César Alejandro López Martínez

César López is an instrumentalist of Alto and Soprano Saxophone, Flute and Voice. He is currently one of the main exponents of Latin Jazz worldwide. With a high level of technical and professional skill, former member of the group Irakiere, led by Chucho Valdés, César López is cataloged by critics as the Cuban Charlie Parker. He is currently the director of the Habana Ensemble group, an organization that is an institution of jazz in Cuba and abroad.

César López took his first steps in music at the age of 10. Three years later he won the 1st prize in the Cuban saxophone competition.

He entered the National School of Art in 1985 and simultaneously began his professional life with the prominent Cuban musician Bobby Carcasés, where he made his first forays into Jazz.

In 1988, due to his exceptional qualities as a musician and instrumentalist, he was selected by the renowned jazz musician Chucho Valdés to join the prestigious Cuban band Irakiere, where he performed as an instrumentalist for 9 years.

In this band, awarded the Grammy prize, he developed a fruitful international career, performing in the most prestigious festivals, theaters and clubs in the world, which gave him the opportunity to share the stage with countless personalities from the musical world: Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Chik Corea, Branford Marsalis, Winston Marsallis, Michel Camilo, Paquito de Rivera, Tito Puente, Arturo Sandoval, Al Pimeola, among others.

César, cataloged by critics as the Cuban Charlie Parker, decided in 1997 to form his band "Habana Ensemble", made up from its inception by musicians of prestige in the Cuban musical field.

Habana Ensemble has in its formulation a series of innovative elements, both musically and aesthetically, that notably differentiate it from other Cuban groups. The fact of having had Irakiere as a school makes these young talents achieve mastery in the command of their instruments, and their forays into Latin jazz are displays of virtuosity. Habana Ensemble assumes within its repertoire jazz classics and Cuban popular music (boleros, salsa, etc) which they fuse with a contemporary sound where improvisations take a decisive place, which makes each of their interpretations an authentic and unique work of art.

César López, with his band Habana Ensemble, has continued his trail of national and international triumphs. In 2006, with his CD "Andante" (BisMusic), he obtained the Best Jazz Album Award at the main event of the phonographic industry in Cuba, Cubadisco. During the 2008 edition of this important festival, César López and Habana Ensemble were awarded the Grand Prize and the Best Instrumental Album award with their CD "Clásicos de Cuba", in recognition of the excellent work developed by these extraordinary musicians over the last decade.

Again, he achieved a virtuoso sonality in the album "Contrastes" with a quartet of saxophones and was nominated at Cubadisco 2010. In March 2012, he celebrated the 15th anniversary of the founding of the Habana Ensemble group and recorded a live DVD called "LIVE".

Festivals participated in:
• Playboy (USA)
• Newport Maradao (Japan)
• Tokio Jazz Fest (Japan)
• Yokohama Promenade (Japan)
• Morciac (France)
• Fest Latino Eurodisney (France)
• North Sea (Holland)
• Vitoria (Spain)
• Semana Negra (Spain)
• Carnaval de Barranquilla (Colombia)
• Carnaval de Veracruz (Mexico)
• Pori Jazz Fest (Finland)
Molde Jazz Fest (Norway)
• Heineken Jazz Fest (Dominican Rep.)
• Umbria Jazz Fest
• Roma Jazz Fest (Italy)
• Barbados Jazz Fest (Barbados)
• Folklorama (Canada)

Clubs and Theaters:
• Teatro Teresa Carreño (Venezuela)
• Barbican; Dominion; Ronnie Scott (England)
• Memorial de las Américas (Brazil)
• Plaza del Zócalo; Auditorio Nacional; Mama Rumba (Mexico)
• Blue Note (Tokyo, Japan)
• SOB's; Cristal; Filtmore (USA)
• Guanábana (Argentina)
• Malecón (Spain)
• New Morning (France)
• Cuasimodo; La FabriK (Germany)
• Fastchin (Sweden)

Universities and Conservatories where he has taught:
• Banff Center University (Canada)
• Universidad del Atlántico (Colombia)
• Conservatorio de Cali (Colombia)
• Rhythmic University (Denmark)
• Instituto Superior de Arte (Cuba)
• Conservatorio de la Coruña (Spain)

Musicians with whom he has shared the stage:
• Cuba: Chucho Valdés, Iván del Prado, Richard
Egües, Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés, Omara
Portuondo, Compay Segundo, Paquito D'
Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, National Symphony
Orchestra, Leo Brower, Juan Formell and Los Van
Van, Bebo Valdés.
• Spain: El Cigala, Victor Manuel, Retama
• Danish Radio Orchestra
• Cali Symphony Orchestra, Colombia.
• USA: Al Dimeola, Tito Puentes, Lew Tabackin, Washington Ballet, Wayne Shorter, Dianne Reeves, Steve Coleman,
Herbie Hancock, Roy Hargrove.
• Brazil: Joao Donato, Ivan Lins, Hermeto Pascual, Yamandu Acosta
• Sting (UK)

Discography with Habana Ensemble
Mambo Manía, 1998. Tribute to Dámaso Pérez Prado.
Tocando Tierra, Latín World.
Todo incluído, Latin World.
Kubilete, Unicornio, 2000.
Andante, 2005.
Clásicos de Cuba, Habana Ensemble, 2009, BisMusic.