This new musical suite is inspired by Roger Casement’s experience in Peru when he travelled to Putumayo in the Amazon rainforest in 1910 to investigate allegations of exploitation against indigenous people being kept as slaves at rubber farms.

Rodrigo’s compositions will capture the spirit of the people and their stories, as documented in Casement’s journal, The Blue Book, and express this story through myriad soundscapes that will sonically transport listeners to the Amazon forest.

He will be joined by drummer Matthew Jacobson and pianist Lorenzo Vitolo in a performance of Sounds of the Blue Book in dlr LexIcon Studio on 25th August.

Rodrigo Almonte

Rodrigo Almonte is a Peruvian guitarist and composer based in Dublin. He has played extensively on the Peruvian and European jazz scene with his own different musical projects. His lyrical melodies, fresh chords and intricate rhythms are equally present and well-balanced on his improvisations and compositions. With his South American and contemporary jazz influences, Almonte brings a unique approach to music.

Graduated “Cum Laude” from the Master’s degree at Prins Claus Conservatory (Groningen Netherlands) Almonte has studied with some of the best guitarists of the international jazz scene like Lage Lund, Yotam Silberstein, among others.

Lorenzo Vitolo

Lorenzo Vitolo is a pianist and composer from Naples, Italy based in Basel, Switzerland. He began studying piano at eight years old and since then has been awarded a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from the San Pietro Conservatory (Naples, Italy), a second Master’s degree in Jazz from Prins Claus Conservatory (Groningen, The Netherlands) and a Diploma from Jazzcampus (Basel, Switzerland) for being part of the prestigious Focusyear Band 2021. He has shared the stage with international musicians such as Miguel Zenon, Lionel Loueke, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Jeff Ballard, Malcom Braff, David Virelles, Jorge Rossi, Django Bates, Pablo Held, Ben van Gelder, Ingrid Jensen, Guillermo Klein. 

Matthew Jacobson

Matthew Jacobson is an Irish drummer, composer, bandleader, educator and producer. He gained his BA in Jazz Performance at Newpark Music Centre, Dublin in 2008 and in 2010 he received an MA in Music Performance from Lucerne University, Switzerland. In 2021 he completed a practice-based PhD at Ulster University, exploring improvisational approaches to motivic compositions. He received a Fulbright Scholar Award in 2013 to spend a nine-month period in New York developing compositional and improvisational skills. He was also selected as Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown’s inaugural Musician-in-Residence from October 2015 – January 2016.