WE HAVE LIFTOFF!!!

New music from my new group!

ENJOY!!!!

http://www.myspace.com/lasarose

LasaRose

I am currently in the studio recording new material with my main man, Gorka Lasa. We met playing together in Diego Paqué's group and during band practices and soundchecks we realized we had some great material that when played together, sounded pretty fresh and new. We started to exchange ideas and finally, after about a year, are in the studio tracking this material.

It is an interesting mix of funk, jazz, traditional basque music, rumbas and latin. With his keyboards, my bass and our crazy lyrics we hope that the world will embrace us and hit the dance floor when we come to town!

We are recording three cuts (with the help of a great engineer, Iñaki Marconi) to make a demo and then will continue the process and hopefully release something by this summer. The first song is one written by me called, 'Barcelona'. It is a fun, funky, hip-hop vibration with lyrics about the good and the bad of this wild city.

The second is called 'Afuera'. It talks about the Cuban exile experience and has a great melodic quality that sticks in your head like peanut butter.

The third is a short song called 'Cuerda Rota'. It was originally written by Gorka as an improvisational piece in the event of a broken string at a Diego Paqué concert, but ended up sounding so good, we had to include it in this recording session.

We are working with some incredible musicians who are donating their time: Roger Serrahima (drums), Pol Sabata (percussion), Jose Maria (Junior) Cosialls (elec. guitar) and hopefully we will have time to bring in the strings of Josep Mascaró (violin).

I will be posting the music here and creating a Myspace page ASAP....

A New Disc and a Return to The Source

I wanted to wait to talk about the recording of the new album until after we did the CD release party. This is because we had the party in the same space that we recorded! The place is called La Flama. It is an artists collective funded by the city hall fo Mataró (about 30 min north of Barcelona). They provided audio/video recording classes to young people in the city and we were one of their first full band projects. It was great to play there again as the energy is really positive and because of our participation in the education of their students, they were very appreciative to have us.

Both the audio and video for the two concerts were recorded. I am curious to compare the two and see how we have progressed and also what changes we could make to the live show to make it even more potent. Video reveals a lot of details that you do not capture on the audio and I am excited to see what we can improve on.

The biggest difference for me between the CD recording and the release party was that the recording their was a substitute percussionist, Robin Correa, and this time it was the usual suspect Pol Sabata (Pol was injured when we did the recording and for that reason does not play on the album). Pol and I interact better and I feel more comfortable with him on stage. Robin is a great player, but it is simply not the same.

I have to say that both nights the crowd was exuberant and supportive. We had them clapping, dancing, waving their hands and stomping their feet. Diego also has an incredible way of controling a crowd.

It will be intersting to see how the public react to this disc. Priliminary reviews have been good, but we are hoping that it can take us not only around Spain, but around Europe and hopefully back to Canada and the US!

My First Recording in Spain!

The album is finally here! This is the first official CD that I have recorded in Spain. It is Diego Paqué's third album and was recorded live on June 8th, 2008 at a club called 'La Flama' in Mataró, Spain (just north of Barcelona). We had 1000 printed, but it will soon be available for on-line purchase. If anyone is interested in buying a copy, let me know and I'll send you the good old plastic box and cover that you can hold and feel.

Next entry will be about the night of the recording...

More Music to Check Out

Here are some more albums that I think are worth checking out:

Chicuelo - 'Diapasión'
Javier Limón - 'Limón'
Jerry Gonzalez - 'Jerry Gonzalez y Los Piratas de Flamenco'
Jerry Gonzalez - 'Rumba para Monk'

Un Abrazo

Family Tree

CARLES BENAVENT,

The Father of Electric Bass in Flamenco

MARIANO MARTOS,
Student of Carles Benavent

RICARDO PIÑERO,
Student of Mariano Martos

JEFFERSON ROSE,
Student of Ricardo Piñero

I took a lesson the other day from the teacher I hope to study under next year, Ricardo Piñero. I had taken a few classes from him when I first arrived in Spain, but really had no idea what I was doing and had a hard time understanding the rhythms and feeling of flamenco. Now, after playing for over a year in a flamenco group, it was more like a conversation than anything. I have the basic concepts down, but here in front of me was a master at his craft. It was both humbling and exciting.

We talked for a while before playing and I got a little more background on him that was very interesting. For those of you who don't know, Carles Benavent is the father of electric bass in flamenco. His prized student is Mariano Martos and his prize student is Ricardo Piñero. Sitting there with him and while he played some of the most amazing bass lines I ever heard, I felt like I could be part of history if I can continue to study under him, like a descendant of the Great One of flamenco bass. Ricardo has also just been given the position of head instructor of bass at the 'Taller de Musics', one of the most prestigious music schools in Barcelona. In other words, I feel blessed and lucky to even have the opportunity to study with him.

I would not say, however, that he is the most amazing teacher, but watching him play and the way that he feels the music is, well, spectacular. Flamenco is a mix of emotions. It is the Spanish blues mixed with party music with a big spoonful of history. The ancient rhythms go back generations and the most important thing in flamenco in Ricardo's words is 'sentimiento' (feeling) when you play. The lyrics can sometimes be incredibly sad; speaking of suffering, pain, heartbreak, poverty, but even so when you play, it is a music that is taking the musicians and crowd away from all of that. A relief from the pain of the day. A group counseling session, so to speak. He is also incredibly knowledgeable of the history and the way that flamenco has changed over the generations. He is a wealth of information and I am ready to learn.

I recorded the lesson so I could go back and try and emulate what he taught me in class because in the moment I was a bit overwhelmed. He taught me a falseta (an instrumental breakdown in which the instruments, not the voice, create the melody) by Carles Benavent that is both beautiful and complex. It took me a while to figure it out, but I got it down. Needless to say, I was proud of myself. He also gave a few intense fingering exercises, all of them within the different rhythms of flamenco. He told me to get the notes down and then incorporate it into the rhythm. So far I have been able to do the first part and am working to play them within the 'palo' or rhythm. Difficult stuff, but I feel my mind opening up and allowing the flamenco to flow. Now I have to figure out how to do it with sentimiento.

Video footage from Kassel, Germany!

'Eres Un Monstruo' By Diego Paqué:


'Un Poco Más De Verso' By Diego Paqué:


'A Mi Voz' By Diego Paqué


'Sencillo' By Diego Paqué