Flutist Mark Alban Lotz has produced an excelent CD that fuses Western nusical traditions with religious Afro-Cuban music.

CD Release: Blues for Yemaya - Lotz of Music in Havana

 

Q: How did the band got started?

A: Our involvement with Yoruba music started as an accident. Our drummer
Stefan Kruger was taking classes with master drummer (Bata) and "omo
aña" Javier Campos Martinez while recording our second CD with our
modern jazz quintet "Lotz Of Music" in 1996. As he was in town we
decided to record some Santería music. Quickly we thought of some
arrangements (instrumental) and recorded them. We ended up with a
releasing a 2CD box: "Lotz Of Music Meets Bata drums/Le Coq Rouge.

This recordings let to our trip to Cuba where we recorded our CD
"Lotz Of Music In Havana/ Blues for Yemayá" in 1997 this time
including vocalists. Since then our Yoruba Love affair did not end.
This led to a new name in 2000: Shango's Dance - Cuban Roots and Lotz
Of Groove.

Q: Who are the performers and their instrumets?

A: Amelia Pedroso, Xiomarra Larringa, Jazmin Saavedra, Martha Gallarraga
(recently also a Omar Sosa Lady) a.o. - vocals, dance
Miguel Anga Diaz, José Pilar Suarez, Javier Campos Martinez, Jens
Kerkhoff a.o. - batá drums, conga, percussion
Mark Alban Lotz - flutes, vocals, composition, leader
Maarten Ornstein - tenor sax, clarinet, bass clarinet
Stefan Schmid or Marc van Roon - piano
Jos Machtel - tuba, acoustic bass
Stefan Kruger - drum set, batá drums, composition or Lukas van
Meerwijk - drum set, batá drums
Raphael Castellon, Maria Estella Johnson a.o. - dance
special guest:
Sandip Battacharya - tabla

Also we realized incidental performances with members of the Conjunto
folklorico National de Cuba, Raices Profundas and Clavé Y Guaguanco

Q: How would you describe your style of music?

A: Jazzy World Music. A fusion of Africa and Europe. Our programme
involves a.o. surprising interpretations of Afro Cuban religious
folklore. Shango's Dance represents a new vital sound from underground Amsterdam.

(It is definately no salsa, no conventional Cuban or American style
of Latinjazz, no European jazz style nor a cheap flirt with exotism.)

Q: Where do you perform most often?

A: Bigger Festivals and Concert halls within Europe.

Q: Tell us about your own musical background?

A: Jazz Music - as my father Dr. Rainer E. Lotz is a collector and
researcher of Jazz music I was early exposed to Jazz music in various
forms. World Music -the fascination for traditional folklore music probably
is rooted due to my youth in Africa and Thailand
Education :
- study of Jazz Music at the Hilversum Conservatory, Netherlands
- study of classical music at the Amsterdam Conservatory, Netherlands

Q: Who are your main musical influences?

A: I am influenced by so many .... :-). To name a few of my all time heroes:

Duke Ellington
Charlie Parker, etc, etc ...... all the other great soloists of the
Jazz tradition
Bansuri (Indian bamboo flute) virtuoso Hari Prasad Chaurrasia
drummer Doudou N"daye Rose
vocalist Lazaro Ros
Michael Heupel (flutist living in Bonn, Germany and still ....the
best flute soloist I know)

Q: Tell us about your CD?

A: It was recorded due to our stay in Havana and our Performances there
at the Percuba Festival. Recording and performing was great fun, very
exciting, challenging and exhausting :-). Much of our music developed
there by experimentation during our three rehearsals with the Cuban
soloists. Drummer Stefan Kruger (now touring with his Dance/Brazil
project Zuco 103 all over the world) was the important spill point.
Besides being a very creative musician he is the one who can estimate
best what elements of the folklore and our repertoire combines most
effectfully and most important tastefully! We mixed the album in
the Netherlands and succeeded to achieve a pretty good sound in spite
of the poor recording facilities.

For a closer look at our Havana adventure check out the interviews
and articles (press page) on our site at http://www.xs4all.nl/~lotz/

As our record company broke down the recordings (as well as several
other unreleased tracks) are waiting for a new record company
releasing them. The CD never was distributed outside The Netherlands.
As I was able to buy some of the stock they are commercially
available now "world wide" through our website. Come - see - buy -
fly! :-)

Q: Does the band do much touring?

A: Not enough! But now we have a booking agency which will change that.
Visit their site at http://www.moonstruck.nl

Q: What other musical projects are you working on now?

A: Own projects include:

- jazz duet performances with bass player Tijtze Vogel
- jazz performances with my Lotz Of Music Quintet
- performances with weird world music with my "mWWm" (Marks Weird World Music)
(feat. violin, bass, ud, tabla)
- finish 2 composition assignemts: 6 pieces for "mWWm" and one
composition for string quartet

As sideman(a.o.):
- classical performances of contemporary music as a contra bass
flutist with the Netherlands Flute Orchestra
- Estrella Acostas Guaijrra (all Cuban Cast with one little exception
;-) performing Cuban Country music)
- Seafood Quartet (weird highly virtuoso jungle beats and improvs
feat a.o. Indian vocal virtuoso Drough a.o.)
- Beat Sharks (9 piece orchestra melting modern sample grooves within
Sun Ra/Zappa influenced arrangements)
- With "Sfeq" (S.Coleman influenced quintet) a project with an
extended band feat. interactive mixing, french horn, clarinet,
trombone, trumpet)
- etc.

interview by Bobby Ramirez