mismo tiempo tanta creatividad en su maximo esplendor" M.Cerreto, Jazz Italia Magazine. www.jazzitalia.it
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Israel Varela "TIJUANA PORTRAIT" All songs composed, arranged and produced by Israel Varela, *except tracks 8(by J. Coltrane) & 9(by Ivan Lins, lyrics by I.Varela)
Recorded & Mixed at Cavo Studio, Azzano, Italy by Paolo Filippi & Teo Marchese.
Mastered at Avatar Studios, New York. by Fred Kevorkian.
Todo muy bien... imagino que ya estas en Pontinia de nuevo... me saludas a Paula y al Josei... los veo en Diciembre y traigan maleta con espacio porque le compramos un regalito a Josei de Navidad.
[04/10/2009 17:32:28] julian heredia: israel el dia 10 te mando seguro ya eso vale? mira oy e ido al estudio pa grabar lo tuyo y terminarlo y se abia roto el mac del estudio ff... weno el dia 10 te lo mando ya del to y por fin jaja un abrazo contestame con lo que sea
Indubbiamente te lo saluto Emiliano lo sento quasi tutte le settimane anche se stiamo lontani. Ti auguro tutto il meglio e congratulazioni per la bellissima esperienza che stai facendo con Pat!! Best Wishes. Lorenzo
