Since 2005, Ecos de Portoalegre have been lighting up the Montreal scene with their own flavour of Latin music. Offering a blending of salsa, jazz and traditional Latin-American rhythms; combined with smart, powerful and poetic lyrics, Ecos de Portoalegre have become one of the "coup de coeur" of the World-Music circuit in Montreal. Coming from seven countries in Latin America, these young artists are part of the new wave of Latin-American musicians making the worldwide audiences dance, think and dream. With their always packed concerts all over Montreal, Ecos de Portoalegre have attracted the attention of prestigious international festivals such as the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Festival Traquen'Art, Festival International Nuits d´Afrique, and its music has been broadcasted in several media including Radio Canada and CKUT. Unlimited energy, exceptional talent and the most irresistible groove is what the audience experience every time they have the opportunity to witness the magic of Ecos de Portoalegre. Let them seduce you!
BIO
Anamaría Gonzalez was born in Bogotá, Colombia. From an early age it was clear she had a natural ability for singing and music in general. She studied music throughout high school in Colombia and later moved to Montreal to study vocal jazz performance at Université de Montrèal. She has since graduated and is heavily involved in the Montreal music scene. She has performed with many different artists including Q-banito, Electric Bones and Three's Company.
Claudio Palomares was born in Mexico close to the end of the last century. Being the son of the renowned protest singer/songwriter Gabino Palomares, Claudio grew up in a leftist environment where artists, workers, students, intellectuals and activists tried to survive in the midst of economic crises and corrupt governments. Needless to say, he also grew up in a very musical environment where he developed a keen interest for percussion and composition. Claudio decided to move to Montreal to study composition and literature and get involved in the Montreal music scene. He has played hundreds of concerts with different artists in different countries.
Pablo Samuel Castro was born in Quito, Ecuador. He began studying classical piano at age 6 and later began studying guitar at 12. Throughout his teenage years he alternated between giving classical piano recitals and composing and performing as the lead guitarist for a rock group. After high school he moved to Montreal and began to study jazz theory, harmony and composition. He formed Jai Guru, a funk/rock group, with which he released a full length album. He continues to play live shows around Montreal, but mainly focuses his energy on his compositions and perfecting his jazz piano.
Paul Mattson was born in Montreal but grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He began studying guitar in his teens but quickly switched to electric bass. He moved to Montreal to study jazz at McGill University and quickly became involved in the musical scene. He has performed hundreds of shows all over the country with different artists and musical styles.
Daniel Iturralde was born in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, but grew up in La Paz. He began playing drums at 14 and performed regularly with a rock group around La Paz. At 19 he moved to Montreal and began playing drums for a funk group, Zenith. Additionally, he began studying djembe and joined the afro-brasilian percussion group Zuruba. He has studied drums and percussions with renowned musicians in Montreal and Cuba and continues to perform around Montreal.
David Carbonneau was born in Trois Rivieres, Quebec and began playing trumpet at an early age. He moved to Montreal to study jazz trumpet at Université de Montrèal. As a core member of the well known afrobeat group AfroDizz since 2001, David has been in various tours around Canada and Europe. He has also collaborated with renowned artists such as Grégory Charles, Jean-Pierre Ferland, Angélique Kidjo, Ginette Reno and Oliver Jones. In addittion to much studio work, David leads a parallel life as a music teacher, which is something he is passionate about.
Matthieu Van-Vliet began studying trombone in high school and continued his studies in Cégep St-Laurent. After finishing his DEC, Matthieu studied with Albert DeVito (1st chair in the OSM) and renowned jazzman Mohammed Abdul Al-Kabyyr. He began studying jazz at McGill University where he was the first trombone of the Big Band under the direction of Ron DiLauro. He later switched to Université de Montrèal and finished his Bachelor in Music. He has been actively involved in the Montreal music scene for many years as a trombone player and arranger. He also teaches music at the Massey-Vanier musical academy. He has collaborated with many different artists of different musical styles such as Debra Brown, Collin James, La Chango Family, Kaliroots, La Galère, Mad Caps and Papa Groove.
