The Explosive Passion of Musician–Composer JP Jofre Erupts on New CD “Manifiesto” by his Hard Tango Chamber Band Music that soars with energy and then sears into your soul is what makes JP Jofre not only the premiere bandoneón player of the modern age but a visionary composer, taking his accordion-like instrument in exciting, innovative directions. “JP has an understanding and passion for this music that is rooted in the traditional but isn't afraid to push into new territories,” says international singing superstar Josh Groban. “I simply love hearing him play.” Jofre’s latest CD “Manifiesto,” is a declaration of intent to mine the entire range of this diabolically difficult instrument, more like a pump organ stuffed into a giant accordion’s form. Considered the voice of the tango, in his hands the natural expressiveness—from gentle soprano to locomotive roar—of the bandoneón becomes fully realized. Jofre’s compositions use the tango as a jumping off point for deeper exploration of the instrument’s potential. "Manifiesto" marks the first CD with all original music by Jofre, who also produced the album with his Hard Tango Chamber Band mate, pianist Pablo Cafici and Grammy winer producer Daniel Freiberg. The album features the rest of the Hard Tango ensemble—violinist Eric Silberger, prizewinner at the Tchaikovsky Competition, virtuoso cellist Amy Kang, double bassist Ron Wasserman, principal bass player of the New York City Ballet Orchestra, and Argentinian pianist Pablo Cafici with guests Christopher Johnson (double bass), Siyi Fang and Miho Hazama (piano). In performance, Jofre uncoils the nearly five-foot length of the bandoneón, coaxing sounds that turn from softly caressing to dramatically insistent. With each in and out of the instrument’s bellows, he breathes fierce emotion into every moment of the music and leaves audiences worldwide exploding in appreciation. Playing with intimate ensembles and symphony orchestras, he has appeared at many of the world's leading festivals, theatres, new music clubs and venues. " JP Jofre's compositions are masterly and his quintet is excellent" says Paquito D’Rivera, a winner of 16 Grammys who recorded "Primavera" one of Jofre’s original compositions on the bandoneónist’s debut CD: Hard Tango. "I think the bandoneón is the most expressive instrument ever created.” Jofre’s message is abundantly clear in the “Manifiesto” title track, an amalgam that speaks to the rock music he loved as a teenager, the tango rhythms he heard growing up in San Juan, Argentina, and his background in chamber music. The delicacy of the bandoneón can be heard on “Sweet Dreams,” a piece written for his young niece. At the opposite pole, “Lars” is a nod to the Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich and to Jofre’s own heavy metal drumming days. The centerpiece of the CD is Jofre’s “Tango Movements,” described by the San Jose Mercury Sun as “sweepingly romantic, elegantly crafted and rhythmically charged.” “This CD is particularly gratifying because I was able to record it with artists I’ve closely collaborated with over the past few years,” Jofre declares. “We have been working together at the highest level and we brought that same sensibility and creative interpretations into the studio. It’s like performing with your family and it’s a great feeling because you understand each other so well.” Originally a drummer, percussion was only the beginning of the musical path of this prolific composer, who moved to New York from Argentina seven years ago. At Argentina’s Escuela de Música, he also studied the double bass, bassoon, vibraphone, voice and piano. But everything changed when he was 17, and an uncle played him a recording by Astor Piazzolla, the great Argentine bandoneónist and composer. Jofre’s reaction: “I said ‘Whoa! This is amazing,’ Piazzolla’s music was classical, and it was tango, and it had the power of heavy metal. It was a lot of things mixed together. I knew immediately that this was what I really wanted to do.” Jofre remembers being surprised by the bandoneón’s complexity when he first tried to play one. The instrument has rows of buttons on each side of the bellows, and no keyboard. Each set of buttons produces a distinct timbre; moreover, the pitches differ depending on whether the instrument is being pulled opened or pushed closed. In search of a teacher, he landed an introduction to Daniel Binelli, who had played in Piazzolla’s sextet for several years. Binelli encouraged him both as a bandoneónist and as a composer. Jofre has taken Binelli’s advice about composing for the instrument, and also a page from Bach’s playbook, creating versions of his works for ensembles of all kinds as a way of ensuring performances. Named one of today’s leading artists by Great Performers at Lincoln Center, Jofre’s music has also been used as the basis of choreography and a performance by Herman Cornejo, a Principal Dancer for the American Ballet Theatre. A recipient of the National Prize of the Arts grant in Argentina, Jofre has taken his form of hybrid tango to some of the most important venues in Asia, Europe, America and the Caribbean as soloist and composer. In his adopted city of New York, Jofre can often be heard at the Public Theatre and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Jofre has collaborated with celebrated musicians in a wide range of musical styles, including D’Rivera, Kathryn Stott, Gloria Estefan, Symphony Silicon Valley, Santa Rosa Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Argentina, Sacramento Philharmonic, Philippe Quint, Fernando Otero, Attacca Quartet, Alexander Gurning, Michael Morgan, Ezequiel Viñao, Pablo Ortiz, Bruno Ferrandis, Esperanza Spalding, Leo Genovese, Nicolas Ledesma, Pablo Agri, Patricio Villarejo, Roberto Pettinato, Daniel Freiberg, Westchester Jazz Orchestra, Bear Valley Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Napa Symphony, Ethel, Michael Guttman and Fred Sturm, Antonio Yoo, Alondra de la Parra and Enrico Fagone among others. He has received commissions and been part of many prestigious festivals including the Celebrity Series of Boston, Umbria Jazz Festival, Great Performers at Lincoln Center, Seattle Town Hall’s Global Rhythms, Borislav Strulev’s Belgorod Music Festival, Sudtirol Jazz Festival, American Virtuosi, Nina Beilina and Bachanalia Taiwan. Jofre has also been involved in musical outreach programs for disadvantaged children and inmates in the US and Argentina. “I am proud to say that for the past few years I have been performing my own music around the world and that has been one of my dreams,” Jofre says. “I feel very blessed because this is something very difficult to achieve.”