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It will be a family affair for Leonardo Suarez-Paz, creator of “Romance de Tango,” when he makes his East End debut at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center this weekend.
Mr. Suarez-Paz, an accomplished musician who said in an interview this week that he considers himself an ambassador for Argentinian tango, will be joined by eight dancers, six instrumentalists and three singers: among them his father, Fernando Suarez-Paz, and mother, Beatriz Suarez-Paz—when “Romance de Tango” has its international premiere on Saturday, August 22, at 8:30 p.m.
“I am the fourth generation of tango,” Leonardo explained. “My family were the creators of the genre. This is one of the unique chances to see us all perform together.”
The “genre” he referred to would be nuevo tango, a form of Argentinean tango not to be confused with the ballroom tango most familiar to Americans. Nuevo tango, developed by Leonardo’s father and his contemporaries in the late 20th century, incorporates elements of jazz and classical music with its more traditional, gliding dance movements. Saturday’s show will feature a fluid combination of music, song, poetry and, of course, the dance moves that make tango widely-recognized as a passionate, sensual and sexy art form.
“It’s absolutely incredible to see all these artists together,” Leonardo said. “We are an incredible company, especially in terms of people.”
Of course, the leader of this “incredible” group and creator of “Romance de Tango” has compiled quite an impressive resume of his own.
A dancer, singer, composer, and violinist, he is one of the most sought-after musicians in Argentinean tango, in addition to being a violinist of choice for both jazz and classical music. His experience in these different styles has helped him explore nuevo tango, he said.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Mr. Suarez-Paz attended Juan Manuel de Falla Conservatory while simultaneously studying with maestros Miguel A. Bertero, Saul Costentino and Patience Higgins of the Duke Ellington band. He also performed with the principal orchestras in Buenos Aires, including Estable del Teatro Colon.
He grew up in the midst of the nuevo tango revolution, learning from his father as well as such established tango artists as Astor Piazzolla, Osvaldo Berlingieri and Horacio Salgan, among others.
For most of the ’90s, Mr. Suarez-Paz was a violin soloist with international orchestras and companies, touring with tango composer Mariano Mores in 1989 and with Atilio Stampone in 1992. He later toured as a violin soloist and tango dancer with a popular Argentine tango show, “TangoX2” in the United States, France, Italy, Spain, England, Greece, Japan and Mexico.
In 1997, when Mr. Suarez-Paz was signed as a violin soloist for Broadway’s “Forever Tango,” he moved to New York City, where has lived ever since. In 1999, he appeared in Broadway’s “Tango Argentino,” becoming the only violinist to perform as a soloist in two Argentinean tango Broadway shows, and while he continued to perform on Broadway, in musical productions like “Phantom of the Opera” and “Lion King,” and at such celebrated venues as Lincoln Center, he pursued his interest in developing his career as a jazz musician and composer.
In the world of jazz, Mr. Suarez-Paz appeared as a member of Cody Moffet’s Jambalaya ensemble at The Blue Note, The Knitting Factory, and Justin’s in the late ’90s. He has performed at a number of jazz festivals, and other credits include performing and writing an arrangement for Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.
Among Mr. Suarez-Paz’s most recent accomplishments is the creation of two original groups, The New Acoustic Jazz Quartet, and Leonardo Suarez-Paz Jazz Quintet, and today, most of his time is spent composing and arranging for his jazz and tango groups and participating in Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall educational programs.
Mr. Suarez-Paz said this week that, thanks to the collective experience he shares with the other members of his company, all those attending Saturday’s show can look forward to a Broadway-worthy performance.
“We do everything the best—the highest quality,” he said.
“Romance de Tango,” will be performed at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Saturday, August 22, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $55, $70, or $85, available by calling the Arts Center box office at 288-1500, stopping in at the PAC at 76 Main Street, or visiting www.whbpac.org.
on Aug 18, 2009