Chatlein & Roe 'Future's Past'

The love for improvisation 

Anyone looking superficially at Tony Roe and Vernon Chatlein will probably think that their Curaçao roots are all they have in common. Yet there’s more that connects them: they both love to improvise and are fascinated by the question of how to free music from existing frameworks.

A musical encounter 

Tony Roe has a European background as a pianist in jazz and classical music, but he uses a platform of electronic music and mixed media to explore ways to catapult his ideas into the future. Percussionist Vernon Chatlein, born and raised on Curaçao and musically schooled in Cuba, draws on historical research into the music tradition of the Caribbean and Curaçao as a springboard for launching new concepts. Both are constantly searching for that bit extra, and that’s why it’s so exciting that Music Meeting has brought them together for a musical encounter.

Two worlds coming together 

But don’t expect these two musicians to compete with lots of electronic energy: the synth sound of Roe against the hand percussion of Chatlein. Is this Curaçao music? That influence is certainly in there somewhere, but nothing is cast in stone. This is ultimately about a dialogue between two strong musical personalities, from two very different worlds, who don’t like to be pigeonholed.

Line-up 

Tony Roe - keys

Vernon Chatlein - percussion

Discover more!

Learn about the artist behind the music and take a look behind the scenes in the Music Meeting Exposed with Tony and Vernon or dive into the Meeting Music with Vernon Chatlein.