Leonel Kaplan

Who is Leonel Kaplan?

Leonel Kaplan is an Argentine trumpet player active in free improvisation. He has been part of the international improvised music scene since the early 2000s performing and recording throughout Europe and U.S.

Kaplan worked with percussionist Diego Chamy first, touring overseas as a trio with Madrid-based bass clarinetist and alto flutist Wade Matthews and also with German trumpeter Axel Dörner, but also in Argentina and South America, often performing for audiences in cities and towns where improvised music had never before been heard. The duo split up in 2004 after Chamy's decision to quit music in favor of philosophy and dance. Collaborations around the same time includes musicians like Le Quan Ninh, Michel Doneda, Ivar Grydeland, Bhob Rainey and Greg Kelley.

In 2005, and after the rare opportunity of daily rehearsal and exploration for 20 days in upstate New York, Kaplan formed "Silo trio", together trumpeter Nate Wooley and cellist Audrey Chen. The trio toured Belgium, France, Germany, The Netherlands, and England in the winter of 2006, and during late September they traveled through the Midwest, South, and East Coast of the U.S.