Far from being a mere exercise in stylistic revisionism, Standards Session Vol. I constantly oscillates between the realms of Blues and Jazz, merging both and elevating this brilliant recreation of songs up a high standard musical level. The trio delves into the origins of jazz, paying homage to the legendary Jelly Roll Morton´s Mamanita, reclaiming bluesman Big Bill Broonzy figure with a New Orleans flavor on Black, Brown & White. Beyond Raspa García’s brilliant piano execution throughout the entire album, the creative contributions from Loque on double bass and Antonio Pax on drums are indispensable.
MAMANITA (Jerry Roll Morton)
Examples of this include Clarence Gatemouth Brown’s Stop Time legendary Charles Mingus’s Boogie Stop Shuffle and, of course, Bill Doggett’s Honky Tonk – a real groove, rhythm, and attitude masterclass. While it is true that, according to the chosen songs, the balance might lean towards the Blues, orientation, perspective, sound, and approach of all compositions indicate a marked jazz intention. Classics like Roosvelt Sykes’s 44 Blues the thrilling recreation of New Orleans pianist James Brooker’s “Blue Minuet” and concluding with the traditional Careless Love take on a new dimension under the perspective of this pianist from Madrid and his band.
In essence, a record that exudes versatility, freshness, and originality but, above all, it possesses the quality of showing us, in each of its grooves, what a band with true class sounds like and how a high-quality record should be.
BOOGIE STOP SUFFLE (Charles Mingus)
Just like the way it originally was, blues and jazz, jazz, and blues. Two music styles or maybe just one. Lines blurred without prejudice on the first Raspa García Trio release, Standards session vol. I.
A band to show the essence of fine music.
