ARMANDO CAIRO
About
Armando Cairo Tenor saxophone, Soprano saxophone and Drums
Armando Cairo was born in Amsterdam the 21st of March in 1953. He studied painting and portrait painting and graduated at the Rietveld Academy of Arts in 1976.
At age twenty-four he started playing the tenor saxophone. He took lessons, for two years from be-bop alto player, Ron Rem. Armando moved on to the workshops of Nedly Elstak (Trumpetplayer, Composer and Arranger). After the beginners-workshop he attended Nedly’s Composer- and Arrangingclasses.
In 1982 he won the Meervaart Jazz Concours and the VPRO Aanmoedigings award with the Armando Cairo Quintet.
He played in several Dutch Jazzgroups: amongst others, Fra Fra Sound, the Frank Grasso Big band, Rockin’ the Reeds, Fonk, Quartet Tritonus and still with the Billy Brooks Big Band. Armando toured with the Dutch Connection (direction by Butch Morris) and the South African Joe Malinga Septet.
Armando fronted a group for two years with Jeldrik IJland – Alto saxophone, Essiet ‘Okun’ Essiet – Double Bass and Don Mumford – Drums. In 1987 he formed the Armando Cairo Sextet, featuring Martin van Duynhoven – Drums, Wilbert de Joode – Double Bass, Joost Buis – Trombone, Jos Driessen – Trumpet and Jeldrik IJland – Alto saxophone. This group played originals and arrangements by Armando only.
Armando Cairo appeared four times at the North Sea Jazz Festival, once with the Frank Grasso Big Band and three times with his own groups.
Armando also played tenor- and soprano saxophone, for two years, in the ‘Harlem Orchestra’, the band that accompanied the very succesfull musical A night at the Cotton Club.
He toured in Europe; through Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria and in 2001 he performed for the first time in the United States, in Hartford CT.
Since 1994 he is leading the ‘Armando Cairo Quartet’, featuring Clarence Becton – Drums, Eric Barkman – Double Bass and Cajan Witmer – Piano. This group recorded two cd’s: Redheaded Sirens in 1996 and Tenor Brutality! in 1999. Since 1999 Johnny Tevreden replaces Eric Barkman.
Armando Cairo admires tenors with The Big Sound like Don Byas, Coleman Hawkins, Dexter Gordon, Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis, Clifford Jordan, Paul Gonsalves, Gene Ammons, John Gilmore, Red Prysock, Arnett Cobb, Bennie Wallace, Archie Shepp, Big Jay McNeely, Stanley Turrentine, Lucky Thompson, Ben Webster, Charlie Rouse, Ike Quebec, Lew Tabackin and especially Sonny Rollins.
In the past Armando also organized jazz-concerts in Amsterdam venues like: Odeon Jazzkelder, Bourbon Street, The Bulldog and Arti et Amicitae. At this time he also organized the fridaynight jamsessions at the notorious jazzcafe ‘t Geveltje.
In 1985 Armando Cairo started to teach jazz improvisation at the University of Amsterdam in the Cultural Department. In 1986 he also became the musical director of the Big band of the University of Amsterdam, for which he also arranges and composes.
The Big band of the University of Amsterdam appeared regularly with versatile Dutch jazz soloists. In alphabetical order: Joost Buis – Trombone, Candy Dulfer – Alto saxophone, Hans Dulfer – Tenor saxophone, Anton Goudsmit – Guitar, Maarten van der Grinten – Guitar, Rinus Groeneveld – Tenor saxophone, Benjamin Herman – Alto saxophone, Piet Kuiters – Piano, David Kweksilber- Reeds, Saskia Laroo – Trumpet, Loet van der Lee – Trumpet, Boris van der Lek – Tenor saxophone, Miguel Martinez – Alto saxophone, Jan Menu-Baritone saxophone, Luluk Purwanto – Violin, Joost van Schaik – Drums, Ben Schröder – Drums, Dmitry Shapko- tenor, Efraim Trujillo – Tenor saxophone, Eric Vloeimans– Trumpet, Wolter Wierbos – Trombone, and many others.
ART MUSIC
Focus
Expertise
- saxophone 99%
- drums 90%
- oil painting 97%
About the
ARtist
Armando Cairo studied at the Rietveld Academie and graduated in 1976. He specialized in oil-painting and portrait-painting.
