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'In Diaz's hands merengue is hard-core stuff, an exhilarating polyrhythmic ride on a runaway train.''
World music festival of Chicago
Estamos en presencia de uno de los màs exitosos acordeonistas y cantantes de merengue traditional. Su entusiasmo, entrega y profesionalismo en el escenario jamàs dejado indeferente a todo amente de buena mùsica. Es la razòn por la qual Joaquin Diaz es considerado como el mejor interprete de la nueva generaciòn de musica folklorica de su pais natal, la Republica Dominicana.
Joaquin se dio inicio en las calles de Santo Domingo a la escasa edad de nueve años. A los doce anos de edad, El rey del acordeòn Dominicano empieza a expresar su musica, deleitando a los huespedes de los hoteles en la capital y todavia adolecente es invitado a acompañar durante los Juegos PanAmericanos de Puerto Rico, a nada menos que el Balet Folklorico de la Republica Dominicana. Hoy en dia residente de la isla de Montreal, Canada, no para de transmitir su alegria musical por las tarimas de esta ciudad.
Diaz y sus talentuosos musicos han emprendido una trajectoria musical que los a llevado a eventos y festivales a diferentes lugares del mundo.
El repertorio de Joaquin Diaz es una mezcla de musica tradicional y temas originales caracterisados por su voz singular, la energia interpretativa de su acordeon y su carismatica personalidad.
Algunos Espectáculos Observados :
- Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, Québec
- International Accordion Festival, San Antonio Texas
- Chicago World Music Festival, Illinois
- California World Music Festival, California
- Latin Music Festival, Columbus Ohio
- Music and Heritage Festival, Memphis Tennessee
- Lotus Festival, Indianapolis Indiana
- Carrefour Mondial de l'accordéon, Montmagny Québec
- Rencontres Internationales de St-Chartier, France
- Ethnic and World Music Festival, Praga Republica Checa
- Forde World Music Festival, Norway
- Festival des Suds, Arles France
- Kaustinen World Music Festival, Finland
- Music under the Stars, El Paso Texas
- Forum Universal de la Cultura, Barcelona Espana
- Rencontres Européennes de l'Accordéon, Chartres France
- Out of Doors Concert Series, Lincoln Center, New York N.Y.
- Winnipeg Folk Festival, Manitoba
- Festival d'Été de Québec, Québec
- East Lansing Folk Festival, Michigan
- Gira en Europa, Los Paises Bajos
''I was knocked out by a Diaz performance recently at a Folk Alliance Conference in Vancouver, and decided to bring him to the festival''
Judy Peiser
Folk Alliance Board of Directors
Memphis Music and Heritage Festival
''Diaz puts on a smart show with those reckless rhythms from the Caribbean island''
Geoff Chapman
Toronto Star
'Need a lift to your spirit or just want to feel good all over, get this lively, delightful CD Merengue Alegre''
Al Riess
Dirty Linen
''Crowds who hear him literally spring to their feet, dancing and clamoring for more of this exiting music from Dominican Republic''
Arhoolie Records
"un fervent et talentueux defenseur du diatonique (accordeon) et de la tradition rurale des pericos ripiaos,
ses petits ensembles typiques qui bercent les nuits de Santo Domingo"
Accordeon et Accordeonistes, Paris- Jean Pierre Bruneau
"un peu comme a Cuba, il y a une richesse musicale et un metissage de cultures...Les Dominicains on le sens de la fete"
Journal de Montreal
"The merengue, as it is recorded in New York or in Miami, is mostly based on scorching brass patterns. In the rural areas of the Dominican Republic, where it was born, merengue is, to the contrary, still performed on accordions. Joaquin Diaz is a diatonic accordion virtuoso and the champion of the rural merengue tradition."
MONDOMIX
"SummerDance Performance was the highlight. It is refreshing to see musicians who enjoy playing rather then go through the motions of touring as if they are going to the dentist."
Carlos Tortolero, Chicago World Music Festival.
"The band went over extremely well as you can imagine..."
Randy Raine-Reuch / Artistic Director, Rainforest World Music Festival, Malaysia.