Anit Negra by Los Changos Septet

Los Changos’s was formed by guitarist/composer Julio Santillan and drummer Franco Pinna when they both attended Berklee College of music in 1998. Bassist Fernando Huergo, a Berklee faculty, joined them later and the group started recording and performing in and outside the US. They have participated in many concerts and festivals in the east coast including: XIII International Folk Festival (Boston, MA); III & IV Argentina Jazz Festival (New York, NY); II,III & IV Latin Culture Week (Boston, MA). The group has toured Argentina in many opportunities. In 2001 the trio released their first CD called “Desde el Norte” (BigSur Records). In 2003 Los Changos added voice, flute, clarinet and accordion and released "Anit Negra" (BigSur Records), their first CD as a septet. "Ñann", their last cd was released in 2005 by the new york label CAP records. The repertoire of the ensamble is original music by Julio Santillan, who received the prestigious “Meet the Composer/Van Lier Fellowship Award” in 2004, the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award, the Arif Mardin Award and the ASCAPlus Award.

Julio A. Santillán (guitar / compostion) is a young composer and guitarist from Tucumán, Argentina. He has studied at Instituto Superior de Música (Argentina) and then graduated from Berklee College of Music (Boston, USA). He received the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award, the Arif Mardin Award and the Contemporary Writing and Production Achievement Award. He has recorded and performed with many musicians from Argentina, Boston and New York including César Isella, Oscar Stagnaro, Raúl Carnota and Sandra Mihanovich. As an arranger he has worked with artists from all over the world. Since 1998 Julio leads "Los Changos" (trio & septet) a group that performs his own compositions.

www.juliosantillan.com

Fernando Huergo (bass) has performed with Mike Stern, Danilo Perez, Dave Weckl, David Sanchez, Dave Liebman, Claudio Roditi, Tom Harrell, Jeff Ballard, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Bruce Barth and Dave Kikoski. He teaches bass at Berklee College of Music. He has recorded more than 60 albums and toured with many latin-jazz artists from New York and Boston.

www.fernandohuergo.com

Franco Pinna (drums) has performed and recorded with some of the best folklore musicians in Argentina, like Lucho Hoyos, Cesar Isella, Raúl Carnota and Leopoldo Deza. In the U.S. he has played with Jeff Ballard, Bruce Barth, Oscar Stagnaro, Chris Cheek, Guillermo Klein and Claudio Ragazzi among many others. He graduated from Berklee College of Music. He studied and developed a unique style based on folklore percussion techniques.

Marta Gómez (voice) started her musical studies at the age of 14 at the Javeriana University in Bogota. There she studied classical music and flute for six years. Marta has recorded for radio and TV in Colombia and in 1998 participated in the Assembly for peace. She was the lead singer of a female vocal sextet with whom she recorded a CD and gave several concerts. In august of 1999 Marta went to Boston to continue her vocal studies and to further develop her musical career at the Berklee College of Music. She released two CD with original songs "Marta Gómez" and "Solo es Vivir".

www.martagomez.com

Fernando Brandâo (flute) is a flutist with extensive orchestra, solo and chamber music experience in Brazil and New England. He leads his own quintet and is a member of Manga Rosa and Bambule. Brandâo is also music director, composer and arranger for Brasilerinho and has recorded for the Narada and Gilder labels. Brandâo previously taught at Longy School of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music. He teaches at Berklee College of Music.

Evan Harlan (accordion) has recorded and performed internationally with several jazz and "world music" ensembles including the Klezmer Conservatory Band and the Mili Bermejo Group. He leads a quartet, Andromeda (original music) and the group Excelsior (unorthodox arrangements of 20th century composers' works). He is the recipient of a 2001 Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Grant in Music Composition; He has scored numerous works for film, dance and theater. In addition he has played on the soundtracks of Sidney Lumet's A Stranger Among Us, John Sayles' Lone Star, and Sayles' Men With Guns. In November of 2001 he performed in the orchestra with Luciano Pavarotti at the Fleet Center in Boston, and in February 2002 was featured in Hovanhess' Rubaiyat with the Lexington Sinfonietta. As conductor in musical theater, he has led Shlemeil the First at the American Repertory Theater, Fiorello at Brandeis University, and Happy End at Boston University.

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