He’s had exhibitions in: Galerie Mokum, Museum Fodor, Galerie Fynaut, Singer Museum, Arti et Amicitiae, Zienagoog, Artoteek Noord and more recently at Veilinghuis Glerum and the Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum: Slaves and Ships.
Armando is especially fond of Flemish and Italian Renaissance painting and he studied the painting-techniques of that era thoroughly.
He was guest teacher of both the Rietveld Academie as well as the Academie of Fine Arts in Kampen.
His work is collected in the Netherlands and foreign countries. Armando made numerous portraits in commission.
Art
Reviews
Until September 23, there’s an exhibition in the Zienagoog with paintings, drawings and graphics of Armando Cairo and sculptures of Jef Wishaupt. An exhibition that immediately causes admiration for Armando Cairo, who – despite his youthful age – possesses a refined technique and a rich expression. Apparently there are no boundaries for him. His expression on canvas is grandiose.
Armando Cairo’s subjects are people, which he observes extensively and portrays them on the canvas with their own peculiarities; true to nature and unconstrained. Noticeable is that they are all solemn and into themselves, shut off from the world and deprived of any form of communication. When he pictures them together, they each look in their own direction from within their own isolation, like the people of surrealist Delvaux.
Look at Cairo’s paper boys in their urban surrounding and at the young man and woman, together in a lonely room one Sunday afternoon, reading a comic-book. Sad and lonely people, and like I already stated, just as sad as the blind street musician and the other people, which Cairo observed and portrayed in their isolation.
Mysticism
Despite the comparison to Delvaux, Cairo furthermore has no resemblance to the surrealist, although a stream of mysticism and alienation flows through his compositions.
Due to his eye for detail and his expression on canvas, his portraits rather more bring Dick Ket to mind. His expression-skills on canvas become apparent from the newspaper of the paper boys, which shows a photographic accuracy. What shows the importance of Cairo’s work, is the subtle atmosphere he creates around his desolate figures.
Cairo is a versatile artist. Not only with his paintings, but also with his etchings and drawings he achieves fascinating results, thanks to a skilled technique and his driven expressiveness.
Excellent portraits of Armando Cairo in Zienagoog
Excellent portraits of excellencies are the characteristic part of the work of Amsterdam painter/graphic Armando Cairo shows in De Zienagoog. The portraits of the Dutch minister J. van Kemenade, and secretaries of state G.H. Veringa and G. Klein of the Ministry of Education and Science from the former cabinet, show Cairo at his best.
His portraits are – and so it should with a good portrait – more than a recognizable portrayal of the person. From the portrait one can read the subjects character and slowly the portrait exceeds the photograph. These portraits, an assignment in the tradition of the ministry, are not always flattering. Secretary of State Ger Klein is portrayed as a, pretty skimpy looking man and his superior Van Kemenade appears to carry the burden if the whole ministry on his shoulders, almost succumbing by the load.
A logical development, because – due to experience – the technique becomes a matter of course and by this takes less awareness of the artist. Armando Cairo also exhibits a series of etchings, but with these he does not reach the level of his lithographs, drawings and paintings.
It’s the vision of the artist, although practice learns, that such a quality often is more obvious to the audience than the painter was aware of himself. The portrait takes an important place in the work of Cairo. And the drawings, with their strict lines even stronger than his brush-strokes, that due to their refinement sometimes appear a bit unnatural.
The development of the work of the 26-year old painter is apparent: from the first lithographs he made during his study at the Rietveld-academy, that show a surrealistic impact, to his recent work that is much more natural. In his development he stayed loyal to the lithograph and the pinnacle of the exhibition is a lithograph of a blind accordionist that shows a touching beauty. The same situation of this man, against the background of decaying brick-work, is also the subject of one of his most recent paintings. Here the urge for naturalism is apparent. The strong attention to technique, in earlier work leaning towards mannerism, has stayed, but now the subject gets more attention.
Sculptures
Sculptor Jef Wishaupt is his companion at this exhibition. The bronzes of this Limburg artist, whom is also gold- and silversmith, with their round shapes and polished surfaces create a solemn atmosphere. One can admire them for their control and subdued character (very rare for polished bronzes), but next to the lively world of Armando Cairo they are somewhat moved to the background, despite their elegant form. Nevertheless they deserve the attention of the audience.
