CHANGO SPASIUK /Argentina/ THE MASTER OF CHAMAMÉ ON TOUR www.changospasiuk.com.ar www.facebook.com/elchangospasiuk www.youtube.com/user/changospasiuk soundcloud.com/chango-spasiuk/sets/playlist-01 FIESTA MUSIC CHANGO SPASIUK HIS MUSIC, HIS CULTURE, HIS LAND Horacio “Chango” Spasiuk was born in September 1968 in Apostoles, a small village in Misiones, a rural north-eastern province of Argentina. Set in the frontier region bordering southern Brazil and Paraguay, this exceptional melting-pot area offers a sub-tropical climate with its fertile dark red ground where mate grows. Until the 17th century, this region was inhabited by indigenous Guarani communities. Misiones was discovered in 1541 by Spanish people and Jesuit monks’ landing in 1609 disrupted the indigenous cultural environment. They were thrown out of the country following the king’s order. This event ended the provincial golden age: after lootings, the Portuguese and Brazilian invasions and the armed conflict with Paraguay. Although the area finally gained a form of autonomy in 1881, it was barely inhabited as a consequence of a century of nearly continuous conflicts. Argentina opened its borders and Misiones welcomed European settlers mainly Germans, Russians, Ukrainians, Poles, Scandinavians and Central Europeans who built up villages, mixing with the remaining natives. Those settlers brought with them accordions and polka. Chamamé was born from the reunion of the indigenous world and the old continent. It is a traditional and rural music played by bands of 2 to 5 musicians integrating the accordion or the bandoneon, the violin, the guitar, the cajon and sometimes the double bass. This cadenced and bouncing music involves soft and poetical hints and is suited to dance. You can sing or recite chamamé, it expresses landsman’s feelings: landscapes beauty, love, nostalgia, life’s roughness… Although music belonging to Argentina’s folklore is often disparaged, it gathers a wide range of wealthy forms. A few great artists were and still are fervent defenders of this diversity revealing it in their country and worldwide. Chango Spasiuk is one of them, the unquestionable chamamé’s master, known by all in South America. Grandson of Ukrainians migrants, he was soon surrounded by eastern Europeans musical influences combined with chamamé. Indeed his father, a violinist, and his brother, a guitarist and singer, used to host wedding receptions and other balls in their hometown. He received his first accordion as a gift from his parents at the age of 12. “I’ve learned to play accordion away from conservatoires”, he says. “The day my father gave me my first instrument, I’ve never stopped playing it”. Soon recognized as a virtuoso, Chango Spasiuk could have settled for week-end dances animation and he would have made a pretty decent living out of it. He rather chose, without denying the tradition, to push back the limits of the artistic style. He is now a regular guest for Argentinean rock stars and he is a worldwide performer who overcame Argentina’s cliché of only being a land for tango. Chango Spasiuk has not only already played in several European countries (United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Austria, Belgium, France…) he has also performed in Asia and in the United States. From venues in theatres to concerts in traditional, world or even jazz music festivals, he contributed to noteworthy events in jazz festivals from Montréal to New York. Chango Spasiuk has collaborated with a wide range of artists such as Kronos Quartet, Cyro Batista, Kepa Junkera, Carlos Nunez, Lila Downs, Bob Telson, Bobby Mc Ferrin, Raul Barboza, Mercedes Sosa… In each venue he takes part in, the audience, music professionals and journalists are captivated. They meet the artist and the man, a musician enjoying a complete artistic freedom in his creations who delivers compositions going beyond his own boundaries, therefore urging on a total universality. In the last two decades he recorded about ten albums on his behalf. The upcoming LP was recorded live in October 2013 at “Teatro Colon” in Buenos Aires (the famous opera house in Argentina’s capital), getting a full house of 3500 audience members. Now more than ever, Chango Spasiuk wishes to develop his international career in order to disclose more and share this music he embodies with modernity, innovation and high standards. CHANGO SPASIUK DISCOGRAPHY & NOMINATIONS DISCOGRAPHY /2014/ Tierra Colorada en el Teatro Colon – Chango Spasiuk en concierto - Sony BMG Argentina /2010/ El Chango, the very best of - Nascente /2009/ Pynandi - Los Descalzos - Sony BMG Argentina / World Village Music /2004/ Tareferos de mis Pagos - Sony BMG Argentina / Piranha /2003/ The Charm of chamamé - Weltwunder /2001/ Chamamé crudo - Sony BMG Argentina /1999/ Polcas de mi tierra - Sony BMG Argentina /1996/ La ponzoña - Sony BMG Argentina /1991/ Bailemos y... - GLD Discos /1990/ Contrastes - M&M Argentina /1989/ Chango Spasiuk - M&M Argentina NOMINATIONS /2015/ Award-winning « best