Tired of attending improvised music concerts with false expectations, and being disappointed again and again as they always use to end up with the same topics, I have been generating in my head, for years, abstract images of what I would like to hear, see and experience on a stage. Finally, that intuition was materialized in a formula that never fails to provide me with satisfaction, surprises and much more than I could ever imagine or conceive.
The title, BIRTH OF THE RITUALS, recalls Miles Davis' album BIRTH OF THE COOL, a seminal record which, despite an initial commercial failure, gradually caught on with musicians and listeners, inspiring several generations.
The subtitle -no more jazz- refers to a significant part of the current jazz, which has been learnt in academies and conservatories by musicians that are very good at doing what they have to do, but sound almost the same as each other. It is also a statement against certain assumptions that pretend to dictate what jazz is and what it is not.
MANIFESTO
1 - It is said that, since there is no longer a music industry as it was before the internet, it makes less and less sense to form a band, record albums, and then try to find gigs and so on. The bad omen predicts that this will become increasingly anecdotal, and we musicians will have to become more like network-focused 'content creators' in order to survive. Many are already doing so.
This perspective implies, de facto, that the live concert will no longer have any meaning in itself, and that it will only endure as a social act, as a playful and entertaining experience.
In this framework, the only thing that will give meaning to live performances in the immediate future is a substantial element, almost impossible to describe, that can never be replaced. Even interesting and original productions often lack it, and can be enjoyed comfortably via the internet. When it appears, however, one experiences the awareness that being there is unavoidable. Mine are productions intentionally conceived to make unique and meaningful things happen live.
2 - It is said that, in the field of 'serious' music, there can no longer be any communication between audiences and artists, because nobody seems willing to accept anything truly new and, unfortunately, artists themselves do not have much to say.
It is true that much of today's music, of all genres, seems to repeat itself. Young artists are trained in academies and conservatories, where they follow identical curriculums. They play very well, and it seems that nobody expects anything more than that... To play well.
However, there is an audience, nowadays, eager for real novelties in contemporary music, beyond entertainment. It is just that those who are ready for the appreciation of such novelties will remain a minority until someone provides them with what they are unconsciously expecting. I have something to provide and I have built my music as a vehicle which to channel that need to give myself through.
3 - It is said that programmes are dictated by the audiences. Programmers themselves say this. They allude, for example, to unsuccessful performances that had been programmed according to their tastes and criteria, contrasting them with performances that were not of interest to them and yet were profitable.
Accepting this means the disappearance of programmers, turned into nothing more than trend managers.
I vindicate the 'useful' programmer who really provides something, bringing relevant novelties to his or her audience. It is clear that a concert hall, or a festival, must bet on what is known, what is profitable, what is safe. But a programmer with vision cannot fail to invest, moreover, in the only thing that can ensure his or her future.
This is my stake. My purpose as a musician and as a listener.
RITUAL CONCERTS. ACTION REQUIRED.
Each performance brings together selected musicians who receive specific instructions. We play on very light scores, designed to enable the emergence of creations that are always unrepeatable: works that belong to a single space, a single time and only to those who join us. We require an active presence from the audience, properly prepared, ready to welcome each new production to its fullest.
