Edmar Castaneda Quartet at Burlington Discover Jazz Festival at Flynn Center for The Performing Arts

About

Colombian harpist Edmar Castaneda can fairly be called a musical revolutionary, possessing a virtuosic mastery that has transformed the way both audiences and professionals view the instrument. His vibrant performances are saturated with grooving bass lines, running counterpoint melodies, and dazzling triplet figures that rival the most accomplished flamenco guitarists, a style described by Jazz Times as “a kind of Charlie Hunter or Joe Passian approach to the harp.” A scholar of traditional Latin and South American music and dance—from Brazilian samba to Cuban son to Spanish flamenco—Castaneda can switch between rural Colombian dance music and jazz with a twist of his wrist.