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 BIOGRAPHY

An inexhaustible creator, Héctor Infanzón is an interpreter and composer recognized as one of the most complete pianists in Mexico. His solid classical training and his vast experience in various musical genres, allows him to fuse in his music  tradition with contemporary languages ​​to project it to the avant-garde.

From an early age he showed great inclination for music, learning to play various instruments such as vibraphone, drums and guitar. It is in this formative stage where an eclectic inclination and taste for so much diversity of music will be determined, thanks to the  influence of his family, from whom he had the possibility of listening and practicing Afro-Caribbean music genres, Mexican music, progressive rock, pop and classical music.

Héctor Infanzón 1961

In  1976 he entered the Superior School of Music to begin his formal education as a classical pianist, where  José Luis Cházaro, Andrés Acosta and Leopoldo González were his main tutors.  They prepared him to give recitals at different stages of Mexico City.  In addition to his studies of piano, harmony and counterpoint, his interest in composing  led him to take classes at the National School of Music.


In 1982, he participated in the piano competition held among the schools of Bellas Artes, winning  first place, which earned him a concert as a soloist with the Chamber Orchestra of Bellas Artes and soon after that, he was accepted to study at the renowned Berklee College of Music in the city of Boston, Massachusetts.  An experience which brought him closer to  jazz, starting a parallel career as a composer, pianist and performer of his own compositions, which have identified him among the audience throughout a solo career of 40 years.

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Besides his piano training, he had the opportunity to collaborate with several important groups of Afro-Caribbean music of the time, such as Poder Antillano, Recuerdos del  Son and Banco del Ruido.

The experience acquired with these groups and his stay at  Berklee, resulted in an exploration of new genres, This is how jazz becomes the language which makes his new formative and creative stage possible,  thanks to improvisation.

At this time, 1987, he created  his first jazz trio named  Antropoleo,  comformed of great colleagues:  the bassist Agustín Bernal and the drummer Tony Cárdenas.  This trio would become one of the most recognized groups in the country, performing at the most important stages and festivals in Mexico.

Antropóleo 1989

H. Infanzón First Jazz Trio

In the Arcano Club with Wynton  Marsalis and Chilo Morán, 1991

Throughout the years, he consolidates his proposal in Latin jazz with his own  music and begins a long career with groups that will bear his name.


He had the privilege of sharing  stage with extraordinary musicians such as Waldo Madera, Rodrigo Cárdenas, Armando Montiel, Carlos "Popis" Tovar, Giovanni Figueroa, Aarón Cruz, Mario García, Enrique Nativitas, Adrián Infanzón, Luis Gómez and Emiliano Coronel, with whom he has made national and international tours and with whom he has recorded most of his discography.

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With his musical proposal he has performed in stages and festivals such as  the Singapore Jazz Festival, Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta, Indonesia, Orange Peel Jazz Club, Peel Fresco, Backstage Club and Fringe Club in Hong Kong, Peace Hotel Jazz Bar, JZ Jazz Club in Shanghai and Hangzhou, in China, No Black Tie Jazz Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oast Jazz Club in Vienna, Montreal Jazz Festival, Mexican Fiesta in Trinidad and Tobago,The  Mex I am Festival in San Francisco, International Jazz Festival the Bright Minds in Puebla, Palacio de Bellas Artes , Ollin Yoliztli Cultural Center, Nezahualcóyotl Hall, City Theater in Mexico, Newark Jazz Festival and Blue Note Jazz Club in New York, AmericArtes in Washington, DC, Heritage Jazz Festival, Snug Harbor Jazz Club, University of New Orleans and Tulane University in Nueva Orléans, International Jazz Festival of Medellín, Expo Lisboa and in most of the national and international jazz festivals in Mexico.

His interest and versatility to approach other musical genres, lead him to participate as a producer, composer, musical director, arranger and pianist, both in tours and in various projects of many of the most renowned artists in Mexico and  worldwide:  Tania Libertad, Emmanuel, Lila Downs, Alejandro Fernández, Manuel Mijares, Armando Manzanero, Eugenia León, Guadalupe Pineda, Marcial Alejandro, Francisco Céspedes, Sin Bandera (Obtaining two Grammys), La Maldita Vecindad, CECAM Band, Jaime López, Gabriella Martinelli, Contenido Netto, Cecilia Toussaint and Ricky Martín, participating  in his tour "Living la vida loca " 1999 - 2001, performing all over the world.

 

He collaborated with the renowned international pianist Papo Lucca, who commissioned him to make arrangements for various themes to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Sonora Ponceña, at Madison Square Garden in New York in 1994.

During his constant musical exploration and as a result of his solid piano training, his participation in music composing for symphonic orchestra and chamber becomes natural.

