Albert Rivera

Quotes

• “Albert Rivera Organ Sextet opened Saturday's proceedings, with the tenor-playing leader and band hitting the mark on a slow, sultry "After Hours" and a dramatic original, a brooding reflection on 9/11 called "Remembrance."

  —Sandy Ingham

• “Three young artist (Albert Rivera, Luques and Zaccai Curtis) who are part of the next wave in this jazz ritual.”

  —DownBeat Magazine

• “Rivera has a timeless tenor tone and a special sensitivity on soprano.”

  —Tony Hall
  Jazz Wise Magazine

• “While Rivera's compositions are diverse, these musicians hit the pocket and sustain a powerful group dynamic.”

  —All About Jazz NY

• “A Modern Jazz Messenger!”

  —Owen McNally Hartford Courant

• "Albert Rivera came to town for a show that blew us all away"

  —Ken Laster(Radio Host) - WWUS 91.7

• "Albert and the band played straight ahead jazz the way it was meant to be played. If you weren't there you just MISSED"

  — Stanley Danner (Gerald Veasly Jazz Base)

• "he asserts his more confrontational personality on the smaller, more sensitive-sounding instrument. Rivera’s soprano sound is equally as compelling as his tenor technique; he wrestles a deep, rich tone from the bright, tiny saxophone."

  —Jon Ross - artscriticatl.com

Albert is proud to endorse Vandoren products, Mouthpieces and Reeds! Check out the V16 - T11 spefically made by Bernard Vandoren himself with Albert Rivera in mind! www.Vandoren.com for more info

Albert Rivera is proud to have joined forces and use RS Berkeley musicial instruments!

For More info visit them at www.RSBerkeley.com

nbsp;

Albert Rivera, Curtis Brothers Play Szechuan Tokyo Nov. 24

With a fine new album just added to his impressive resume, saxophonist/composer Albert Rivera will be in an especially festive mood as he presents his annual pre-Thanksgiving show Nov. 24 at 8 p.m. at West Hartford's Szechuan Tokyo Restaurant.

The 27-year-old Bronx native has built up a loyal local fan base with his appearances at Szechuan and Black-eyed Sally's in downtown Hartford. His Connecticut connection also is accented by his role as a faculty member at the Litchfield Jazz Festival's Jazz Camp, where at 15 he studied as a scholarship student.

Once again, the New York-based musician will perform with Hartford's Curtis brothers, pianist Zaccai Curtis and bassist Luques Curtis.

Rounding out Rivera's quartet is Ben Bilello, a cum laude graduate of The Hartt School and a much in-demand freelance drummer in New England.

Starting out as a classical musician at age 10, Rivera first got hooked on jazz while studying at New York's selective LaGuardia High School for Music and Arts program. "I was speechless the first time I heard Charlie Parker and John Coltrane," Rivera has said.

Later, he was inspired by Joshua Redman's album, "Elastic," realizing, he says, that "it was only a matter of time before I adapted it to my own voice."

"In my music, when composing new sounds," Rivera adds, "I use the modal aspect of John Coltrane's works as a creative launching pad, mixing in a variety of grooves and rhythms."

Rivera's warm, eclectic debut album, "Re-Introduction" (Turnaround Records) was well-received.

His new encore disc, "Inner Peace," again on Turnaround, sweeps gracefully from the celebratory, groove-centered funk of "It Always Comes Back to This" to the introspective "Remembrance," the New Yorker's memorial to Sept. 11, 2001.

On "Inner Peace," the Curtis Brothers help keep Rivera's music flowing fluently, fitting right in among the new album's variety of shifting moods.

Remarking on the collaborations between Rivera and the Curtis Brothers, one critic has declared that "the three young artists … are part of the next wave in this jazz ritual."

Besides the Curtis brothers, Rivera's lineup for "Inner Peace" features the noted guitarist Mark Whitfield, Beck Burger on Hammond B3 organ, Jean Caze and Nick Roseboro on trumpet and John Iannuzzi and Nathan Jolley on drums.

Rivera will have a bountiful supply of tasty, nutritious servings for his Thanksgiving Eve jazz fest at Szechuan. For more information on Rivera and "Inner Peace" see http://www.albertriverajazz.com.