Born: August 30, 1957 Primary Instrument: Guitar
The prestigious Spanish composer and guitarist Josep Soto has made us wait, but it was worth it. His last work “GROC” will be presented in Barcelona on 16th May in the Sala Luz de Gas, under the XX FESTIVAL DE GUITARRA.
In this album, produced by Soto we find 10 tracks of high quality in terms of composition, an impeccable artistic collaboration with Josep Lluis Guart, and a magnificent performance by all the musicians who participated the recording.
“GROC” is a collection of topics, from the first notes, obliges us to be well aware of everything that sounds on the disc. “CHERUBITANGO”, dedicated to his teacher Miguel Angel Cherubito, a masterful composition is set to become a classic and a landmark composition. With this disc soto transfers us to walk through the Old Barcelona, where he was born and where cultures and rhythms merge, and imagine that the dialogue between the instruments is the conversation of a group of friends who have much to say that have to listen carefully.
“GROC” is an album full of life, notes, colors, sensations and emotions that. A record that will make move us to the rhythm of Brazilian sounds, Flamen-Q, rumba and tango. In a final set of issues that claim his high on the music scene today.
We keep waiting josep soto to enjoy us with new tunes again. In the meantime we have the opportunity to hear “GROC” and his previous work “Parabolic” which was nominated for a Latin Grammy award in its 2003 edition.
BIOGRAPHY (back)
Josep Soto developed an intense work as a guitarist and composer performing his own compositions with guitar alone or accompanied by his usual quintet. He has participated in several festivals such as the Iberian New York Festival, the Festival de Músicas del Mundo, the National Theater of Santo Domingo on Calle 54 (Madrid), Festival de Jazz de San Javier (Murcia), the Guitar Festival of Barcelona, the Festival de Jazz de Terrassa, and has performed at The Space Theater and Music at Luz de Gas, the Palau de la Música, Auditorio Caja Madrid, Auditorio Pau Casals and in several concerts in South America, Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Argentina, Santo Domingo.
Their previous album called “PARABOLIC”, with the collaboration of the saxophonist and clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera, has been honored by critics of MIDEM in Cannes and at WOMEX in Seville and has been nominated for Latin Grammy awards and Nara GRAMMY in the 2003 edition. His admiration for Latin American music is evident in their compositions and repertoires with a clear influence of Brazilian and Caribbean music. However, and not forgetting the classical repertoire, he has collaborated as solist with the Choir of the UPF for a tour in Catalonia, interpreting the work El Romancero Gitano by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, and the flutist Xesco Grau, who recorded an album with music by Astor Piazolla.
Format as a classical guitarist alongside teachers Agusti- Serra Francisco, Eulogio Dávalos, Miguel Angel Cherubito, David Rusell, Manuel Barrueco, Baden Powell and Maria Luisa Anido, gets the musical and technical resources needed to develop their own language which is mixed the study measured the repertoire of classic popular.
Baden Powell told about him: “An excellent guitarist and composer with “Brazilian saudade”.
Awards:
"Catalonian Jazz" PICAP 2002
"Groc" Temps Record 2009
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Primary Instrument:
Guitar
Location:
LLoret de Mar (Gerona), Spain
Willing to teach:
Advanced students only.
Credentials/Background: Clinic/Workshop Information:
