By Julia Berkman
Come feast your ears on a modern-day Mozart; Cuban jazz piano god Jorge Pacheco is coming to the PAC for one night only on November 8. You can catch him live for only ten dollars.
Pacheco hails from Cuba, a country that values the arts highly. From a young age, he has been known as something of a virtuoso by the jazz community for his unparalleled skills and “flying hands.” His performance captivates audiences with his enthusiastic approach to the music.
Some will remember another young virtuoso by the name of Dudamel who entranced the audience with his extravagant conducting skills.
Pacheco, between tours, is currently finishing up an intensive program in composition at the Institute of Superior Arts in Cuba. He just completed his European tour, and is about to bless Bellingham with his melodies.
Kevin Woods, the Western Jazz Department head, is to thank for booking Pacheco at the PAC. Having seen him before, Woods has called Pacheco a “dynamic performer” who electrifies the stage. As the big cheese of jazz on campus, Woods works closely with select student ensembles of two to ten people. His jazz combo groups perform regularly both on campus and off. Looking to join a jazz group? Major doesn’t matter. Your skills and love of music are the only requirement needed to join any of Western’s music groups.
Pacheco recently played with the prestigious Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra in New York City. Woods has called them “world class players, great educators and people.” The reviews of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra are overwhelmingly positive, and they deservedly own the rights to the URL “jazz.org,” which is evidence of their musical prowess. The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra is considered a defining part of the jazz world, so of course Jorge Pacheco has played with them.
Woods is confident “everyone will know [Pacheco]’s name ten years from now.” This is an opportunity to get on the bandwagon on the ground floor, to paint the parade float before it exits the garage. Pacheco, at the age of 26, is already impressing some of the biggest music critics in the jazz world. Wendy Oxenhorn of the Jazz Foundation of America is calling him “the one to save Latin Jazz.”
“Pacheco adds to his natural talent a feeling of total surrender to creative interpretation that puts him on par with experienced masters,” says Bobby Carcasses, another accomplished Cuban musician.
Despite his youth, or perhaps because of it, Pacheco’s wild abandon is a performance factor that puts his performances over the top. The energy of jazz artists is on another level compared to classical orchestras.
“The freedom of expression you get in jazz is so liberating for me,” Woods said.
Pacheco’s ability to stun the crowd with his electrifying pace is a must-hear opportunity available to all Western students and Bellingham residents.
Pacheco will be in Bellingham for one night only, on November 8. Come check him out. Even a jazz cynic might be impressed by his musical prowess and stage presence.
