Roberto Fonseca Jazz Plus Photo

Sofia, May 18 (BTA) - Bulgarian folk music meets Cuban jazz in
the new project of world-famous Cuban piano player Roberto
Fonseca. Fonseca is coming to Sofia in July to premiere the
project in concert.

Entitled "Beyond the Notes", the project is a collaboration with
 the Grammy-winning women's choir New Bulgarian Voices.

"It will be terrific," says Margarita Borissova of Jazz Plus,
which are the project's producers together with Montuno
Productions. Her company already has experience with producing
such collaborative projects. One of them, Estruna, of flamenco
singer Arcangel and the New Bulgarian Voices choir, won a Latin
Grammy for best flamenco album in 2018.

Borissova told BTA that Fonseca has long wanted to do something
with Bulgarian folk music. He has already been in Bulgaria four
times, first playing for the Sofia gig of the legendary Ibrahim
Ferrer in 2004. Fonseca was immediately captivated by the
Bulgarian folk rhythm and wrote a piece he entitled "Bulgarian"
right after his second time here - and first as a lead musician.
 

At his previous concert here, at Sofia Live Club in 2018, the
pianist had in the audience the conductor of the New Bulgarian
Voices choir, Georgi Petkov, and some of the choir singers.
There Fonseca made a promise to be back only after he has
composed more Bulgaria-inspired pieces.

Margarita Borissova of Jazz Plus says they felt that as a pledge
 they needed to work to materialize. 

"Beyond the Notes" is still in the pipeline. Two pieces of it
premiered online in December 2020. Borissova says that work was
difficult in 2020 because it was impossible to bring together
the musicians and everything was done online.

Fonseca and New Bulgarian Voices will be meeting for the first
time in person, post-pandemic, this summer when he comes for the
 Sofia stint on July 8.

Fonseca is bringing to Bulgaria with him drummer Raul Herrera
and longtime double bass player Yandy Martinez-Rodriguez.

Created in the New Bulgarian University (NBU), the New Bulgarian
 Voices choir is composed of current and former NBU students who
 studied Bulgarian folk singing under the guidance of Nelka
Petkova. All singers are also members of NBU's Folk Jazz Band.
The choir was established and is conducted by Petkov, a
professor in NBU's Music Department.

The concert in Sofia will feature a new vocal arrangement by
Petkov of Fonseca's first Bulgaria piece, "Bulgarian".

Having seen Petkov's notation, the Cuban pianist reportedly said
 it convinced him of the existence of God.

The project in Sofia is implemented with financial support from
the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture.

Tickets for the July 8 concert are on sale online. LN/ZH

Source: Sofia