DUENDE	LATIN AMERICAN MUSIC DUO - JOHN WHIPPS & ROY YOUDALE
		Original Compositions & Arrangements of Traditional Pieces

 

WHO WE ARE On this page you can find background information on: DUENDE as a duo the musical biographies and influences of John and Roy DUENDE In 1987 John moved to Bristol from London where he met Roy who introduced him to the music of Bolivia and Peru. John joined the Chilean band LLAIMA of which he was a member. When LLAIMA disbanded in 1990 he and Roy decided to form a duo, which they called DUENDE. Since then, DUENDE have developed an extensive repertoire of arrangements of traditional and modern pieces of folk music from across the Latin American continent; and also composed many original pieces using the rhythms and structures of Latin America, but infusing influences from English, Celtic and European musical traditions. DUENDE have played at a wide variety of events from formal concerts to solidarity events to festivals, and even one charity performance inside Leyhill Prison. All their music is acoustic, and uses the instruments of the region plus the Spanish guitar. "Duende" is the spirit which lifts musicians and performers of all kinds to perform beyond themselves. It is an elusive quality present in inspired performances, and those who have felt it while performing describe the sensation as not being the creators of the performance, but a vehicle through which a higher power manifests itself -- a kind of revelation. Return to top of page John Whipps ALCM LLCM(TD), FLCM Musical Biography 1958 Born in London 1976-80 Studied classical guitar at the London College of Music under Oliver Hunt. Awarded the 1979 Lloyd-Webber performance prize, and won first prize (Soloist and in duet) at the Cheltenham Festival guitar competition 1981-83 Further studies with Gilbert Biberian in musicianship and ensemble skills. Founder member of the Chiswick Guitar Ensemble, producing and performing concerts with fellow guitarists and other instrumentalists, to much critical acclaim. 1984 Performance at the Royal Festival hall with the Omega Players Guitar Orchestra. 1984-87 Duo with Georgina Legorreta, performing extensively in UK and Mexico, including many TV and Radio broadcasts. Founder member of Camino, a band dedicated to traditional Latin-American music 1985-86 Member of London School of Samba 1987-90 Joined Latin American Bands LLaima and Ritmo Latino 1990 Formed DUENDE with Roy Youdale Musical Interests and Influences My interest in the music of Latin America stems from my background as a classical guitarist. Composers such as Villa Lobos, Lauro and Barrios gave me an insight into the harmony and rhythms of Latin America. Whilst at music college I met students from South and Central America with whom I shared many evenings of informal music making. This led to the formation of CAMINO, where we took this music to parties and performances in and around London. Around this time, I joined the London School of Samba where I learned the driving beat of Brazilian Samba. Several trips to Mexico over the following few years brought me into contact with the Mexican traditions of the Sentimental Ranchero and the poetic Son. During all this time I have been a teacher of the guitar working with all ages and abilities. I have written music for guitar ensembles as well as for the developing soloist. In 1998 I started my own publishing company Fodean Music which is dedicated to educational music for the guitar. Return to top of page Roy Youdale Musical Biography 1951 Born in Croydon 1984 Joined the Bristol Chilean Refugee Folk Group LLaima, playing guitar, charango and panpipes. Performances were mainly in and around Bristol, and in South Wales. 1987-1990 Played with Ritmo Latino, the successor band to Llaima. 1990 Formed DUENDE with John. 1990-1991 Spent 9 months in Bolivia and Peru playing and studying music. I also worked as a researcher for the National Museum of Ethnography and Folklore in La Paz (Bolivia), where I undertook two main projects: the documenting of the annual Festival of San Bartolomé in the city of Potosí. the documenting of the protest music of the Bolivian miners, in particular those from one of the oldest centres of tin mining, the community of Siglo XX near Oruro in the altiplano. This was subsequently published in Bolivia under the title "Cantan las Minas" ("The Mines Sing"). Musical Interests and Influences I learnt to play the guitar as a teenager, like many of my generation, but it was not until I discovered the music of the Andes -- through my Chilean partner Graciela,and the theme music to the BBC natural history series "The Flight of the Condor" (1983) -- that I was really inspired to study and learn to play music. I learnt the rudiments of playing the charango and panpipes with Llaima, but had a hunger to go the Andes and hear the instruments played in their native setting. In 1986 I made a brief visit to Bolivia, Peru and Chile; and in 1990 went out for a 9 month stay to study Andean music -- both learning to play the instruments, and also trying to understand the place of music in Andean culture, which is fundamentally different to its place in European culture. This was a marvellous experience, and has served as inspiration for all the work which I have done with John since then. Return to top of page