Tiedematos // Palo Blanco
Tiedematos
Cuban zest for life meets Rhineland depth – or perhaps the other way around.
When Yaniel Matos and Gunther Tiedemann met in 2017 at the New Directions Cello Festival in Ithaca (New York), an immediate personal and musical connection was created. From this first encounter, a continuous collaboration developed, leading them to festivals and concert projects in Rio de Janeiro, Cologne, and beyond.
In their duo, both musicians bring together their respective musical worlds: original compositions and newly interpreted pieces, shaped by individual biographies and shared experiences. South American sound colors meet here just as naturally as influences from jazz, rock, and improvised music – open, curious, and without stylistic inhibitions.
Cellist and composer Yaniel Matos, originally from Santiago de Cuba, combines traditional Afro-Cuban roots with the formative influences of his long time living and working in Brazil. His music thrives on the tension between his origins, European training, and deep engagement with Afro-Brazilian culture – rich in rhythm, color, and expression.
Gunther Tiedemann is a cellist, composer, arranger, and ensemble leader with international concert activity in Europe, the USA, Brazil, West Africa, and Pakistan. He has worked with renowned orchestras and ensembles, as well as musicians from various genres. In addition to his duo projects, he leads cello orchestras and teaches at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln.
Together, Yaniel Matos and Gunther Tiedemann create music characterized by dialogue, trust, and curiosity – an encounter of two personalities that does not smooth over their differences but rather brings them to resonant life.
Yaniel Matos - Vocals, Cello & Piano
Gunther Tiedemann - Cello
Palo Blanco
According to legend, Paco de Lucía permanently introduced the Cajón into Flamenco music after his trip to Peru in the 1970s. Today, nearly half a century later, Flamenco is hardly conceivable without the characteristic sound of this instrument. In Palo Blanco, the Cajón once again connects two distinct musical worlds: contemporary jazz and Afro-Peruvian music.
Chilean drummer and composer Pablo Sáez, known for his continuous search for musical connections between different cultures, presents a high-caliber ensemble: Flamenco guitarist Daniel de Alcalá, virtuosic Peruvian flutist Daniel Manrique-Smith, and versatile bassist Tibor Szűcs ("El Tiburón"). Together they unfold music that nourishes itself from tradition while also pointing openly to the present.
Palo Blanco is not an intellectual experiment but a lively, sensual, and direct musical encounter. Sometimes it seems as if Flamenco is flirting with jazz – curious, spontaneous, and driven by deep, burning passion.
Palo Blanco is alive, sensual, and honest. Sometimes it feels as if Flamenco is flirting with jazz – curious, spontaneous, and always with that burning passion. — Rheinische Anzeigenblätter
Daniel Manrique-Smith - Flute and Effects
Daniel de Alcalá - Guitar
Tibor Szücs / Ursula Wienken - E-Bass
Pablo Sáez - Cajón, Drums, Composition.
Hallo, ich bin Maya.
