Sounds of the Blue Book – A Roger Casement Story

Event Description

In 1910, Irish humanitarian Roger Casement journeyed to the Amazon rainforest of Peru to investigate horrific atrocities committed against Indigenous communities by the rubber industry. His report—now known as The Blue Book—became a pivotal document in the history of human rights. Over a century later, Peruvian-Irish composer and guitarist Rodrigo Almonte brings Casement’s powerful testimony to life in Sounds of the Blue Book—a striking new suite of music that blends jazz, improvisation, and traditional Irish and Peruvian sounds into a moving and richly textured performance.

Joined by acclaimed pianist Lorenzo Vitolo and drummer Matthew Jacobson, Almonte’s trio weaves historical narrative with emotive soundscapes that transport audiences through the Amazonian jungle, Indigenous rhythms, and echoes of a forgotten past.

Developed with the support of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Arts Office and Music Network, Sounds of the Blue Book is a bold and imaginative musical work. Blending historical depth with contemporary artistry, the trio crafts a performance that resonates both emotionally and intellectually, bridging cultures, timelines, and traditions through music.

Rodrigo Almonte
Rodrigo Almonte is a Peruvian born-Irish based guitarist, composer and musical nomad who has played extensively in the Peruvian and international jazz scene with his own musical projects. His lyrical melodies, fresh chords and intricate rhythms nurtured by his South American and modern jazz influences, collected through his musical experiences living, studying and performing in Brazil, Peru, The Netherlands, Ireland and New York create a unique approach to music. Graduated ‘Cum Laude’ from the Master’s degree at Prins Claus Conservatory (Groningen, The Netherlands) Almonte has studied with some of the best musicians of the international jazz scene such us Lage Lund, Yotam Silberstein, Ari Hoenig, Victor Gould, Steve Nelson, 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.

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