Juan Ortiz is a 28 year-old young with a lot ofblackness through his veins, something hard to come across within our country. As heir of Herbie Hancock and EsbojrnSvensson as of Larry Young, Sly Stone or Stevie Wonder, he is equally inspired by the classic and the modern, either by Sonny Clark and Uri Caine. His is a long way, but his legs withstand, they ask for more, much more. You can also perceive it in what you are listening, the same way as I do while I am writing this, with notes punching me in the face and my fingers typing, disorganized.
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.
