Pianist ANDRES LOPEZ
Not content with the
“Unbeleivable”
That the
music trail is a torturous one, is well known. The challenge is compounded
further by the individual’s refusal to be anything but ordinary – to personify
continuous upgrades in ability and accomplishment whilst retaining the in-bred
wonder and passion for the artform.
Such has been
the quest for Andres Lopez. The son of the Saint Catherine hills, he, like
several of his generation, gravitated to
music from an early age. He spent years in the orbit of several of Jamaica’s
finest musicians, gathering knowledge, making his own observations. This
exposure has had a tremendous influence on his development both as a performer
and a producer. While at his alma mater, Claremont High, under the leadership
of Nigel Powell, he became the school’s first band leader
Further refinement of his musical vision came via the Edna
Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts where he spent three years to
further his studies in piano/keyboard skills. While there he was a member of the jazz quartet ‘Wide
Grin”. The quartet provided another
avenue for him to further hone his skills by way of the many booked gigs they
performed at.
Since
leaving the institution, the pianist has steadily made a name for himself on
the cocktail circuit, working in tandem with his schoolmates, other
contemporaries as well as those who have preceded him. Lopez started doing
piano gigs playing at weddings, cocktails, parties and cooperate functions. He
also became an in-demand “side player” on projects and performances by the
likes of gospel stars Chevelle Franklin and Sandra Brooks, and roots reggae stalwarts
Fantan Mojah, Etana, Lutan Fyah, Anthony B and Alborosie. Such gigs have
expectedly resulted in the air miles
piling up as he accompanied those acts on tours of the US, Canada, South
America and Europe.
But Lopez
has aspiration towards even brighter horizons and greater accomplishments. The
album “Unbelievable” his first
full-length as a leder, manifested from his self-created I-Pez Productions in
2013, reaching the lofty number
one spot on Internet channel Reverbnation instrumental charts. The 10-track set
features several of his musical fellow-travellers: Nicholas Laraque on saxophones, Craig
Henry on trumpet, Dugal Clarke on bass and Michael Mighty on drums. Standout
tracks include Charlie Parker’s be-bop
standby, “Little Suede Shoes” an organ-driven cover of the Peter Tosh classic
“Equal Rights” “Rubba Dub Ska” and the title track. World Vision.
Lopez is
continuing to work in variety of settings – solo, small group and fusion bands.
He is also looking to find new forms of expression as well, exploring a number
of projects – among them is the “Rock Weh” riddim, which has attracted the
attention of France-based production-promotion outfit Talowa Productions. The
track features a number of artists, including multi-cultural French reggae
group, The Banyans.
“I understand
and appreciate the demands of the music business as it stands today, but I believe
I can be true to myself and still make a mark both commercially and artistically,”
he states, adding “its going to take some flexibility and a different level of
effort, but I’m up for it.”
And, judging
from the sounds of the disc, greater accomplishments are well in sight.