We promise ourselves that we won’t do it again -because of the hard job that nobody sponsors by the moment- but we cannot resist: There are so many news that Television Española (public national spanish TV) doesn’t cover! So, here goes a new video-diary of Vitoria Jazz Festival to please the big audience of last year Festival video-diary -more than 160,000 visits up today.

As always, most authentic concerts are in Hotel NH Canciller Ayala, where we found unique moments like this video of Terence Blanchard’s jamm session - the brilliant trumpet player composer of numerous sound tracks of Spike Lee films-, that made at daybreak, after its official performance in Mendizorrotza. AND THIS is another moment of his intervention.

There we have the pianist Cyrus Chestnut with his trio every nigh -check out in this this video the incredible nimbleness of his fingers- in the same venue where we find New York’s Juilliard School masters, like the great trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, that after teaching in the morning at a local School, and play in another concert, still has this big power playing... at 2 in the morning!

Also we enjoyed curisosos moments as this Jazz for a hole. But freshest and openest venue of this year’s Festival is without a doubt the JAZZTERRACE, an interesting programming in the Garden of Falerina at midday, that mixes Jazz, -see Ronnie Lynn Patterson trio in action- , Soul, funk, latin... and rare projects like the amused Santi Ibarretxe & Primital, as we see in this video in which we even find religious melodies with lyrics in Latin and basque languaje… an authentic dadaism update.

After closing at Zaragoza and before going to Madrid and other cities, comes to Vitoria-Gasteiz -C.C. Montehermoso, 29th June- 2nd September- the exhibition of photographs The Blond Elephant, by Pilar Albajar and Antonio Altarriba. They show almost 20 years portraying ideas in a special way: Antonio acts as scriptwriter while Pilar takes the photos, marking the aesthetic guidelines and making the scenarios.

In this way, photographs are not taken, are created from the script, they aren't the product of a moment but the result of a long process of assembly, representing an intemporal concept.

On the other hand, Polinomio Estudios has ended a long process of video animation of this photographs, that began in 2004 with the series Sex, Errors, The Hidden Camera, Fears and Manufactures, and has finished in 2007 eith the series Irruptions -see the video above. Based on the script of each photograph and on the special music by CODA, we revisit the visual work of Pilar Albajar and we push the spectator with multiple stories that, between surrealism and black humor, emanate from this creative tandem.

If you are interested on the Catalogue of these exhibitions, or on the video animations -DVD PAL format-, please write to Pilar at : pilaralbajar(at)telefonica.net

If someone is wondered what have in common mathematics and music, I invite to them to see this video of the Concert for two pianos in A BMW 1061, of Juan Sebastian Bach, played by Iliana Ross and Marekhi Kotetishvili. If you prefer something romantic, see here its interpretation of Astor Piazzola's Gran Tango. And if you wish listen to them live, write them at rossiliana(at)yahoo.es

Even those that don't know what is the Jazz can evade the enchantments of a Big Band. They have enjoyed, without knowing it, in numerous occasions seeing films of years 50's, 60's, and even present ones; laughing with Pink Panther cartoons…
In Vitoria -Gasteiz has been celebrated the fourth edition of the Big Band Jazz Festival, where two local bands participated: the Gasteiz Big Band and the Big Band Berri, and two foreign ones: the Bob Sands Big Band and Creativa Big Band Latina. Altogether, several dozens of musicians of great level that, when finishing the concerts at Sala Azkena, were joined in the pub Man in the Moon to measure their endless creative forces in jamm sessions like the one of the attached video, for delight of the numerous fans to the jazz of the Basque Country capital.

One of the sectors where more resources can be saved is in transportation, but there are many interests in maintaining the dependence of petroleum and the main use of private transport. The European Union, on the other hand, calm the consciences subsidizing biofuel. But these is not enough to replace petroleum, Europe and the U.S.A. must import oil grains to produce it, and this is causing more hunger and injustices in the poor countries or developing ones, as this study of the University Autonoma of Barcelona demonstrates.

For that reason, the development of technologies like the compressed air motor of MDI company is a hopeful new. MDI has developed vehicles whose deposit could be filled by 1.5 euros, circulating up to 110 Km/h during 200 km. Commercial price of each vehicle can be around 7300 euros, and its level of contamination is zero: its exhaust pipe only leaves air.

Who said that do not exist real alternatives? Until where will arrive the agreement with the Tata Indian company ?

5th of June. World Day of Environment.

The third edition of NEFF -New European Film Festival - will be held in Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country, Spain) between 2nd to 12th of May. During 10 days we will enjoy with the best new european cinema, with 12 films on conquest, more than 50 short films, a film selection of the invited country of this year - Poland, the section Cinema and Music, the section Jewels, the Latin Cinema, the Cinema for Children in Basque language...