Jan de Carpentier
History
My Story
Armando Cairo, Tenor saxophone, Soprano saxophone and Drums
Armando Cairo was born in Amsterdam the 21st of March in 1953. He studied painting and portrait painting and graduated at the Rietveld Academy of Arts in 1976.
At the age twenty-four he started playing tenor saxophone. In 1982 he won the ‘Meervaart Jazz Concours’ and the ‘VPRO Aanmoedigings’ award with the ‘Armando Cairo Quintet’.
He played in several Dutch jazz groups: amongst others, Fra Fra Sound, the Frank Grasso Big band, Dutch Connection, the Joe Malinga Septet and the Billy Brooks Big Band.
Armando Cairo had a group for a while with Jeldrik IJland – Alto saxophone, Essiet ‘Okun’ Essiet – Double Bass and Don Mumford – Drums. In 1987 he formed the Armando Cairo Sextet, featuring Martin van Duinhoven – Drums, Wilbert de Joode – Double Bass, Joost Buis – Trombone, Jos Driessen – Trumpet and Jeldrik IJland – Alto saxophone. This group played originals and arrangements by Armando Cairo only. Armando Cairo appeared four times at the North Sea Jazz Festival. He performed ones with the Frank Grasso Big band and three times with his own groups.
Armando Cairo also played tenor- and soprano saxophone in the ‘Harlem Orchestra’, the band that accompanied the musical ‘A night at the Cotton Club’.
He toured in Europe; through Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria and in 2001 he visited and performed for the first time in the United States, in Hartford CT.
Since 1994 he is leading the ‘Armando Cairo Quartet’, featuring Clarence Becton – Drums, Eric Barkman – Double Bass and Cajan Witmer – Piano. He recorded two CD’s with this group: ‘Redheaded Sirens’ in 1996 and ‘Tenor Brutality’ in 1999. Since 1999 Johnny Tevreden replaces Eric Barkman.
Armando Cairo admires tenors with ‘The Big Sound like Don Byas, Coleman Hawkins, Dexter Gordon, Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis, Clifford Jordan, Paul Gonsalves, Gene Ammons, John Gilmore, Red Prysock, Arnett Cobb, Bennie Wallace and especially Sonny Rollins.
In 1985 Armando Cairo started to teach jazz improvisation at the Cultural Department of the University of Amsterdam. In 1986 he also became the musical director of the big band of the University of Amsterdam, for which he also arranges and composes. The band appeared regularly with notorious Dutch jazz soloists. In alphabetical order: Joost Buis – Trombone, Candy Dulfer – Alto saxophone, Hans Dulfer – Tenor saxophone, Anton Goudsmit – Guitar, Maarten van der Grinten – Guitar, Rinus Groeneveld – Tenor saxophone, Benjamin Herman – Alto saxophone, Piet Kuiters – Piano, Saskia Laroo – Trumpet, Loet van der Lee – Trumpet, Boris van der Lek – Tenor saxophone, Miguel Martinez – Alto saxophone, Luluk Purwanto – Violin, Joost van Schaik – Drums, Ben Schröder – Drums, Efraim Trujillo – Tenor saxophone, Eric Vloeimans- Trumpet, Wolter Wierbos – Trombone, and many others.
Amsterdam Born the 21st of March in 1953
Graduated at the Rietveld Academy of Arts in 1976
At age twenty-four he started playing the tenor saxophone
he won the ‘Meervaart Jazz Concours’ and the ‘VPRO Aanmoedigings’ award with the ‘Armando Cairo Quintet’ in 1987
Participated in multiple jazzgroups: amongst others, Fra Fra Sound, the Frank Grasso Big band, Dutch Connection, the Joe Malinga Septet and the Billy Brooks Big Band.
he is leading the ‘Armando Cairo Quartet’ Since 1994
He recorded three CD’s with the Armando Cairo quartet: ‘Redheaded Sirens’ in 1996 and ‘Tenor Brutality’ in 1999. The third one is soon to come.
albums
performaces
Current groups
expositions
Recognition
Awards
Meervaart Jazz Concours award
1982
VPRO Aanmoedigings award
1982
Contact Me
Get In Touch
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