Orlando Poleo

Orlando Poleo was born with Caracas, with the Venezuela, where it begins its training musical with professor Julio Mendez. It is quickly pointed out and becomes one of best the Percussionniste S Venezuelans. He studies then the percussion afro-vénézuélienne with not less famous professor Miguel Urbina then accompanies by many national artists such as Aldemaro Romero, Pete Rodriguez Cop, Maria Tereza Chacin, the Symphony orchestra of Venezuela, etc It also on the occasion to work with David Valentine, Daniel Santos, Jose Mangual Jr, and Ismael Rivera Jr. He teaches then in various schools of percussions in Venezuela. During a stay with Puerto Rico, it meets and works with the percussionnists Angel Maldonaldo, Giovanni “Managuito” Hidalgo and Anthony Carillo. It impregnates afro-Porto Rican percussion completely. Of return to Caracas, Orlando takes part in the recordings of national high-speed motorboats like Cecilia Todd, Sergio Perez, Porfi Jimenez; one also finds it with the Tumbadora S on the albums of full orchestras like Trabuco Venezolano, Adrenalina Caribe, Guaco, etc With Cuba, Orlando looks further into its knowledge of the percussion Cuban Negro at the School of professional improvement of Havana.

In 1991 Orlando arrives in round at Paris where it is immediately requested to accompany the Latin orchestras by the capital: Azuquita, Alfredo Rodriguez, Tito Puente, Nicky Marrero, Chocolate, Papaito, etc as well as the best Latin groups of passage in France at the time of European rounds: Irakere, Arturo Sandoval, Kip Hanrahan, Mongo Santamaria, etc It takes part in large concert with the New Morning in Paris which joins together Patato, Tata Guines, Anga and Alfredo Rodriguez. It meets the French singer Dany Brillant - impassioned salsa - which invites it to accompany it in round, to record on its album, to turn in its clip and film “the New World”. Orlando is divided between Caracas and Paris…

In 1995, Orlando records its first album “CIMARRONEANDO” in Caracas for the label Venezuelan “Lyric jazz”. It Co-writing and arranges this album with the flutist and cuban arranger Orlando “Maraca” Valle, ex flutist of Irakere. Great names of the Latin Music like Victor Mestas, Paoli Mejias - percussionnist of Eddie Palmieri - take part in this recording. “ CIMARRONEANDO” will be only distributed in Latin America but the DJ of radios and Latin clubs of Europe will tear off it…

Again in Paris in 1996, Orlando gathers around him 9 musicians among better of the scene vénézuélienne to interpret live a repertory completely original, including all the titles of “CIMARRONEANDO”. It names its formation “Orlando Poleo there Orquesta Chaworo” - a word of origin Yoruba who indicates the Clochette S attached to the drum S Cuban Negroes used in rites of “Santeria”. POLEO and its group “CHAWORO” immediately gain an enormous success in the Parisian clubs (New-Morning, the Java, Hot Brass, etc) like with the famous festival salsa Tempo Latino of Vic Fezensac. Orlando also accompanies Eddie Palmieri and its orchestra in New-Morning. He is finalist of the Contest of RFI “Discoveries 96, price Americas the Caribbean”.

Parallel to its work and its concerts in Venezuela, Orlando returns to accompany in France as a percussionnist the singer Dany Brillant for its round spring-be 97. And with “CHAWORO” it makes dance the festival of Air France in the air terminal of Orly the day of Easter… It also takes part in the festival of Jazz of St Louis of the Senegal where it offers to St Louisiens a beautiful demonstration of his control of the percussions afro-vénézuéliennes and reconciles the sénégalaise young generation with the Salsa.

It records its second album “EL BUEN CAMINO” in Caracas during the summer 97 with the musicians of “CHAWORO” and many guests of which the Cuban Chucho Valdés of Irakere and the large singer Venezuelan Carlos Esposito. The album, distributed of exclusiveness by Sony Jazz leaves in February 98 to France.

It missed in Orlando Poleo an album under its name and especially widely distributed to be recognized the like one of largest percussionnists of the world: it is now made thing and EL BUEN CAMINO are also distributed to the United Kingdom, in the Netherlands, in Italy, in Belgium.

POLEO accompanied by Carlos Esposito and “CHAWORO” is with the poster many festivals during the summer 98, whose “Jazz in Marciac celebrates it” where it makes a true “tobacco”… He also plays Amsterdam, Brussels, Milan, Rome, Istambul, with the Sultanate of Oman… He is the guest of Bernard Lavilliers with the “Francofolies de Spa” and with the Arènes of Nimes; he also recorded, always with his formation “CHAWORO” a Reprise again salsa of the very beautiful piece of Lavilliers “Romeo Machado”. December 10th, 98 it takes part in the sides of Tracy Chapman, Youssou Dour, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, Kassav', etc with the great demonstration birthday 50 years of Amnesty International to Paris-Bercy. It occurs with “CHAWORO” with the Midem in Cannes (Palm Beach) on January 24th, 99 and made there a true triumph.

All the summer 99 Orlando " tourne" a little everywhere in France and Europe accompanied by sound " ORQUESTA CHAWORO". It gives a remarkable concert to London with the same poster as David Sanchez as the British press will qualify " better concert of Latin jazz of the année". Always with its group “CHAWORO” Orlando is pleased to make known its music with the Men from the Ivory Coast, at the time of the jazz festival of Abidjan, and also in Tahitiens, since it inaugurates the first jazz festival of Tahiti where it will give three concerts to closed counter. Orlando is also the guest of the West-Indian singer Dédé St Price at the time of a great concert with Fort-de-France in Martinique.

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