EL COMERCIO - March 15, 2007
Quito, Ecuador

Onboard a Jazz Trip around the World

Festival:
On the 2nd night, the most outstanding of the acts of Ecuador Jazz 2007 undoubtedly were Howard Levy and his harmonica with the ensemble SIORA

At noon on Tuesday, March 13, 2007, in the Plaza of the Teatro Sucre, Cathy Elliott, Solovox and the Big Band IMC performed.  Before, the group SIORA gave a jazz master class at the theatre.  On Wednesday,  the Filo Machado group of Brazil will perform.

The unending rain that enveloped the city of Quito could not impede the outreach of jazz on Tuesday night at the Teatro Sucre.  The night began with the jazz band of the Institute for Contemporary Music of the Universidad San Francisco de Quito.  The ensemble offered a notable performance, under the direction of Maestro Esteban Molina.  The rhythms interpreted by the performers were classic jazz.  The trumpet and saxophone sometimes left the stage to showcase the percussion or the bass or guitar.  The solos of these instruments set the stage for the return of the woodwinds and won the applause of the public.

But the best part of the night was yet to come.  After intermission, the group SIORA appeared, with percussion, piano, acoustic bass and the beautiful voice of Phyllis Chapell which could be heard in 7 languages.

SIORA took the audience on a trip around the world, presenting pieces from France, Portugal, Italy, the Middle East, the U.S., and even the Andes, all expressed through the prism of jazz.  This is precisely what characterizes and distinguishes SIORA from other ensembles.

In addition, the ensemble featured a special guest, Howard Levy, from the U.S., a master of the harmonica on which he demonstrated an almost unlimited skill and whose solos resonated with the same intensity as a saxophone.

The ensemble performed a beautiful version of "Al Otro Lado del Rio", by Jorge Drexler ("Motorcycle Diaries").  Levy's talent transcended boundaries when he played an ancestral instrument similar to the ocarina--resulting in the most emotional moment of a night of very fine music.

The festival continues today at 20:30 with la Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional, and the Americans Larry Willis and his trio, and Adela Dalto.