The first improvised music I heard in Barcelona came courtesy of Luiz Rocha’s bass clarinet, in a duo with drummer Marko Jelača at Club Cronopios. I’ve since had the good fortune to hear him play in a variety of situations, from small group improvising to swirling big band chaos, and even a clarinet trio devoted…
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve posted 10 Daily Tunes on Facebook, slowly revealing the aJN top ten albums of 2015. Some things to bear in mind… This is, of course, a highly subjective list. The criteria were, a) what I liked, b) variety, c) there is no c), just a) and b), mainly…
Hans-Joachim Roedelius (analogue synthesizer) Christopher Chaplin (iPhone) Francesc Diaz Melis (analogue synthesizer, sequencer) Florenci Salesas (melodica, xylophone, analogue synthesizer) Nuno Rebelo (guitar) Eli Gras (amplified objects, guitar) El Pricto (alto saxophone, plus a touch of synth) Luiz Rocha (bass clarinet) Antoni Robert Gadea (guitar) Is there a difference between a jam and an improvisation? Is…
El Pricto (clarinet) Naná Rovira (bass clarinet) Luiz Rocha (clarinet, bass clarinet) Enric Ponsa (drums) Jazzers are familiar with the concept of the Great American Songbook, and particularly its inclusion of non-jazz tunes which have become classics, interpreted over the years with various degrees of latitude. John Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things” springs to mind, as…
Luiz Rocha (clarinet, bass clarinet) El Pricto (piano, alto saxophone) Amaiur González (tuba) Jankely Félix del Aguila (drums) As a preliminary, let’s turn to the dictionary… “discord”: 1. disagreement between people. 2. lack of harmony between notes sounding together. Looking at the ever-changing musicians on stage, these Wednesday nights at Soda seem perfectly harmonious, not…
Ozzy Pricto (clarinet) Naná ‘Tony’ Rovira (bass clarinet) Luiz ‘Geezer’ Rocha (clarinet, bass clarinet) Enric Ponsa-Ward (drums) The first Discordian Clarinet Trio gig focused on a last-minute choice (well, a few hours before the performance) to subject some of Black Sabbath’s early tunes to the free improv treatment. Typical Discordian whimsy and I think maybe…
El Pricto (alto saxophone) Luiz Rocha (bass clarinet) Pablo Rega (guitar) Vasco Trilla (drums) Maybe a little adversity or frustration is good for the concentration, or focus, or something… An audience that had mostly come along to see the hip-hop band; a set that started an hour late (thanks, hip-hop band); reduced to a quartet…
Luiz Rocha (clarinet, bass clarinet) Diego Caicedo (guitar) Marko Jelača (drums) Tom Chant (tenor and soprano saxes) RCJ can be found here on the first Saturday of each month. The first time I tried to catch them, I couldn’t find the venue due to Plaça Milans’ somewhat nebulous existence on Google Maps. Better prepared this…
