How would you define your jazz fusion style, and what musical elements do you think set you apart from other jazz or fusion genres?
I think it would be more accurate to call it fusion than jazz. It’s true there are plenty of jazz elements in our music, but I wouldn’t even say they’re the dominant ones — I’d say we have a fairly balanced fusion of funk, jazz, rock, Latin, blues… there’s even the odd moment with flamenco touches.
Improvisation is an essential part of jazz. How do you approach improvisation in your music, and how do you prepare for improvised moments on stage?
The moment of improvisation is usually where each of us gets to express ourselves freely. That’s the contrast between the band’s group work and individual work. Even though Xavi (on piano) and I have been the ones contributing our own compositions so far, the final arrangement of a track comes from every member’s input, whereas the improvised sections are a space of total freedom for each of us to develop our own individual solos.
What musical influences have led you to create your own unique jazz fusion sound? Can you name some artists or genres that have inspired you?
Each of us brings different influences, though we do share some common reference points too. I’d say that although we all have broad musical tastes, within the band Oriol (bass) leans more towards funk, Xavi (piano) towards Latin, Francesco (sax) towards jazz, I (guitar) towards rock, and Jordi (drums) tries to lay down a rhythm across this whole tangle of genres — in the end, we always find common ground, and that’s how the fusion happens.
As for our shared reference points, those are the greats of the fusion genre, and then obviously each of us feels closer to the musicians who play our own instrument — for example, Xavi as a pianist follows Chick Corea and Michel Camilo closely, Oriol as a bassist is an admirer of Marcus Miller, Jordi on drums takes Dave Weckl as a reference, Francesco on sax looks to Dexter Gordon and Michael Brecker, and my own guitar reference points are Pat Metheny, Guthrie Govan, or Scott Henderson, among many others.
When fusing genres, striking a balance between authenticity and innovation can sometimes be a challenge. How do you find that balance in your music?
I always think of music as a continuum between tradition and innovation. The musicians we admire had their own reference points, and at the same time they inspire us, so we end up creating a kind of intergenerational conversation that unfolds naturally. Every generation builds its own voice from ideas inherited from the generations before it.
What can attendees expect from the concert in Barcelona? Do you have any special surprises planned for the audience?
Actually, yes — we won’t give spoilers, but I can say a lot of the material we’ve prepared, both originals and covers, will be played live for the very first time. The Calàbria auditorium and the Tótum Revolútum Fest itself are also especially motivating for us, so it’ll be a concert unlike any other.
Fusion Code:
Xavi Lloberas: Piano/keyboards
Rafael Buzón: Guitar
Francesco Montemurro: Saxophone
Oriol Guitart: Electric bass
Jordi Blasco: Drums
