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Carles Benavent
The product of a musical crossroads, a border, a meeting place between very different cultures, but dominated by jazz and flamenco, the career of Carles Benavent began in a watershed year for Europe, 1968, in the popular and endearing Barcelonan neighborhood of Poble Sec when, at the tender age of 13, he formed his first group, Crack, which in 1970 became Máquina!. From an explosive clash to the perfectly-oiled machinery of teamwork. Five years later, together with Joan Albert Amargós, he founded Música Urbana, Spain's flagship of jazz-fusion.
Starting in the late 70’s, appearing in various groupings throughout the country, his name began to figure alongside those of the most distinguished musicians on the Spanish jazz scene, such as Kitflus Tito Duarte and Max Sunyer, with whom he formed a trio filled out by Salvador Niebla.
In 1980, upon joining Paco de Lucía’s group, a relationship that would last more than 20 years, he earned the nickname “La Garza Flamenca” and the legendary “Sextet” was born. He toured throughout Europe, America and Japan, sharing the stage with such greats as Jorge Pardo, Rubem Dantas and Ramón de Algeciras, among numerous others. This marked the beginning of his prolific collaborative discography with flamenco artists, including Paco de Lucía, himself, as well as another legendary name: Camarón de la Isla. In 1982, he embarked on his first two international tours with another A- lister: Chick Corea. Between that same year and the next, they recorded two albums together: Touchtone y Again and Again. His first solo album, the self-titled Carles Benavent, appeared the following year in 1983. In 1990, he was invited to participate in a special concert on Swiss television, along with Jorge Pardo, the pianist Gil Goldstein, Don Alias and Alex Acuña. On the heels of this appearance, the group performed in New York and recorded an album for the company Blue Note. From that point on, Goldstein would be featured regularly on Benavent’s albums. In 1991, he played with Miles Davis in the Montreux Jazz Festival in a tribute to Gil Evans directed by Quincy Jones. The concert was recorded in yet another album: Live in Montreux.
In 1992, he took part in the project Jazzpaña, with Cologne’s WDR Big Band under the direction of Arif Mardin and Vince Mendoza.
In 1995, after his fourth album,Aguita que Corre, he suffered a serious traffic accident that kept him from performing for a full year.
In 1996, his iron will, but most of all his boundless passion for his music, returned him to the stage with Paco de Lucía; he reappeared with a new group in the Getxo Jazz Festival and recorded his fifth album with a title that reaffirmed his desire to remain in the thick of things: Fénix.
Source: DEL MAR ARTISTSAwards
Festival Musical Diputación Premio especial "Jazz entre amigos" TVE (1985) Premio Especial de la Crítica otorgado por RNE, RTVE y la revista Quártica Jazz (1986) Galardón de la Generalitat de Cataluña “Mejor músico del año" (1994) Disc Catlá de l'any Rádio-4 por Agüita que corre (1995) Premio Altaveu (1995) Disc Catalá de l'any de Rádio-4 por Fénix (1997) Disco Aigua galardonado en Los Premios de la Música como mejor disco de jazz del año (2002) Premio Arc Jazz fusio (2003) Lifetime Achievement Cairo Jazz Festival (2010) Premio Bajista Maestro Bass Day Madrid (2010)
Gear
Jerzy Drozd Barcelona Bass http://www.jerzydrozdbasses.com/en/basses/barcelona-series/barcelona-bass-guitar.html TC Electronic http://www.tcelectronic.com/carles-benavent/
Tags
Carles Benavent: Sevillona
by Mike Jacobs
"Sevillona" from Carles Benavent is not only a great showcase for the flamenco-jazz bassist's signature style but also displays the uncommon aural synergy of this bass / guitar / drums / hang quartet. Like tapas for the ears. ...
read moreCarles Benavent: Three Women / Good Morning Anya (Pastorius)
by Mike Jacobs
Like many icons that leave the world too soon, the late Jaco Pastorius' surviving catalog has been pored over ad nauseam in the years since his death, and rightfully so. But perhaps one of the most rewarding examples of this is the Pastorius composition Three Women" and its rescue from obscurity by arranger / keyboardist Gil Goldstein. The piece only ever existed in recorded form as a poorly-recorded piano sketch (on the posthumously-released, Live In New York City Vol 5 ...
read moreCarles Benavent: Un, Dos, Tres...
by Bruce Lindsay
In a 40-year career that has encompassed jazz, rock, fusion and the establishment of the electric bass guitar in flamenco music, Barcelona musician Carles Benavent has constantly evolved his approach to his chosen instrument. His most notable collaborations, with guitarist Paco De Lucia and pianist Chick Corea, are part of a musical story which also includes a series of albums as leader. Un, Dos, Tres... is the seventh of this impressive series and finds Benavent in top form as a ...
read moreCarles Benavent: Jazz, Flamenco and Blues
by Bruce Lindsay
Of all the instrumentalists in contemporary music, only a handful have become game changers. Jazz trumpet has Louis Armstrong, rock guitar has Jimi Hendrix, jazz saxophone has Charlie Parker. Flamenco bass guitar has Carles Benavent. Benavent's fluid, melodic and emotive style of playing is as beautiful as it is distinctive. Developed initially from a love of the blues, his playing has, over the years, enabled him to extend his reach into rock and jazz fusion as well as flamenco. In ...
read moreCarles Benavent, un mar de buenas vibraciones
by Guillem Vidal
Hace tres años, Carles Benavent (Barcelona, 1954) iba paseando por los alrededores de la plaza de la Catedral, en pleno Barrio Gótico de Barcelona, cuando un extraño sonido lo atrapó. Era el hang, un nuevo y hechizante instrumento melódico de percusión de origen suizo cuyo sonido marcaría al cabo de muy poco tiempo el nuevo proyecto del bajista catalán.
Oía de lejos ese sonido y, al cabo de unos segundos, me encontré a Ravid Goldschmidt, a ...
read morePrimary Instrument
Bass, electric
Location
Barcelona
Clinic/Workshop Information
For Master Class and Clinics, please contact by nail here: [email protected]
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Music
Dedicat
From: DedicatBy Carles Benavent
Maid Marian
From: Sin Precedentes (Unprecendented)By Carles Benavent