The Beledo Ensemble Performs at Bedell Cellars Winery in Cutchogue
aline reynolds :: The Hamptons Music Scene
Beledo and his three-man ensemble wowed the wine tasters with a stellar performance at Bedell Cellars in Cutchogue on Saturday afternoon, February 23. Their complementary concert was one of several Jazz on the Vine concerts sponsored by the Long Island Winterfest Tour from February 8th to March 9th.
With the free-flowing wine and the lively chatter in the background, keyboardist/guitarist Beledo, vibraphone player Bryan Carrott, bassist Rufus Philpot and drummer Mauricio Zottarelli provided vibrant, soothing melodies and harmonies that amplified the wine tasting and socializing experience. The group performed nine of Beledo’s own compositions from two of his original CDs (Desde La Torre and Montevideo Jazz Dreams) on an elevated stage located on the winery’s third floor.
What was most striking about the performance was the smoothness with which the instruments interwove virtuosic solo passages and tightly unified melodies. In the fast-paced “Entre Laberintos,” Beledo on the keyboard took center stage, trading improvisations with the drums on an eclectic range of rhythmic and melodic motifs. In the more melodically cohesive “Wild Shore Ride,” Mr. Carrott on the vibraphone stole the limelight, assuming dual leads in melody and harmony as he skillfully launched into advanced rapid passagework upon each “head” while sustaining a basic recurring melody.
Switching to guitar, Beledo electrified the crowd in “Fugue on a Blue Note,” his fingers speeding along the neck of his Carvin H2 with mind-blowing dexterity. After the performance, Beledo attributed the warm, deep sound of his guitar solos to his use of distortion and delay pedals. At certain points, he simmered down to harmonizing, allowing Mr. Carrott to take the melody and thereby encouraging a contrapuntal dialogue between the instruments. At certain moments, the vibraphonist and guitarist joined in melodic unison, a tactful gesture on the part of the composer to amplify and reinforce the song’s lovely melody.
In “Echoes Ago,” Beledo, resuming the keyboard, launched into extensive melodic solos that the bass complemented with brief lyrical interjections. This tune had a recognizable swing beat and a catchy melody that amateur jazz listeners could connect with. “Way Back” had an equally compelling melody that was accentuated by the keyboard, vibraphone, and bass playing in unison at several points during the song, so that it seemed to reverberate throughout all three floors of the winery.
“No Big Deal” captivated the audience with its intriguing modulations of a dotted note-dominated melodic pattern. The piece also enabled Mr. Zottarelli on drums to embark on an extended solo improvisation, in which he impressively incorporated an eclectic variety of genres into a 40-second sound explosion that provoked an uproarious response from the mesmerized listeners.
Tom Zimberman from Glen Cove, New York who has been a devoted weekly attendee of the Long Island Winterfest tour, considered the Beledo ensemble “the best [he] had heard by far,” adding that they’re in a different league from the other bands. “Not only are they more professional sounding,” said Zimberman, “but their music is more alive and full of energy.” The rest of the wine tasters seemed to agree, as each song engendered roaring applause from the wine-warmed crowd.
Beledo studied classical guitar and piano at the public University School of Music in Uruguay during his late teenage years. Seeking to perform full time, however, the musician abandoned his studies after the third year to perform and record in Argentina with renowned musicians such as Pedro Aznar, Miguel Cantilo, Miguel Mateos, and Ruben Rada. Being featured as an upcoming talent of fusion rock music in Guitar Player and Jazziz Magazine in the early 1980’s prompted Beledo to move to the U.S. in 1988. “The fact that I was being recognized in America made me think, ‘Wow, maybe I should go there,’” said the smiling musician.
As a full-time artist, Beledo performs regularly in prominent New York locales such as the Taj Bar & Lounge in Chelsea and the renowned Cornelia Street Café’s Cabaret Bar. He also does commissioned transcription work for others. Though the multifaceted musician has limited time for his own practicing nowadays, Beledo developed a facility with guitar and piano at an early age through six-hour a day practice sessions. “I would use the metronome a lot to build up my technique,” he explained. Despite taking extensive breaks from piano-playing during certain periods of his life, Beledo asserts that “it has never been about choosing one instrument over the other. It’s more about expressing my inner voice, which I do through both instruments.”
Performing for only the second time with Beledo, vibraphone player Bryan Carrott considers the Uruguyan musician’s compositions “challenging, creative and thoughtful,” depicting the songs’ melodies as “extensive, such that several compositions seem to take place during one song.” Having studied the vibraphone for thirty years, Mr. Carrott is the coordinator of the percussion department at Five Towns College and still participates annually in the Long Beach jazz festival and performs on a semi-regular basis in Manhattan. Bass player Rufus Philpot has toured and recorded with famous musicians as Randy Brecker, Bill Evans, Jeff Golub, Dave Samuels and Mark Whitfield. Playing at the Bedell winery has granted him “the opportunity to meet musicians from different cultures, to play original compositions [(rather than covers)], and to enjoy free wine,” he said cheerfully. Meanwhile, the Brazilian percussionist Mauricio Zottarelli, a masters graduate of the Berkley School of Music, feels fortunate to be playing for the third or fourth time with Beledo, and considers such a performance “a great opportunity to do musical networking.”
You can hear Beledo perform live with guest singers and musicians on Monday evenings from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at Luzia’s restaurant and tapas bar located on Amsterdam between 80th and 81st street in Manhattan. For more information on Beledo’s musical career, performance history, and compositions, visit his homepage at www.beledo.com. For a schedule of forthcoming jazz performances, visit Winterfest.
Aline Reynolds is a magna cum laude 2007 graduate of Barnard College, with a double degree in comparative literature and music. Shortly after graduation, she began working as a freelance arts and culture writer for Long Island periodicals such as Dan’s Papers and Southampton Press. Since June 2007, she has been working in the international sales department at W.W. Norton publishing, where she is responsible for mediating between Norton’s overseas representatives and the Norton headquarters in New York and Pennsylvania. She also does freelance press release writing for Norton’s publicity department, and undertakes various other freelance projects in the college and trade editorial departments on a regular basis.
