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Viva Quetzal

Presented by Amazing Things Arts Center at Amazing Things Art Center

August 27, 2011

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Viva Quetzal is a high-energy, multi-cultural musical group made up of members from North and South America that performs music of the Americas as it truly is today: an eclectic mixture of traditional, folkloric and pop themes performed on a fascinating array of ancient and modern instruments. Viva Quetzal emphasizes the contributions of the four major cultural influences that have shaped modern Latin American music; the indigenous, the West African, the Iberian, and the United States. Traditional rhythms and melodic forms from these diverse cultures fused over the centuries, creating that which is today’s South American popular music. Viva Quetzal uses that music as a base with witch to blend contemporary North American Jazz and Rock with the music of Latin America.

The current members of Viva Quetzal include long time members Roberto Clavijo from Chile (vocals, pan pipes, charango,cuatro, harmonica), Jon Weeks from USA (flute, sax, EWI, quena, congas) and Juan "Manolo" Vazquez from Puerto Rico (acoustic/electric bass, vocals), Joe Belmont from USA(classical and electric guitar) and Jeff Nissenbaum from USA (drums). The newest member to join as lead singer and pianist of the group is Abraham Sanchez from Venezuela. He also plays guitar and Venezuelan cuatro.


ROBERTO CLAVIJO: was born in Chile where he's been a professional musician since the age of 18. He was the director of a folkloric song and dance group in Chile. He later toured much of South and Central America with the renown folkloric group Guamary, playing in folk clubs, on television and university concerts in Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Curacao. Roberto came to the United States in 1981. He has toured Great Britain in 1992-1993, with the group Gypsy Real, playing on BBC radio in England and Wales. As a member of Viva Quetzal since 1993 he can be heard performing on quenas, zampoñas, charango, Venezuelan cuatro, and vocals.


JON WEEKS: performs on flute, saxophones, wind synth, quena, congas, and small percussion. He has studied music at Berklee College of Music, Westfield State College and Holyoke Community College. Jon has performed with many latin, jazz, and rock bands up and down the East Coast such as Sol Y Canto, Orquesta Unidad, Ray Gonzalez, Jose Gonzalez, The Temptations and many others. Jon is currently teaching private lessons at Downtown Sounds (Northampton, MA) and The Family Music Center (Greenfield, MA). He is also director of instrumental ensembles at The Charlemont Academy (Charlemont, MA).


JEFF NISSENBAUM: has been a professional drummer for over 15 years. After studying classical violin for ten years, he began his drum studies with David Barrett. Jeff studied with Keith Copeland and Max Roach at the Umass Jazz in July workshop. He performed for the Lee Strasberg Creative Center in Los Angeles in 1989 and the Bright Moments Festival with the Afro-Andean band Quetzal in 1994. In addition, he has performed for and recorded with numerous contemporary groups of varying styles, including Ben Demerath, Steel Wave, and the Muze


ABRAHAM "Abe" SANCHEZ: was born in Venezuela where started playing the cuatro, a small four string guitar, at the age of 5. He eventually branched out, learning to play guitar and bass guitar before settling on the piano and keyboards in his late teens. He played with the Orchestra Latina while he studied in the Conservatorio de Musica de Maracay.Abe was also the director of Adoniram, a music school in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela. Abe has also had the opportunity to travel to Italy, Canada, Mexico, and Honduras and team up with local musicians for some concert series and music workshops.


JUAN "MANOLO" VAZQUEZ: Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Manolo has been playing bass guitar for 44 years." Playing bass guitars with the Ventures" Record Album was his first real formal music education. He is one of the original founders of Viva Quetzal (formally Quetzal in 1989). He has a Master's degree in Education and a Certificate for Advanced Graduate Studies in School and Counseling Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA. From 1987 to the present he has performed with Quetzal, Guamary (with the talented Roberto Clavijo and Elizabeth Parada), Arcadia (w/ the creative Raj Vajna ), Kimsa, Susan Angeletti Band, La Perfecta (Holyoke), Lucky Johnson (with Tom Filiault) He lives in Northampton.

JOE BELMONT signed his first record contract at the age of seventeen. He has been performing professionally for over twenty years. Originally self-taught, he later studied classical guitar and eventuall0y received a degree in music theory and composition at the City College of New York. Joe has extensive performance and recording experience in a wide variety of styles with many musical ensembles. He has released two recordings of his own music and has produced and performed on recordings for other musicians, including performances on film sound tracks. He serves as an adjunct faculty member of the music departments at Amherst College, Dartmouth College, and the University of Massachusettes at Amherst. He has been with Viva Quetzal since 1992 performing on classical and electric guitar, and Colombian tiple.