BELIEVER - Joan Martí Frasquier

WHY HAVE I RECORDED A CD?

Sometimes, I have though in recording a CD with pieces from my repertoire, but I was not too much sure because of the investment of time, job and also money. I found interesting the Antonio Velasco’s proposal because it would be a collaborative project between record label and performer and since this CD would be the first of a new collection of music written nowadays.

We easily arranged our deal in a few meetings and I immediately started to think in the repertoire of my first solo album (I hope that it won’t be the last!) and the first of the INS (Imagine New Sounds) collection of InSitu label.

WHY BELIEVER?

I wanted a concise name for my first CD in solitary. The meaning of the name of one of the works recorded here describes very well my conviction about baritone saxophone and music.

Baritone is a member of the family of saxophones which gave me such musical satisfactions that I determinately decided to specialize on it in spite of not being a mediatic instrument. So, what’s wrong with that?

In addition, I wanted to record some pieces that define the present and future of music. In my opinion, music, as an art, needs a permanent evolution. So, I chose a repertoire that shows a wide range of options or styles (call them as you wish…) in music

1. OXYTON (1991) for baritone saxophone solo, by Christophe Havel (b. 1956) 
2. SOLITUDINI (2013) for baritone saxophone solo, by Enric Riu (b. 1968) – Premiere recording 
3. JACKDAW (1995-2004) for baritone saxophone and computer, by Wayne Siegel (b. 1953) 
4. GEOMETRÍAS 1 (2003) for baritone saxophone solo, by Antonio Velasco (b. 1964) – Premiere recording
5. TROIS RÊVES EN MUSIQUE (2015) for baritone saxophone solo, by José Luis Campana (b. 1949) – Premiere recording
   1. Cauchemar 
   2. Sulla strada
   3. À Bacon
6. FANTAISIE ET DANSE (1995) for solo saxophone, by Ryo Noda (b. 1948) 
7. BELIEVER (2007) for baritone saxophone and boombox, by Jacob Ter Veldhuis (b. 1951) – Premiere recording 

WHAT ELSE?

You can get more information about the repertoire and the composers scanning the QR code (instead of the booklet) inside the CD. If it makes sense, you can read more about the recording process seeing the gallery and reading the posts on Twitter and Facebook.

Finally, if you are not used to listen to “contemporary” music (and especially played with a baritone saxophone) I propose you hearing this CD piece by piece (take your time, it is not “fast music”) in this order: 3 – 7 – 6 – 2 – 5 – 4 – 1.

I make it easy for you…

Recorded at In_Rec studio (Calafell, Catalonia-Spain) between March and May 2015 for INS Records.

Recorded, edited, mixed and produced by Antonio Velasco Polonio

Cover photo by Anna Guardiola

I wanted a concise name for my first CD in solitary. The meaning of the name of one of the works recorded here describes very well my conviction about baritone saxophone and music.