Mikel Gaztelurrutia Trio

The canvas becomes alive from the stroke, a note breaks the silence venturing into the unknown and making what was not, make sense under the artist’s pulse. Lights, that change into shadows, oppose each other, allowing themselves the unquestionable right to be complementary. Flat and natural keys, tones, and semitones, ebony and ivory celebrate the metaphor of the opposites to continue outlining jazz music universal essence on the piano keys.

A native of Eibar (Basque Country), Mikel Gaztelurrutia holds a degree in piano from the Barcelona Conservatory of music, ​completing his training in piano jazz at Taller de Musics de Barcelona. In addition to a long teaching trajectory, his career has been marked by constant activity in composing and arranging, as well as directing and creating numerous projects such as the Mikel Gaztelurrutia Trio, The New Jazz Voices Ensemble, Brazilian Sextet, and the show YO! with the American choreographer Becky Sigel.

A brilliant career culminates in this, his third record: Black on White, for which he collaborated with two experienced musicians. On one hand, Barakaldo-born drummer Aritza Castro, who has a solid background in both classical and jazz music. He holds a degree in jazz from Musikene and has studied at the Escuela de Música Creativa in Madrid. In addition to collaborating with a large number of artists and bands, in 2017 Aritza Castro consolidated his personal project with the release of ‘Familia.’ For this record, Mikel Gaztelurrutia enlisted the help of Aragonese double bassist Javier Callen, a sought-after musician who graduated from the Superior Conservatory of Navarra and has participated in countless studio recordings and collaborations with various artists and projects over time.

Black on White is a bold statement of the author’s unwavering commitment to his own creativity. With a firm and audacious stroke, Mikel Gaztelurrutia unveils a true catalog of his own sound polychromes. The arrangements, production, editing, and mixing work, along with sound technician Josué Pascual at Ona Studios in Areatza, transcend the realm of jazz improvisation.

From the sinuous and unpredictable Everyday Life to the nocturnal landscapes deciphered by  Rhodes piano in Night Hunter, and the rhythmic impulse and beautiful arrangements designed to recreate Sting’s old theme, Tea in the Sahara, Mikel Gaztelurrutia, and his band remind us of the infinite possibilities of creative expression through numerous influences in compositions such as the luminous Moon Flower and Doors, providing unique moments through the multiple colors and forms on Roadless Travel. It delicately outlines the contours of Nana para un adulto, a composition dedicated to the author’s grandfather, and concludes with the exquisite Parentesi, performed solely by Mikel on piano.

Black on White is the metaphor that underlies a note and its opposite, silence.  Ebony and ivory, Flat and natural keys, tone and semitone, tension, and release, but above all, Black on White is the declaration of principles and commitment of an artist named Mikel Gaztelurrutia to himself and his art.