Review: Edmar Castaneda World Ensemble, and Brian Melick & Friends at Music Haven in Proctors on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025
Before Edmar Castaneda brought the harp back into jazz a generation after Alice Coltrane, few made jazz on its many strings. When he cracked the code by playing busy bass lines on the long low strings with zippy melodies on the treble short strings, those who’ve followed mainly play in small bands.
Edmar Castaneda
At Music Haven in Proctors Sunday, he led a big band, his World Ensemble. Before calling the roll by player and country, Castaneda showed off uncanny speed, restless melodic invention and pulsating rhythm in a breathtaking intro-eruption before anybody else played a note. Then everybody played lots of notes in the dense, staccato suite “Tabom.” First, Rogerio Boccato (Brazil) hit a repeating triangle figure, then a groove-and-solos machine formed. From stage right they were keyboardist Helio Alves (Brazil); flautist Itai Kriss (Israel), trombonist Ryan Keberle (US), saxophonist Birsa Chatterjee (India), chromatic harmonica player Yotam (Switzerland), drummer Julian Miltenberger (US) and Castaneda playing the most amazing stuff, stage left.
All but Miltenberger soloed in that first strong number, percussionist Boccato strapping on a small bass drum whose pitch he controlled so it was in tune.
Rogerio Boccato
The Astor Piazolla/tango-inspired “Ventarron” earned its title (“strong wind” in English), an agitated sound storm with Castaneda and Alves’s piano in harmony (different notes, hitting in the same place). Then came all-in horn section bebop before Yotam’s harmonica led a downshift; then the bebop took over again and drums and percussion owned the coda.
Andrea Tierra and Edmar Castaneda
Castaneda then dismissed all but Alves and spun the charming tale of spotting a beautiful woman singer at a Queens jam session, instantly announcing they’d marry and doing so just 20 days later, all by way of introducing singer Andrea Tierra, his wife of 21 years. She sang in a strong alto, holding her own with harp and piano in the passionate trio “Piedra y a Camino.”
The band back at full strength, a Caribbean dance flavor powered her next tune, “Raza,” but her strong voice carried its protest message even without translation, sharing the spotlight with Keberle’s best trombone break all night.
Ryan Keberle
Castaneda paid tribute to Cuban saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera in “Arpaquito,” a breakneck romp featuring teenaged son Zamir playing high-speed maracas in hot horn riffing. Kriss’s flute and Castaneda soloed brilliantly here while Keberle’s trombone swapped fours with Chatterjee’s tenor sax, bop style.
Itai Kriss, above, and Birsa Chatterjee, below
Zamir Castaneda, left; Julian Miltenberger and Edmar Castaneda, above; Yotam, below
“La Vie en Chande” syncopated a brisk dance beat in full flight, flute, tenor, trombone and drums handling the solos as Miltenberger seemed telepathic with Castaneda, feeling when changes would hit and riding them.
Tierra returned to sing their closer, “Eclesiastes,” about gratefully enjoying moments with those we love, even in tough times. Built on a complex riff, this was both big, bustling groove and solo showcase, especially by Castaneda who launched it with a churning ostinato then soloed the thing out past the Milky Way. It subsided into a cozy bridge before exploding again, harp, harmonica and voice just soaring, dramatic.
In Castaneda’s solo here, in fact, throughout, the band all watched him closely, not for cues to solo or go back to the head; they were as amazed by his playing as everybody else. His jazz energy fused well with the Latin folk inspiration of many songs. Dance tunes evoked swirling skirts and feet hammering cobblestones while bebop blasts went all 52nd Street.
Strong Local Opener
Brian Melick & Friends opened in a charming, internationally appropriate, if smaller scale, virtuoso display of top area talent.
Brian Melick
Melick started solo at the molded clay udu drum, making deep swoops of “Udu Play Clay.” He then introduced his collaborators in duets. Flamenco guitarist Maria Zemantauski kept pace with Melick’s udu in her percussive fingers-flying “Rosita.” Keyboardist (and leader of world-jazz combo Heard; Melick is a member) Elizabeth Woodbury Kasius conjured Montreal snow in “Cote Des Nieges,” Melick’s lacy, tinkling hand percussion evoking bright flakes falling over her graceful melody. Singer Shiri Zorn recited a poem on love versus solitude to introduce “Alone Together,” a complex jazzy, torch-song with recorded voice tracks harmonizing her voice as Melick underscored everything with woody cajon riffs.
Maria Zemantauski, above; Elizabeth Woodbury Kasius, below
“Pinto Varano” united the four, Zemantauski all flamenco zing, Melick punctuating with the metallic clang of an orchestral anvil, Kasius’s keyboard exploring rhythm and melody and Zorn singing sweet but bluesy.
Shiri Zorn
They left everyone wanting more, with impressive skill and disparate creative visions coming together in a meeting of musical minds, the six hands of Melick, Kasius and Zemantauski and Shiri Zorn’s remarkable voice, though her expressive hands added to its effect.
The pre-concert Music Haven Summer Social, above, a paid admission meet-up, with catering, filled the adjacent Key Hall, with Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy and NYS Senator Jim Tedisco presenting proclamations to both Music Haven Producing Artistic Director Mona Golub in honor of the free concert program’s 35th season and CEO Anne Putnam of Fenimore Asset Management, honored as Music Maven of the Year for her volunteer efforts and other support for Music Haven.
From left, above: Anne Putnam, Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy, Music Haven Producing Artistic Director Mona Golub. Below, from left: Putnam, NYS Senator Jim Tedisco, and Golub
NYS Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara and Mona Golub
During intermission, NYS Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara echoed those sentiments with proclamations and praise for Golub and Putnam.
Sunday’s show was Music Haven season’s first event to be moved into the Proctors rain site all season. Nine concerts, a festival and two films took place in Central Park while a third film. “Wicked,” closes the season on Friday, Aug. 29.
MORE HARP, MORE CASTANEDA
On Sunday, Sept. 14, he plays Lake George Jazz Weekend in Shepard Park with his quartet; likely singer Andrea Tierra, saxophonist Birsa Chatterjee, and drummer Julian Miltenberger.
Then, on Thursday, Oct. 2, he plays Universal Preservation Hall (a Proctors Collaborative venue) with banjoist Bela Fleck and drummer Antonio Sanchez. The trio released its debut album “BEATrio” in March and has been touring off and on since.
And, since nearly all eight members of Castaneda’s World Ensemble lead or play in other bands, Sunday’s Music Haven at Proctors show was a rare treat.
Hoke's Jukebox 