Julian Argüelles brings his current project Tetra to Sage Gateshead on October 26. We caught up with him to get his thoughts on Tetra and other ensembles he's been associated with.
Julian, you are returning to Sage Gateshead with Tetra for
the first time since appearing earlier this year with Loose Tubes at the Gateshead International Jazz
Festival. Do you have a preference – the large ensemble or the small group setting?
I don't have a Preference, I enjoy both hugely. But I would say as a
performer I prefer the intimacy of the solo and the group improvisation possibilities of a small group. As a
composer/writer I enjoy larger groups because you have more possibilities in terms of musical colour, orchestration, more
individual voices, and there is nothing quite like the sound of a big band all 'breathing' as one, it can be
very powerful.
Some of my favourite albums are of live recordings, there is nothing
like the experience of a live concert but a recording of a live concert is, of course, the neared thing to it.
Over the years I have done lots of live recordings and studio
recordings, I don't have a preference but I do treat them differently as a performer. I think the studio environment makes
you play slightly more concisely or 'to the point', often things which work in a live situation simply don't feel
right in a studio, stuff often needs to be changed.
And talking about big bands…what do you think of
Ben Cottrell’s Beats and Pieces band? In recent times they’ve given two extraordinary performances in
Gateshead. Do you see them as part of a lineage – Gibbs, Westbrook, Wheeler, Loose Tubes…?
I
know Ben and some of the members of his band a little from my teaching activities
at the RNCM in Manchester. I
don't really see them as part of the lineage you mention, in fact I'm not sure
there is a lineage, just good bands with unique
approaches.
You work a lot in Europe, for example with the NDR
big band. Is this an artistic or financially driven decision?
Well
put it this way, I wouldn't spend 6 months writing 2 hours of music and take it
over to Germany rehearse and perform
it for no money!
I love writing, I
learn each time I do it, and fortunately the NDR and the band I work most with,
The Frankfurt Radio Big Band, are
relatively well funded and they can offer opportunities to people like me.
I'm hoping to continue to work with these
bands.
At the moment, even
though I'm in Graz, Austria, I'm finishing another project which is
arrangements of Phronesis music which will be
performed at the London Jazz Festival in November with the Frankfurt Radio Big
Band.
From your perspective, is the European jazz scene
different, complementary to, or indivisible from that of the British scene?
There are some
similarities with the various scenes throughout Europe. They are packed with
great musicians, especially young
ones. There seems to be a relative shortage of places to play, and venues are
struggling with audience numbers.
Some scenes are well supported by government/arts organisations, such as in
Scandinavia, Germany and France
and others aren't such as Spain, Italy, and Eastern Europe. There are some
differences in terms of the music played too, Norway seems to have a very
strong and distinctive voice with an
emphasis on sound and space, some countries have a strong connection with a
local culture or folk music. I do
like the differences in the various
scenes.
We here on Tyneside have been lucky to hear Kit,
Sam and James on a number of occasions in various line-ups. As a composer do you write with
individual voices in mind and is this the case with the Tetra guys?
Certainly. All the
new music I've written (apart from the big band stuff) is written for these
guys, I think it’s an extension of the
music I've been writing up to now. Because of the huge range of their abilities
it’s enabled me to write music I could
not have possibly written for others, in fact I think some of it couldn't be
performed by others.
Do you think Tetra reflects your Spanish ancestry?
Indeed do you think your music as a whole is influenced by the music you grew up with or was it always
jazz?
I think the influence
of Spanish music has been part of my musical character for a long time. I
wouldn't say I grew up with Spanish music
around the house but I have been hugely influenced by Spanish music, especially
the music of Andalusia (flamenco).
And do you see Tetra as a long term project or do
you have other ideas you want to pursue in the future?
I see it as a
long term project. It feels like a while since I had a working band that
was regular and I'm enjoying the development this
provides.
Thanks, Julian. We look forward to seeing you – and
Tetra – at Sage Gateshead on October 26!
I'm looking forward
to playing there, thanks
Julian
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