Virtuoso Multi-Percussionist Orlando Poleo from Sarria to the World.
Orlando Poleo with a long trajectory in Venezuela, he has been standing out for his talent with a music that develops between jazz, Cuban son and Afro-Venezuelan rhythms.
He learned to master the Afro-Venezuelan percussion of Barlovento with one of his best disciples, the great percussionist Miguel Urbina.
In 1987, he moved to Cuba, where he deepened his knowledge of Afro-Cuban rhythms, with emphasis on bata drumming.
Orlando Poleo learns to play Afro-Puerto Rican percussion, bomba and plena with Cachete Maldonado, Giovanni Hidalgo and Anthony Carrillo.
Descarga y Alegría with Poleo in 1991, Orlando arrives in Paris where he is requested by well known orchestras of the local Latin scene: Alfredo Rodriguez, Azuquita, Ernesto “Tito” Puentes, and at the same time he is invited by international artists touring Europe: Eddie Palmieri, Arturo Sandoval, Mongo Santamaria, Kip Hanrahan, Archie Chepp, Chico Freeman.
He meets the French singer Danny Brillant who proposes him to accompany him on his tour in France and French-speaking countries.
With his group “Chaworo“, created in Paris and joined in 1997 by the Venezuelan vocalist Carlos Esposito, Orlando Poléo plays in many festivals, including the famous “Jazz in Marciac”.
The famous French singer Bernard Lavilliers invites him to the “Francofolies de Spa”, Belgium, and to the Arenas de Nîmes. On December 10, 1998, he participates with Tracy Chapman, Youssou N’Dour, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, Kassav’, among others, in the great celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Amnesty International in Paris-Bercy.
He performs with Chaworo at the Midem in Cannes in 1999 and obtains a real triumph. In Deauville, he shares the bill of the festival “Swing in Deauville” with Joe Cocker and Joan Baez.
He also has a long experience in pedagogy since he taught for ten years in Conac from 1981 to 1991 and in Fundarte from 1992 to 1991 in Caracas until his departure to Paris France in the same year, in France and internationally he has given master classes of Latin percussion in conservatories, schools of different styles of music, he has also been a jury of final exams in different institutions.
Since 2001 he has been part of the teaching staff of the prestigious Music School (CMDL) of the great French violinist Didier Lockwood, recently deceased.
Orlando Poleo, is considered one of the best percussionists of the Latin jazz movement worldwide and has recorded three albums distributed by Sony France: “El buen camino“, “Sangre Negra” and “Lo bueno de la vida” and the fourth album “Curate” distributed by the Cacao Musica label.
In France, in a town two hours away from the capital, Saint Cyr Sur Loire, there is a percussion classroom in a classical music school that bears his name.
Orlando, continues to teach Afro-Caribbean percussion in France and also in the whole world he is requested to give master classes, workshops, etc.
In 2004 Orlando creates Afrovenezuelajazz to continue evolving in the fusion of various styles of traditional Venezuelan music such as La Fulía and Quitipla de Barlovento, Joropo, La gaita de furro de Maracaibo and other Latin American styles with Jazz and other musical horizons using traditional Venezuelan percussion instruments and other Caribbean countries, most of the repertoire of the group is completely original and that is another interesting feature of this project.
It is important to highlight that in 2012, the Amphitheater “ORLANDO POLEO” was inaugurated in the Endogenous Nucleus “Tiuna El Fuerte” located in the parish of El Valle de Caracas.
In that same year he was invited by the Tokun Orchestra to accompany figures of the stature of Larry Harlow, José Alberto “El Canario”, Tito Allen, Luigi Texidor and Alfredo De La Fe for two memorable concerts.
Orlando Poleo receives on May 16, 2016 another great recognition from the French Senate (Senate medal) for his eminent contribution to the relations between Venezuela and France and is invited along with the other awardees from the other Latin American countries to a reception at the Palais de L’Élysée (presidential palace) by the former President of France Francois Hollande.
Since 2015 he is part of the famed group of the great Cuban flutist Orlando “maraca” Valle and his Latin Jazz All Stars and have toured the United States, France, Lithuania, and Havana Cuba.
He is currently recording his fifth album and is scheduled for release in summer 2019.
Orlando was invited to give a musical conservatory on March 2, 2018 at Unearte.
A teacher from Sarria direct to France
