Oaxaca is an original song inspired by my travels to the Mexican city as young boy, based upon the local rhythm known as Chilena. Performed here with Kitt Lyles and Gustavo Cortinas at Electrical Audio in Chicago 2023
Mirrors of Silence​
This is Mirrors of Silence, a song that I wrote in 2011. A song about feeling numb in the presence of violence.
I've played all kinds of Music but lately I'm in a more experimental, improvisational mood.
Check out my SoundCloud channel to hear some of the different styles I've explored.
Bio
A life of music making
Christian is a singer, composer and multi-genre musician. He started in music at an early age inspired by his artistic family and later on, Christian studied classical- contemporary composition with teachers such as Mariana Villanueva Conroy and Arturo Márquez.
After taking piano and guitar lessons from age 5, he started his formal music education at age 15, and went on to study Opera at the National Conservatory of Music in México City, under the direction of the late Mexican soprano Irma González. With this solid foundation, Christian has developed his own vocal technique to suit his exploration of styles and vocal expressions.
As a guitarist, Christian has performed with Chicago blues legends Jimmy Burns and Corky Siegel. It’s not unusual to see him perform with Frank Orrall (Poi Dog Pondering and Thievery Corporation) and is part of Los Inmortales de Chicago, one of Frank’s side projects.Christian has explored many different genres and styles.
His music is influenced by an eclectic nature: Classical, jazz, funk, prog-rock, pop, Afro-Cuban, Avant-Garde, folk and Mexican traditional music.In 2014 Christian completed the production of an album for the Chicago-based singer Melvia Chick Rodgers with Co-producer and Co-author Gilles Aniorte-Tomassian, as well as arranged and performed with artists such as Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues and Ernest Kabeer Dawkins.
​​In 2015 he released a six-song cycle (EP) 'Sonido Obscuro,' produced and written by Christian Larumbe, Engineered by Frank Orrall and recorded at Platetectonic Studios and Gravity Studios in Chicago, IL.
Christian's second album is 'Collective Delirium' produced and recorded at Snakeweed Studios in Singapore in 2019 and released digitally in 2022.
Currently, Christian is working on a new album to be released in the upcoming months. Refugio is a collection of songs from Mexico mainly, that had been arranged and produced in collaboration with drummer Gustavo Cortiñas and bassist Kitt Lyles, recorded at Electrical Audio and Studiomedia in Chicago, IL. Engineered by Scott Steinman.
Gallery
Press
“Guitarist and vocalist Christian Larumbe brings the best of North and South America together in this latest release, as his trio of bassist Kitt Lyles and drummer Gustavo Cortinas explore Latin American musical landscapes with modern jazz sensibilities, with each culture building off of the other”.
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Jazz Weekly, April 7 2025
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Chris Larumbe
Refugio by Scott Yanow
Christian Larumbe’s performing falls into several overlapping musical genres. A superior interpreter of ballads who has a powerful yet subtle voice. Classically-trained as a composer. Larumbe has played jazz, blues (including a collaboration with Corky Siegel), rock and traditional Mexican music and those inspirations are always part of his performances.
His third album as a leader, Refugio, is mostly comprised of songs from Mexico. For this project, Larumbe is joined in his trio by bassist Kitt Lyles and drummer Gustavo Cortiñas (both of whom provide tasteful accompaniment) with two welcome appearances by tenor-saxophonist Roy McGrath and one from trumpeter Emily Kuhn.
The enjoyable set begins with Chris Larumbe’s singing on the thoughtful ballad “Inolvidable,” a performance highlighted by McGrath’s extensive and explorative tenor solo. “La Bikina,” is a story of a beautiful girl, features Kuhn’s warm trumpet. Larumbe’s singing on the ballad “Como Fue” is filled with longing and quiet passion.
Chris Larumbe’s “Oaxaca,” which is inspired by his travels to the Mexican city as a young boy, has a catchy scalar that is based on two phrases. McGrath’s tenor flight takes the music a bit outside in spots while the guitarist has one of his best solos of the set. Larumbe’s voice is quite effective on the ballad “Amaneci Otra Vez” and infectious during the love song “Sabor a Mi.” “La Llorona” explores contrasting moods. It is based on “The Weeping Woman,” a figure from Mexican folklore crying out for her lost children. The grand finale, “Cucurrucucu Paloma,” is about being love sick. Larumbe’s dramatic singing building up to a memorable climax.
Refugio is filled with subtle surprises, stimulating moments and Chris Larumbe’s heartfelt singing. It is well worth acquiring.
Scott Yanow, jazz journalist/historian
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Sonido Obscuro had a great response from college radio stations around the country in 2019.​We scored Top 30 Chart support with great stations: KMNR [Rolla, MO], WMNF [Tampa, FL], KTCU [Fort Worth, TX] & WCSF in Joliet, IL! In addition, Sonido Obscuro also commanded support & spins from nearly 20 other noteworthy stations: KPFT [Houston, TX], WMSE [Milwaukee, WI], WRUR [Rochester, NY], WUNH [Durham, NH], KCSU [Fort Collins, CO], WHRW [Binghamton, NY], KSCU [Santa Clara, CA], WLFR [Galloway, NJ], WVUA [Tuscaloosa, AL], WMUH [Allentown, PA], KWLC [Decorah, IA], Radio Boise, WMXM [Lake Forest, IL], CHMR [St. Johns, NF], 3WK [Eaton Rapids, MI], KBMF [Butte, MT] & WRFA in Jamestown, NY!
