The Summer Report Part 1: Fermin Muguruza and the New Orleans Basque Orchestra

   This has been such an interesting period, the last few months, that there hasn't even been much posting about it here (but there is plenty of evidence on Facebook.)

     Towards the end of June, I headed out to Barcelona with Ashlin Parker (tpt), Chrishira Perrier (voc.), Devon Taylor (Tba), Paul Thibodeaux (drums), and Robert Walker (tbn).  We were to form the New Orleans Basque Orchestra to back the great Basque artist, Fermin Muguruza, for a tour of the recent album, NOLA¿
     This was the culmination of an fascinating stretch starting Spring 2015 when I was brought on board to produce and arrange a New Orleans based record for Fermin.  That was a great pleasure to be involved in, but really just a preamble to this fantastic tour of Catalonia, Basque country, and even a show near Madrid.  Many great relationships and friendships were formed or tightened, even amongst the great crew coming up from New Orleans, since the diversity was remarkable, and a credit to Fermin who has a great eye for these things and the importance of social balance and how it reflects in music.  The various media from the trip says a great deal.  Here are some images that convey some of the excitement Take a look...

There is quite a bit of video especially on Fermin Muguruza's facebook page.  Here are a few starting with some footage from the sessions back  September last year.

Fermin also makes documentaries and graphic novels.  Above is an example of these related skills.  

From the festival in Basque Country on the French side.  

Bringing a taste of 2nd line to Bilbao.

Film conveying the excitement of a Fermin Performance, here in Barcelona.

The meaningful showstopper, Rage Against the Machine cover

2nd line Barcelona with Maqui.

The Fermin Muguruza record is out!- Go get a copy.

This is a success story already.  We all learned how you say Black in Basque.

Over the summer I produced an album for the legendarysinger and activist, Fermin Muguruza.  It's out and available on Itunes.  It's a collection of his classics done with a gaggle of New Orleans great musicians, playing at their finest.

On itunes here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/nola-irun-meets-new-orleans/id1059688754

Arrangements by yours truly and I think it is the first New Orleans/ Basque connection (with maybe Zatarain's being the exception.)

Check out the video to get a feel for the killer energy of the project:
 

NOLA? (NOLA: New Orleans-Luisiana hiriburuaren laburbildura. Euskaraz eta galderazko ikurrarekin: nola?) IRUN MEETS NEW ORLEANS 10 urte Katrina eta gero, FERMIN MUGURUZA joan da NEW ORLEANSera eta bertako musikariekin bere ibilbideko 10 kantu grabatzen ditu eta dokumental bat zuzentzen du ere, non egitasmoaren protagonistek hurbiltzen gaituzten beraien errealitatera, hondamendia kontatzeko, nola komunitateak berreraiki egin zuen hiria, egun dituzten erronka berriak, eta musikaren ezinbesteko paperaz aritzeko, nortasun ikurra bezala, baita bizitza eta heriotza ospatzeko ere.

Stay tuned for the documentary made concurrently with the project.

Back online after some interesting work/ Fermin Muguruza

A couple of months went by very fast in preparation for the Fermin Muguruza recording in New Orleans which I was asked to produce.  Fermin is a great and fascinating Basque singer, documentarian, writer with about a 30 year story in music under his belt.  I think we may have gotten to the first New Orleans/Basque recording ever. And what an interesting development that is!

In passing we learned a lot about Basque things.  Including Zatarain's...

It's worth clicking on the link above  and finding out more about Fermin.  His work has a lot of social import and he put together a fascinating album here, with a great lineup of heavy musicians from all across the New Orleans music world.  Look for that in December.

At any rate, all of this producing and arranging slowed down things like posting more interviews and even posting concert schedules on the website.  back to that, and with more Naked Orchestra things to come and the Joyce Opera ( "what's that? never heard of it. are we starting rumors?")