Michel Camilo
Michel Camilo in concert (2015)
Background information
Born	(1954-04-04)April 4, 1954 (age 70) Santo Domingo,Dominican Republic
Genres	Jazz,Latin,classical
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Piano
Years active	1970s–present
Website	www.michelcamilo.com

Michel Camilo (born April 4, 1954) is a Dominican pianist and composer. He specializes injazz,Latin andclassical piano work.

Camilo was born into a musical family and as a young child showed aptitude for theaccordion that his parents gave him. Although he enjoyed the accordion, it was his grandparents' piano that sparked his interest the most, so at the age of 9 he asked his parents to buy him one. Their response was to first send him to theElementary Music School, part of the National Conservatory, and then a year later to grant his wish.

The formal system of the music school taught Camilo to play in the classical style, and by age 16 he was playing with the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic.^[1] Camilo comments on his first encounter with the sounds of jazz, in an interview^[2] with the All About Jazz website:

"The first time I heard jazz was when I was 14 and a half. I heard the great Art Tatum on the radio playing his solo piano rendition of 'Tea for Two.' That immediately caught my ear. I just wanted to soak it in, to learn to play that style. Then I found out it was jazz."

Camilo studied for 13 years at the National Conservatory, and whilst developing his strong classical abilities was also heavily influenced by thebebop tradition, and by the contemporary jazz ofHerbie Hancock,Keith Jarrett,Chick Corea andAmilton Godoy (Zimbo Trio's pianist). His influences at this time also includedHorace Silver,Erroll Garner, and theragtime music ofScott Joplin.

When theHarvard University Jazz Band visited the Dominican Republic and heard Camilo at a jam session, the bandleader encouraged him, 'You should be in the States', and so the idea was planted. In 1979, Camilo moved to New York to study atMannes College and at TheJuilliard School, and broke onto the international stage in 1983 whenTito Puente's pianist was unable to make a concert at theMontreal Jazz Festival. On a recommendation, without hearing him, Puente asked Camilo to play. Cuban reedmanPaquito D'Rivera was in the audience and offered him a place in his band. For four years, Camilo toured internationally with D'Rivera and recorded two albums with him.

Camilo's emergence as a star in his own right began around 1985, the year he debuted with his trio atCarnegie Hall.^[1] In that same year he toured Europe with Paquito D’Rivera's quintet, and recorded his first album,Why Not?, for Japan'sKing label. His albumSuntan/In Trio had a trio withAnthony Jackson on the bass andDave Weckl on the drums. In 1988, Camilo debuted on a major record label,Sony, with the release ofMichel Camilo, which became a bestseller and held the top jazz album spot for ten consecutive weeks. Special guests joined in with Camilo, such as percussionist Sammy Figueroa and tap dancerRaul. Other bestselling albums followed and so did the accolades, including aGrammy and anEmmy. Camilo's collaborative 2000 album withflamenco guitaristTomatitoSpain won Best Latin Jazz Album in the firstLatin Grammy Awards.

As well as being an outstanding performer, Camilo is a talented composer and has written scores for several Spanish language films includingLos peores años de nuestra vida and the award-winningAmo tu cama rica.

Camilo tours extensively, and lectures in Europe, the US, and in theConservatory of Music of Puerto Rico. He holds several honorary degrees, a Visiting Professorship and a Doctorate atBerklee College of Music, and has been honored in his home country by being named a Knight of the Heraldic Order of Christopher Columbus, and being awarded the Silver Cross of the Order of Duarte, Sanchez & Mella.

Camilo's regular trio lineup for many years had his long-term friendsAnthony Jackson oncontrabass guitar andCliff Almond on drums.Charles Flores has occupied the trio's bass seat since their Grammy-winning albumLive at the Blue Note. Lately Camilo has drummerDafnis Prieto as part of his trio. This new trio released the albumSpirit of the Moment in April 2007.

Other musicians he has played with includeTito Puente,Paquito D'Rivera,Dizzy Gillespie,Katia Labèque,Toots Thielemans,Airto Moreira,Chuck Mangione,Stanley Turrentine,Claudio Roditi,Nancy Alvarez,Mongo Santamaría,George Benson,Eddie Palmieri,Jon Faddis,Gonzalo Rubalcaba,Lew Soloff,Tania Maria,Jaco Pastorius,Patato,Randy Brecker,Michael Brecker,Chuck Loeb,Giovanni Hidalgo,Guarionex Aquino,Wynton Marsalis,Dave Valentin,Flora Purim,Delfeayo Marsalis,Chucho Valdés,Joe Lovano,Herbie Hancock,Tomatito,John Patitucci,David Sanchez,Hiromi Uehara,Cachao,Marco Rizo,Marcus Roberts,Steve Gadd,Danilo Perez,Gary Burton,Billy Taylor,Dave Weckl,Hilton Ruiz,Roy Hargrove,Romero Lubambo,Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen,Leny Andrade,Bireli Lagrene,Marian McPartland,Leonard Slatkin,Arturo Sandoval,Frank Colón,Aisha Syed Castro,Béla Fleck,Lou Marini,Cliff Almond,Juan Luis Guerra 4.40,Mark Walker.

Camilo is one of the ambassadors toMusic Traveler GmbH, together withBilly Joel,Hans Zimmer,John Malkovich,Sean Lennon,Adrien Brody.

• Michel Camilo: Official Website

• 1954 births
• Living people
• Musicians from Santo Domingo
• Latin jazz pianists
• Post-bop pianists
• Berklee College of Music faculty
• 20th-century Dominican Republic composers
• 21st-century composers
• Dominican Republic pianists
• Classical pianists
• Dominican Republic male songwriters
• Male songwriters
• Mannes School of Music alumni
• Juilliard School alumni
• Grammy Award winners
• Latin Grammy Award winners
• White Dominicans
• 21st-century classical pianists

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