Duende Libre - Drift (2018)

Keyboard player Alex Chadsey was fluent in jazz and classical forms. He’d walked the usual, rigorous path of a conservatory-style music education. Then he wound up in Seattle, University of Michigan music degree in hand, not sure of what to do. The answer: Play in salsa bands, perfect his montuno, and learn how music creates community.
Chadsey’s creative output changed dramatically, coming together in 2016 as a trio project Duende Libre. Their self-titled debut album (released May 5, 2017) distills years of performing, apprenticing with master musicians, and crafting originals that explore Latin elements in new contexts. The results are savvy and grooving, reflecting the Seattle scenes Chadsey inhabits and loves, where Uzbek bassists and Jamaican poets and border-crossing fandangos power musical visions.
Duende Libre features longtime collaborators Alex Chadsey (piano/keyboards/compositions), Farko Dosumov (electric bass & voice) and Jeff “Bongo” Busch (drums & percussion). They are frequently joined by electrifying vocalist, songwriter & multi-instrumentalist Chava Mirel. Duende Libre utilizes the American jazz tradition as a point of departure for daring explorations of traditional and classical forms from the Americas, Europe & Africa, yielding catchy melodies, lush harmonies, and wholehearted groove. Their second album, Drift, will be released June 15, 2018 with upcoming performances throughout the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
Chava Mirel is a singer, composer & multi-instrumentalist who combines rich, luxurious vocals with deep pocket rhythms to bring a new sound to Seattle music and in particular to the Jewish music community where she plays a leading role. With themes of gratitude, self-acceptance, balance and responsibility for each other, Chava’s songs bring comfort and uplift the spirit. She is currently working on a new album of original material in collaboration with Duende Libre.