As a composer, arranger and soloist,  Héctor has been special guest to  prestigious orchestras such as The Philharmonic Orchestra of Mexico City, UNAM Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Bellas Artes, Acapulco Philharmonic Orchestra, Querétaro Philharmonic Orchestra, Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra, Michoacán Symphony Orchestra, Puebla Symphony Orchestra, Mexiquense Symphony Orchestra, Twilight Orchestra (Indonesia), String Orchestra of the Rockies (Montana, EU) and Tonkünstler Orchestra (Vienna). He has collaborated with renowned directors  such as Fernando Lozano, José Guadalupe Flores, Eduardo Díazmuñoz,  José Areán,  Andrés Orozco Estrada,  Román Revueltas,  Avi   Ostrowsky, Eduardo Álvarez,  Rodrigo Macías, Antonio Lópezrios,  Israel Yinon,  Benjamín Loeb, Mario Rodríguez Taboada and Francisco Nuñez.

 

Among his works are:  the Concerto for flute  and String Orchestra, premiered by Horacio Franco in 2007 and the premiere in Mexico, held in 2009;  the Concert for Violin and Orchestra,  premiered in 2010, having  Cecilia Becerra as a soloist ; the Divertimento for Harmonica and Orchestra , premiered in 2012 at the Musikverein  in Vienna, having   Gianluca Littera as a soloist  and, in 2014, his first Piano Concerto named "Celebration", with Héctor  Infanzón himself as a soloist. In December of 2016 the concert for Vibraphone and Orchestra was premiered, with Ricardo Gallardo as soloist.

 

His chamber music has been performed by the most outstanding  groups and instrumentalists in the country, such as Tambuco,  Latin American Quartet,  pianist Alberto Cruzprieto,  Cuarteto Extremo,  Anacrusax, contrabassist Víctor Flores and  harpsichordist Eunice Padilla.

Héctor  Infanzón has been invited to compose music  for various artistic fields, such as the  overture of  the show "Storm" in Las Vegas,  the music for the feature film "A la misma hora", the music for the theater plays "La Isla de los Trolls "and" Mi evangelio es mi nombre, Magdalena", also the music of the film" La Flauta de Bartolo", of  the renowned filmmaker Paul Leduc.

 

His approach and artistic discourse  also go beyond music,  he has created shows in which he fuses other disciplines such as the visual arts, dance and theater, in order to complement his speech and so enriching the spectator´s artistic experience. We can appreciate  his work in "Rincón Brujo" for piano, dancer and Orchestra, his work in "Hematofonía para cuatro cuerpusionistas", where percussions over the own bodies are  the main protagonists ,  his show "Pianismo" in which famous pianists are guests  on the same stage:    Oscar Hernández,  Arturo Ortiz,  Enrique Nery,  Roberto Pérez Vázquez, Irving Lara,  Daniel López  Infanzón and Dulce Resillas, accompanied by his own Big Band,  the show "Citadino", a tour through the sonorities of the heart of Mexico City and the show "Máscara  Vs.  Cabellera", a duel between two pianists, with the collaboration of  Alberto Cruzprieto.

 

In December 2016, he premiered the show "Nocturnando, Nuevas noches de centro nocturno", with his own orchestra, where he proposes to create together with the viewer, the nostalgia of tomorrow.
In these performances, Héctor Infanzón shows his multidisciplinary vision through music.

For Héctor, bequeathing the knowledge and experience acquired to  new generations is fundamental, which is why he has taught improvisation courses, composition workshops, clinics and master classes throughout the country and abroad.
His career has been recognized by various institutions.


In 2005 and 2010, he was nominated for  the Lunas del  Auditorio award in Mexico City.
In 1991 and in 2011, he receives the maximum prize awarded by the  Union of Music Workers  SUTM, "La Lira de Oro" and "Mario Ruiz Armengol" award.


In 2006 and 2015, he was granted recognition to enter as an artistic member of the National System of Art Creators.


Since 2007, he has been an exclusive artist for Yamaha.


At the end of 2013, two Jazz festivals named after him were held, as a tribute to his 35 years of artistic career.


In 2016, he received the America Salsa Award.

In 2017, he received from the Mexican Composers Society, the Recognition for Outstanding Career.


His compositions have been recorded on nine compact discs:
Héctor Infanzón live in Hong Kong, Arrebatos, El Devenir de la Noche, Citadino, Impulsos, Nos Toca, De Manera Personal and Héctor Infanzón Trío con la Orquesta Sinfónica de Puebla. 

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Two DVDS, Piano solo en vivo y Esta Noche Jazz (Nominated for an EMMY as best jazz tv series in 1995 in New  York).

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In 2016, for the second year in a row, he toured with his quartet on the Asian continent, performing with great success in the most important festivals and venues in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Hong Kong.


He is currently preparing his new recording material and continues with the presentations in which he commemorates 40 years in show business.


The constant exploration of music and its diverse means of expression is the hallmark which characterizes Héctor Infanzón as a translator of his own time and origin, he has, indeed,  his very own an personal way  to manifest his Mexican, eclectic and multicultural identity.

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