ALEXEY LEÓN
Alexey León Reyes is a Cuban-Russian saxophonist, flutist and composer. He was born in Manzanillo, Cuba and raised in Moscow, Russia.
Winner of the 1st prize at “Jojazz” (Young Jazz Musicians competition) in Havana, Cuba.
He represented the Russian Gnesin Academy of Music at the “BT River of Music Festival”, organized by the British Council playing in the Matthew Herbert Big Band during the celebration of the Olympic Games in London in 2012.
He received classical and jazz education at the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music and performed at Moscow International Houseof Music, The grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, Tchaikovsky Concert Hall as a member of Gnesin Academic Big Band and Gnesin Saxophone Quartet.
In the spring of 2013, he received the Michel Camilo scholarship to attend the Master's program in Contemporary music at the Berklee College of Music, Campus of Valencia to study with the acclaimed musicians and educators Perico Sambeat, Danilo Perez and AlainPérez among others.
Alexey has recorded four solo albums: "Cuba meets Russia" 2015, "Cuban connection" 2018, "Okudzhava for my mother" 2020 and "Influenciado" to be released by the end of 2021.
In 2017 Alexey released Alexey Leon Quintet "Cuban Connection" featuring Perico Sambeat, Ivan "Melon" Lewis and Carlos Sarduy.
In 2018 “Cuban connection” was nominated to Valencia’s Carles Santos Prize for "Best Jazz Album" and reached the first round of the Latin Grammys.
"Influenciado" will be released on One World Records in December 2021.
Alexey León performed with Perico Sambeat, Jesus Santandreu, Marc Miralta, Danilo Pérez and Berklee Global Jazz Institute, Jack Walrath, Oriente Lopez, Mauricio Zottarelli, Alain Pérez, Georvis Pico, Reinier Elizarde “Negrón”, Javier "Caramelo de Cuba "Gutierrez, Yoel Páez, Ivan "Melón" Lewis, Ariel Bringuez, Pedro Pablo Rodriguez, Carlos Sarduy, Munir Hossn, Martin Leiton, Rodney Barreto, Evgeny Lebedev, Makar Novikov and Ignat Kravtsov among other musicians.
He performed at London BT River of Music Festival , Amersfoort Jazz Festival in the Netherlands, Madrid Jazz Festival, Getxo Jazz Festival, Gnesin Jazz in Moscow, Valencia Jazz Festival, Jazz May in Penza, Russia, Portón de Jazz in Malaga, Jazz I Am in Barcelona, Jazz Eñe and UPV Jazz Festival in Valencia, Alba Jazz in Turin and many more.
"INFLUENCIADO" One World Records, December 2021
The repertoire on this master piece Cuban Jazz album consists of seven original compositions by León and two new arrangements: "Dat Dere" (afro) by Bobby Timmons and "Theway you look tonight" (comparsa) by Dorothy Fields and JeromeKern.
Hardbop and Afro-Cuban percussion sing and dance together. Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley and Dizzy Gillespie meet each other in a Cuban descarga with Chano Pozo, modern sound and the latin jazz tradition come together in one piece.
“Influenciado” is the name of the composition that gives the album its title, a tribute to the Afro-Cuban jazz tradition and to the pioneers of our music. It is electric jazz, impetuous and dissonant, with virtuous melody and contemporary language.
"Influenciado", title song of the album, it is inspired of one of the most known jazz standards by Chucho Valdes, “Mambo Influenciado”. Chucho is a historic figure and a great role model for all the Latin Jazz musicians from everywhere. The song is a tribute to Chucho's legacy, it is a “Jazz contrafact”. The harmonic structure is reminiscent of “Mambo influenciado”. The melody is modern and energetic, it is León's attempt to push the boundaries of Latin Jazz language.
LINE UP
Alexey León Saxophone & Flute, Carlos Sarduy, Trumpet & Flugelhorn, Javier Gutiérrez "Caramelo de Cuba", Piano, ReinierElizarde "El Negrón", Accoustic Bass, Marc Miralta, Drums, Georvis Pico, Drums, Pedro Pablo Rodríguez, Cuban Percussion.
