CITAZIONE
INTERVIEW FOR VIBRACIONES, DF TO ADRIAN TERRAZAS:
México, D.F.
June 30, 2009
When did you arrive at México?
I have 3 months, already based and using the subway, since November I’m in the process to move here.
Tell us one of the reasons you moved here.
One of the first reasons is the project I’m doing for Ferdinando ??? who is an Italian director, I’m making the music for his movie that is called Rayo Serva? along with another Italian (I didn’t understand the names, sorry) almost more than 50% of the movie is filmed here and the seconds half is filmed in Rome.
The other reason is I needed a home. I had 11 years living in United States, one of those 11 years I was in Cuba, studying charanga cubana that is the cuban style of playing the flute. Then I returned to El Paso, Tx. To finish my career where I started as director of the Orchestra of salsa that belongs to Omar’s dad Angel Rodriguez who is the Doctor of Salsa, he’s called that way there.
About the film project with the Italian Director:
It is a project that Ferdinando brought when he was living here at the city. He had some problems there in Italy and had to come here to live for a while and when the regimen changed he went back to live in Italy. Actually he’s one of the documentalists for the Vatican. He contacted me because all of the people who have done the scores for his films are jazz musicians and he liked what we are doing and he called me, the contact was with David Enriquez who is also from Chihuahua he’s one of the direction producers in this project called Rayo serva or “Ciudades” they still don’t decide the final name of this project. This is Ferdinando’s first movie. His previous work were all documentals.
You were at the Vive Latino playing with Los D…
Yes, with “Los Dorados” I think it was my first connection with national musicians Rodrigo Barbosa and Carlos Maldonado who in fact plays for my project.
How was the contact with Los Dorados?
I met Rodrigo and Carlos for a friend of mine who’s called Luis Sánchez, he makes programs of jazz and he contacted us because I was looking for musicians to play here. And then, they invited me to be part of Los Dorados. With the plan of recording an album…
This means you are like a special guest…
Like I’m being a special guest, not like a band member. Like a collaboration.
And how was the reaction of the audience? Have you ever been in a Vive Latino before?
No, in fact the only Vive Latino where The Mars Volta played was in 2004 exactly 1 or 2 months before I started to play with the band, at that time I was recording with the band not playing live. I started to play live in January of 2005. But at that time (vive latino 2004) I was recording with them Frances the Mute.
So this is your first concert in Vive Latino?
Exactly.
And how was it?
“padrísimo” (Cool) It is like a familiar reunion
How about listening more music. What would you like to listen: Los Dorados, The Mars Volta…
Any is ok, whatever you have prepared.
Here we have this song list of Los Dorados…
Ah, play Union Laguna
[Union Laguna is played]
Did you play this song last Saturday?
No, we’ll play it tomorrow but with our format of our trio El Regimen Colectivo.
Ok, now that you mentioned the theme, why don’t you talk to us about this trio?
This trio was originally with Rodrigo Barbosa from Los Dorados, and then Hernán ¿Hecht? My idea was to follow a format of sax trio, double-bass and drums. The format was about to combine elements of jazz with elements of rock. Carlos Maldonado and myself we are from the north, so we have also many elements of hip-hop, so it has a lot of density of the harmony in the fomat of John Coltrane (and other alike musicians) Basically is going to play and experiment
And you’ll be performing tomorrow…
Yes, at the Centro Cultural España, at 10:30 p.m. and at the first set we’re having a guest a viola player called Alex ¿Pruc? Who is really good. And he’ll play 3 new songs that will be featured in the next project of El Regimen Colectivo, now it will be a quartet. The next project will be with the same format, not with the trombone player that is heard in the album Cu Taan but with a string musician. The concept is writing more like contemporanean music songs.
I was raised by my grandmother and rumba and danzón always were in the house. I always knew I was going to be a musician but the concept of the music, the facto of having it all the time, at the kitchen, eating and doing my homework and always… Agustín Lara or any danzón or rumba player were playing so, you just keep consuming it. My mom was quite the contrary listening things like José José,more cumbia, more like Los Ängeles Negros more on that genre.
More popular…
Well at the time those (jose jose, los angeles negros) were popular
(the interviewer picks up a chat question for Adrián) If Cu Taan will be released in vinyl
Yes, it will be released in vinyl. Currently is not selling at cd stores but it is in amazon and i tunes. Cd will be released on July 10 in all mix up stores and Ghandi (thanks Adrian, mix up and ghandi are near my house)
[Cometas, featured in Cu Taan, is being played. Which Adrian mentiones it’s sort of an introduction]
Meanwhile commercial we were talking about the rumor of you out of The Mars Volta and you’re telling us IT’S JUST A BREAK TO WORK IN DIFFERENT PROJECTS.
Yes, exactly. I have to focus on this (the actual projects) and the movie. In my art and my writing I have to take time. I can’t split myself in 10 persons.
So, to make it clear, it was just a break you took and you’re returning to The Mars Volta in November and that you will be touring Europe with your project
Yes, we’re programmed for September, the whole month, we’ll be playing in jazz venues and university forums in Germany and Italy, the two dates we have in Germany and Italy are from the conservatoire and the rest are jazz clubs.
It’s pretty well known that in Europe jazz is popular, Mexican audience is kind of resistant to jazz. How do you see it?
Many people told me that, except for the musicians. I recently was asked in a Jazz Italia interview what was my opinion about playing jazz here in México and for me it’s very natural. In México we have many of the precursors of jazz, Antonio Sánchez, he’s from the capital, living in New York, the drummer of ?? Who is known as one of the best drummers of the jazz world. And we have a huge quantity of musicians. It’s a different matter that the media doesn’t give jazz a more wider coverture.
Before working here, I had that same idea. That in México, jazz was unpopular. And working here I realized many things mostly with the Jazz Festival here in México city. We had many guests and they left us a lot of music.
Exactly, we just had a performance in El Foro Alicia, 2 weeks ago and… and…
It was full…
It was completely…
[They all laugh]
Female interviewer: (laughing) Can I tell what’s going on here, Adrián?
Yes, please
What happens is: Guadalupe Lara as many of you know, with certain guests… she gives them a very… very… fraternal welcome, so she sticked herself to the glass window and started to dance in a way that Adrian say: Wow, thanks. Then she got up the table at the other side of the booth and put a sign which reads. “I love el músico” So that’s why Adrian…
I ended with a different color
But we were talking about El Foro Alicia
Yes, well it’s a club that it’s completely rocker or punk. And we were playing the music of our trio and the audience behavior was exactly how a jazz audience must behave. At the moment of the solos they behave in an intelligent way, the same people that goes to listen to san pascualito rey, a los Acapulco, a los nenas etc… that fascinates a lot me about the city. There are several workshops in UDG (university of Guadalajara), we are having a lot of international jazz players, Sara Valenzuela is supporting a lot the sessions of solo jazz, there are a lot of people focused on helping the national musicians and now we have a style of the mexican jazz player. Like the Cuban jazz, Caribbean jazz, Brazilean jazz, Mexican jazz already has its trademark (or style) now you know when a Mexican is playing jazz by the way they play, mostly the percussionists
Female interviewer: Here’s another question for Mr. Terrazas: Now that you played at Vive Latino, how do you see the musical scene in México? For me it became too visceral, with lack of importance, just concerts with guitar riffs. Of course, there were exceptions like Mr. Terrazas.
The general music scene, not only the national scene… that problem is not only national but international. That simple there’s people interested in making good music and there’s people who are not interested.
And luckily there’s people who appreciate good music
I think that’s the most important thing, being honest as musician, as writer etc…
????!