After all these maturing years , Mónica has found the right moment to release her debut album. She already has a voice of her own that allows her to move between her own compositions and standard covers with rapturous elegance. A warm and serene voice like a sunset on the beach. A seducing and moving voice without imposing her self. She is the light and guide of all the themes without dazzling, leaving the right space for the instruments to breath, letting notes and textures dialogue in playful improvisations merging a sound flow that draws from fully recognizable and recognized sources, but becomes unique and personal in her hands.
There are echoes from Maria Joao, Camila Meza, Bill Frissell or Paul Motian. There is modal jazz with soleá vibes, a Scottish folk ballad, and even a majestic homage to Spanish song on “Ojos Verdes. There is wisdom and respect for the roots mixed with an enormous capacity for both reinvention and surprise.
Recorded at Camaleón Music Studio in Madrid and mixed and mastered by Mariano Míguez at Ideo Music in Buenos Aires, between May and December 2022, “Matabuenapura” features the following musicians:
Marco Martínez, graduated in classical guitar at Conservatorio Superior de Música del Principado de Asturias and Jazz studies at Musikene, he is a Escuela de Música Moderna y Jazz de Oviedo teacher and Seminario de Improvisación de Siero pedagogical director since 2005. He has also an extensive professional career in projects such as Quatro Jazz Quartet, Cinema, Groovelation, Marco Martínez Special Trio, Conexión 4tet or Eladio Díaz Control Z. Miguel Benito, multifaceted and versatile drummer with an extensive professional experience for over 30 years as a freelance with national and international jazz musicians such as Bob Sands, Antonio Serrano, Daniel Juarez, Chris Kase, Jerry Gonzalez or Deborah Carter in jazz scene and Xoel Lopez, Andy Chango, Mercedes Ferrer or Coque Malla in pop music. Native of Biscay,
Ander Garcia is one of the most sought after jazz scene bass players, and a prestigious musicians partner such as Jeff Berlin, Rodney Kendrick and Rhonda Ross, Jorge Pardo or Perico Sambeat, with an inexhaustible musical restlessness that has led him to get involved in jazz fusion bands and Latin American music (Lucia Rey Trio), R&B and Hip-Hop (Soul Commanders), Rock (Sonica, Angel Celada, Jose Bruno), Pop (Gato Charro), leading his own projects bringing Basque folklore tradition to jazz.
As a final touch, Chris Kase brings his delicate fiscorno in “Ae fond Kiss”. A big kiss, which we were delighted to receive as a sweet farewell to a beautiful Scottish landscape to which we are already looking forward to returning.
Matabuenapura is Mónica Matabuena in her purest form, for which she could not be better accompanied.
