Curujey
Curujey was formed in 1997 by Canadian guitarist Claude Girard and Cuban pianist and arranger Pedro Rivero Ruiz. Both musicians were invited and met in Havana, Cuba to work on a fusion recording project entitled Mashuak. At that time, Pedro Rivero Ruiz was also working on the recording of Papo Lucca and the Cuban-Jazz All-Stars for the late Jerry Massuchi, famed Latin music producer for Fania Records. Rivero s family is renowned throughout Cuba. His father, Pedro Rivero, and Wilfredo Pachy Naranjo founded La Original de Manzanillo in 1963 and have since become a veritable musical institution in Cuba. The band recently celebrated their 40th anniversary with the likes of Candido Fabre, Omara Portuondo, Frank Fernández, among others. Following their initial meeting in Havana, both Girard and Rivero decided to pursue their musical exploration together and eventually created a new musical group called Curujey. Together, they have recorded five(5) albums, including three instrumentals and another with live cuban santero singers, bata drums and electronica music composed with a japanese programmer under the name of ISYNC. Curujey s instrumental music includes many styles, ranging from instrospective ballads to festive songs, from folk music to latin-jazz. In 2004, Curujey pursued their musical exploration even further with the recording of World Christmas with the Cuban Ballet and Opera Symphony Orchestra in Havana, Cuba .