folk artist » by the « Carlos Gardel Awards » for his CD « Tierra colorada en el Colon ». Doctor Honoris Causa by the National University of Misiones for his art. /2006/ Nominated « best folk artist » by the « Carlos Gardel Awards » for his CD « Tarefero de mis Pagos ». « Tarefero de mis Pagos » nominated « best folk album » to the 7th « Annual Latin Grammy Awards ». /2005/ Award-winning of the « best Argentinian folk male musician of the decade » by the « Konex Award ». Award-winning of « Newcomer BBC World Music Awards ». /2001/ Nominated « best folk artist » by the « Carlos Gardel Awards » for his CD « Chamamé crudo ». /2000/ « Chamamé crudo » nominated « best folk album of the year! » by the « Rolling Stone-Argentina ». Nominated « best folk artist » by the « Carlos Gardel Awards » for his CD « Polkas de mi tierra ». /1999/ « Polkas de mi tierra » nominated « best folk album of the year! » by « Clarín ». /1997/ « La Ponzoña » award-winning « best instrumental CD of the year! » by the Asociación de Cronistas del Espectáculo (ACE). /1993/ « Bailemos y... » nominated « best instrumental CD of the year ! » by the Asociación de Cronistas del Espectáculo (ACE). /1989/ « Consécration Prime » to the national folk festival national of Cosquín in Córdoba (Argentina). CHANGO SPASIUK AUDIO & VIDEO TEASER CHANGO SPASIUK 4TET - MARCH 2015 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSn-kk-ujuU LIVE CONCERT (EXTRACTS) IN CAT OF BARCELONA (SPAIN – 4TET EUROPEAN TOUR) MARCH 2015: www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUhyUL2YDFs www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7vrhIjh-MI www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjUnJ3Qbw_k LIVE CONCERT (EXTRACT) OF THE CHAMAME’S NATIONAL FESTIVAL OF CORRIENTES (ARGENTINA) JANUARY 2015: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcbWIsR0SBQ LIVE CONCERT (EXTRACTS) AT THE TEATRO COLON OF BUENOS AIRES (ARGENTINA) OCTOBER 2013: www.youtube.com/watch?v=70ldqF3hBKU www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWu05N_bNN8 www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kyfh1mnjcmE www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I2RqabnWOk EPK « TIERRA COLORADA EN EL TEATRO COLON »: English subtitles: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bopc9b-ek9g French subtitles: www.youtube.com/watch?v=alHLfWCCTi8 EPK « PYNANDI »: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWNaI9zcQp0#t=230 EPK « SUITE DEL NORDESTE »: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd4qEhlvC44 EXTRACTS OF THE TV PROGRAM « ENCUENTRO EN EL ESTUDIO » ON THE ARGENTINIAN NATIONAL TV: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tcvU9wp8Tg www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKj6j9sc7sc&list=PL9F0820796979A695 ARGENTINIAN NATIONAL TV PROGRAM « PEQUENOS UNIVERSOS »/CANAL ENCUENTRO BY CHANGO SPASIUK: Chamamé in Corrientes: www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZqnGtJf8Qs Chamamé in Misiones: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm2QDDTVB2A Chamamé in Buenos Aires: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LIRL_2Pr5E other programs: www.encuentro.gov.ar/sitios/encuentro/programas/ver?rec_id=50571 TELEVISION COVERAGE « ARGENTINA, CHAMAME CRUDO » BY JUAN CARLOS GONZALES WITH CHANGO SPASIUK (Spain - Argentina, 2011, 54 minutes): www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/todo-el-mundo-es-musica/todo-mundo-musica-argentina/1076730/ CHANGO SPASIUK PRESS REVIEW PRESS REVIEWS AVAILABLE HERE: (Le Monde, Libération, Télérama, Mondomix, Vibrations, Soundworld, France 5, La Montagne, The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Observer, The Daily Telegraph, Times, Songlines, The Guardian, Billboards, FRoots, LoS…): www.dropbox.com/sh/147kibh9euensbv/AADm3dFSm-t1SKRD0Mf0pK0sa?dl=0 “Chango Spasiuk is chamamé’s spectacular new champion” Simon BROUGHTON, EVENING STANDARD “Will fill your living room with light” Charlie GILLETT, THE OBSERVER “Few artists can match the impact of Chango Spasiuk's recent triumphant 'arrival'” Jon LUSK, FROOTS “Great artistry, virtuoso talents... It’s a deep, unfettered joy to indulge in Chango’s masterpieces” Chris MOSS, SONGLINES “A contagious sense of bonhomie that transcends region-specific cultural roots” Ernesto LECHNER, CHICAGO TRIBUNE “…[he uses] the chamamé vocabulary to highly inventive effect, with sighing accordion and romantic violin creating elegiac sound pictures, before Spasiuk’s impulsive fingerwork sweeps everything breakneck to the dancefloor” Mark HUSON, THE TELEGRAPH “Spasiuk has revitalised the music’s barn-dance traditions to create something thrillingly modern and cosmopolitan. (…) It is Spasiuk’s spirited virtuosity that generates the atmosphere... In such hands, the charm of chamamé is irresistible” Nigel WILLIAMSON, THE TIMES EYE MAGAZINE “I can think of few better ways to spend an hour than with this, one of the very finest albums of the year” Jon LUSK, BBC “Far from sounding rustic or rural, the mostly instrumental, acoustic