As a young man in Quintana Roo (the southeastern area of the Mexican Caribbean) Chak, whose adopted name means “Red” in one of the many Mayan dialects, was very influenced by both nature and the Mayan culture of the area; those early experiences strongly resonate in his music. As a teenager he left traditional education in order to go to Matanzas, Cuba, and study composition, piano arrangement and “canto lírico”. Charmed by popular Cuban music, particularly it’s drumming, he started writing poetry and songs upon his return to Mexico. In a strange twist of fate that led him to abandon Circus School in Havana in favor of a career in music, somebody gave him a guitar as a gift. This immediately refocused his path on his love for music. He wrote more than 30 songs with his new instrument, and with the help of some peers from his native Cancun, he started singing at the beach and on the streets of Tulum, Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen. Later on, Chak returned to the city where he was born in order to record some demo with local producers, and at the same time, he juggled several gigs in town and Yelapa (near Puerto Vallarta).
The last series of shows took place at a bar in the trendy Condesa area in Mexico City, where again, fate intervened, and renowned italian songwriter and keyboardist Ettore Grenci fell so in love with the music and the stage energy that he ended up playing with the band. Shortly after, Ettore arranged for everybody to record at Sony Music Studios, accompanied by well-seasoned italian musicians like Francesco Chiari (bass), and Fernando Pantini (guitar). Chak decided to go back to Cancun and formed a new combo named “Carlos Hurtado Tres and the Afro Caribbean Son Fusion”, which toured through several clubs in the Mexican Caribbean area. A year after, Ettore, now playing the producer role, gave Chak a call to finally start planning on an album. Recorded and mixed by the legendary Loris Ceroni in his Le Dune Studio in Riolo Terme, Italy, with amazing studio cats which have flanked Ray Charles, TrilokGurtu, Paco de Lucia, Eros Ramazzoti, Chico Buarque and Joe Zawinul, among others. “Lo Que Vino” was a surprising debut album by an authentic Latin American artist who proudly represents southeast Mexico and the Caribbean.
Chak’s talent as a songwriter has also led to his involvement in several movie projects. Director Alejandro Springall’s film “It’s not you it’s me” features music by Chak in several scenes. Notably, as of 2011 “It’s not you, It’s me” was the 4th highest grossing film in the history of Mexican cinema. Chak also collaborated on two songs for the 2012 film “For Your Guilt” from director Gonzalo Gonzales. Recently Chak and his band Chaklive! have been touring and playing festivals. They hope to release new material soon. Chak’s music has been described as “intensely beautiful and lyrical” and as his fans can attest, it also gets you up and dancing.
Websites and published articles:
http://itunes.apple.com/mx/album/lo-que-vino/id209681898
http://www.reverbnation.com/ChakChak
http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/espectaculos/70563.html
http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2007/01/03/index.php?section=espectaculos&article=a09n3esp
http://www.revistachicle.com/blog/?p=69
http://www.terra.com/ocio/articulo/html/oci86354.htm
https://www.facebook.com/chaklive
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsJcJwD0BxODk9K01JoZ6tm-rHG1EOEEV
CHAK LIVE! 