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«...In his hands, the cuatro turns into a volcanic gale, a lightning of countless hands as if
a temblador (Electrophorus electricus) from the Orinoco River were electrifying his
fingers... Yes, Cheo Hurtado is already a part of the universal heritage.» The intensity
and strength of this artist - born in Ciudad Bolivar in 1960 - so praised by the writer from
Guayana, Elias Inaty, started to show when he was barely 7 years of age. It was precisely
at this age when Hurtado started to study the cuatro with his father, Ramon Hurtado, a
renowned guitar player and popular music composer. Six years later, in 1973, Cheo’s
musical direction follows a distinct path when he wins the National Cuatro Festival in his
hometown.
Ever since, Cheo has excelled performing the cuatro as a soloist instrument in concerts
and recordings, alternating said activity with numerous chord instruments such as the
mandolin from Guayana, the regular mandolin, the tres, the guitar and the bass. He has
been also devoted to the research, collection, and diffusion of Guayana’s traditional
music: guasas, joropos, waltzes, calypsos, aguinaldos (Venezuelan Christmas Carols),
and parrandas.
Between 1975 and 1983 he taught cuatro, guitar, and mandolin at the House of Culture
in Ciudad Bolivar, and in 1977 he founded in that same city the Student Band Carlos
Raul Villanueva. Cheo created the traditional Guayana group «La Cuerda de Carmito»,
and also played the double bass in the Angostura Orchestra, conducted by the maestro
Juanito Arteta. Cheo Hurtado was also a member of the groups «Un Solo Pueblo» and
«Bandolas de Venezuela».
In 1985, Cheo moves to Caracas, where, together with Luis Julio Toro and Cristobal
Soto, he founds the Gurrufio Chamber Ensemble, a group symbolizing the new
Venezuelan popular music, by means of which his technique and mastery of the cuatro
have been unanimously acknowledged. Said technique and mastery have allowed
Hurtado to take advantage of all the expressive possibilities that this versatile instrument
has.
Cheo Hurtado has performed with renown national and international artists such as - Alirio
Diaz
- Aldemaro Romero
- Paquito D'Rivera
- Simon Diaz
- Bella Fleck
- Esperanza
Marquez
- Oscar D'Leon
- Cecilia Todd
- Gualberto Ibarreto
- Hector Cabrera
- Serenata
Guayanesa
- Soledad Bravo
- Lilia Vera
- Rosa Virginia Chacin
- Maria Teresa Chacin
-
Edwin Colon Zayas
- Aquiles Baez
- Henry Rubio
among many others.
He has also participated in numerous record productions with diverse groups of artists,
both national and international.
His dexterity has led him to conquer praises, receive many applauses, and positive
reviews after performing in the main concert halls and theaters from Venezuela and the
world in an itinerary through places as diverse as
- the former Soviet Union (1982 and 1985)
- Ecuador (1985 and 1993)
- Colombia (1985, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997,
1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)
- the United States of America (1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1997)
-
the Netherlands Antilles (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1998)
- Cuba (1991 and
1992)
- Brazil (1991 and 2001)
- Mexico (1991, 1993, and 1996)
- the Dominican Republic
(1991)
- Spain (1992, 1995, 1997)
- Germany (1995, 1999, and 2000)
- Holland (1996 and
1999)
- Japan (1991 and 1994)
- Argentina (1999)
- France (1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, and
2000)
- Switzerland (1998)
- and the United Kingdom (1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, and 2002)
One of Cheo’s current goals is the consolidation of the “Camerata Criolla”, and
orchestral ensemble seeking to consolidate itself as a permanent orchestra dedicated to
diffuse and promote, both nationally and internationally, the sounds of the music made
in Venezuela.
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