The young national pianist and composer José Soto will make his debut on September 7 at the Lincoln Center in New York with his first album dedicated to the Bribri indigenous people of Costa Rica.This debut will be at the David Rubenstein Atrium room at Lincoln Center.
The debut work of the Costa Rican is called The Ancestral Call and the so-called Bribri cultural ambassador, Alí García, will be present at this concert, the production of this show reportedprecisely García not only helped Soto as his mentor about the Bribri culture, but also contributes his voice throughout the album.
Seeks to amend historical errors through music
“It is an unusual ambitious project, which seeks to amend historical errors through music and a dialogue that connects with ancestral Costa Ricans in their own language,” explained the national pianist himself.
The Ancestral Call is a work that presents an international cast with some of the most prodigious artists in jazz, including Cuban drummer Francisco Mela and saxophonist George Garzone.This record was written and recorded with support from The Boston Foundation, Dunamis, and The New Music USA Creator Development Fund Grant.José Soto’s presentation will be broadcast live on Lincoln Center’s YouTube and Facebook channels.
Who is the Tico musician?
Soto was born in Heredia in 1984 and began his musical career playing calypso with Manuel Monestel’s group Cantoamérica. In 2006 he graduated in piano performance from the National University.
After passing through a Puerto Rican conservatory (2007), where he connected with bass guitar teacher Eddie Gómez, Soto was accepted at Berklee where he obtained a master’s degree from the Global Jazz Institute. At the New England Conservatory he earned a BA in Jazz Studies.
While managing to raise the necessary funds to cover his tuition, he became a volunteer and teacher at the Danilo Pérez foundation in Panama (2010-2012), where he studied with Pérez. While at Berklee, Soto worked with musicians such as Terri Lyne Carrington, Luciana Souza, John Patitucci, Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Danilo Pérez, Frank Carlberg, Edward Simon, and Luis Bonilla.
In Costa Rica, he and his wife, vocalist MaríaAmalia Quesada, created the Armonía Colectiva foundation in 2017. They also launched FIJAZZ Costa Rica, a jazz festival that gives Costa Rican musicians the opportunity to perform with different maestros. He currently lives in the city of Boston, where she explores ways to raise awareness of the heritage held by ancestral communities. Soto is on the faculty at Berklee College of Music.
