This is the first step for Juan Ortiz. Now –andforever– it is very special, but it is just the beginning. Here, the energy of a pianist that has been hardened between the human and the divine for years, between funk, soul and everything under his fingers, gets captured . Do not be deceived either by the classic trio format or his (deceptively) orthodox approach to jazz. Food is cooked and served, but it takes many ingredients, there is nothing accidental here. Juan Ortiz is a jazz pianist, an enormous one, indeed. But he is a XXI Century musician as well, a permeable creator to whomeverything different is just something to squeeze, assimilate and add to his own personality.
Perhaps, this is the reason why his trio works so well, because his partners, David Ruiz and Borja Barrueta, are part of a new generation that understands (knows) that music is universal. Their level of understanding is high, and it is built upon an equilibrium between playing serious music and having real fun meanwhile. David is a malleable and intuitive instrumentalist, with firm pulse and a round sound. Borja is an extremely organic drummer, always attentive and generous, supporting and constructing a double accompaniment: the one that holds up the band and the one that flies over it.