In addition, the city will be flooded of multiple parallel activities: II Workshop of Sound tracks, Exhibitions, Strolls of Cinema by the City - guide visits to places where films have been shooted, Concerts, Celebrations…

Polinomio Estudios will manage the contents of the official Web of the Festival, as well as its blog Cinefforum, from where you can follow everything that happens during these days… and nights.

This it is the video of japanese percussionist Rie Watanabe, when premiered the piece Skin's Traces of Juan Jose Eslava composer, at Festival SINKRO of contemporary music. It was on 22th February 2007, in Jesus Guridi Conservatory of Music of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

The instrumental gesture usually has been considered like an act that executes musical elements constituted by discreet parameters (height, duration, dynamics). Focusing the work of composition on the internal energy of the instrumental gesture poses new questions on its relation with the musical annotation and writing: How to write down the gestures integrating its transitory particularitities and their irregularities, temporary?

In this video of STAFF -last Damian Muñoz Danza work- we can enjoy a Virginia Garcia coreography with Alexis Fernandez, and live music by Steven Dall. At the bottom and the middle of the scene, you can see the 3 video projectors used as videoillumination -made by Polinomio Estudios over a Damian Muñoz's idea- that weave the sky in which the action is taken underneath.

STAFF Gig 2007: 8th, 9th March, SEVILLE; 15th March, LEIOA (Bizkaia); 17th March, SAN SEBASTIAN; 25th March, ARENYS DE MAR (Barcelona).; 15th April, BARAKALDO (Bizkaia); 19th April, VITORIA-GASTEIZ; 27th April, LASARTE (Gipuzkoa).

Here we have a video of violinist Nika Bitchiashvili -our near Stephane Gappelli- jamming on Fast Train theme, with Tren Nocturno group, at Enrique Loyola's El Club de Lenny show.

The III Bernaola International Music Festival finished on 30th November with a concert of Ensemble Espacio Sinkro group, at the Music College auditorium of Vitoria-Gasteiz. The program was based on Bertol Bretch and the music of inter-wars, with themes of Kurt Weill, Maurice Ravel, Paul Hindemith, Erwin Schulhoff and Dmitri Shostakovich.

The splendid performance of mezzosoprano Itziar Lesaka, accompanied on the piano by Sergio Gutiérrez, and the texts of Bertol Bretch interpreted by the actress Arantxa Ezquerra, located to us in that special period of the History of Europe. In addition, Roberto Casado played flute; Vicente Elizondo, Oboe; Patxi Divar, clarinet; Iñaki Iraola, fagot; Patxi Tardio, horn; Josetxo Silguero, saxophon; Victor Parra, violin; and François Monciero, violonchello.

The disposition of the public, the stage scene, the illumination and the scene direction, made a certain Cabaret atmostphere, thanks to the work of Javier Larreina, Javi Ulla, Mari Cruz M. Irazábal and Alfonso Garcia de la Torre.

VIDEO 1 - Barbara’s Song - Kurt Weill (1928)

VIDEO 2 - Sonata en Re menor (Allegro) - Dmitri Shostakovich (1934)

VIDEO 3 - Hot Sonate (2nd mov.) - Erwin Schulhoff (1930)

VIDEO 4 - Sonata Blues - Maurice Ravel (1923-1927)

VIDEO 5 - Kleine Kammermusic op.24 nº2 - Paul Hindemith (1922)

PHOTOS

Dissident, of course is the title of a Michel Vinaver's play, performed at Center-Museum Artium of Vitoria-Gasteiz, days 17, 18, 24 and 25th of November, 2006, as a complement to the exhibition Catharsis of the same center.

Performed by Carmen San Esteban and Iñaki Rikarte, and directed by Mari Cruz M. Irazábal, it has twelve scenes of mix-ups between a mother and her adolescent son, both in an unstable situation in the family and the work, that leads towards an unexpected situation for them and the public.

The stage scene was made by Javier Larreina, and placed the public on circular rows that surrounded the actors, who sometimes were confused in him. The illumination of Javier Ulla drew up a diagonal in the circle, with handled movable elements at sight. Polinomio Estudios made a parallel video installation, in which videos of the performance creation process were mixed live.

Contemporary theater that asks about catharsis notion. Is it possible a tragedy today?

PHOTOS --> HERE

The singer and composer Ruper Ordorika, one of the main references of contemporary music in Basque language, acted at Kafe Antzokia of Bilbao on 26 and 27th October. The concert was recorded live, and we enjoyed with some surprises, like the collaboration of David Soler and Arkaitz Miner like guest musicians, and a special scenery. Polinomio Estudios made the visuals that floated over the scene, from two computers and video cameras.

You can see the first images of the concert of day 27 HERE.

While we prepare videos of the event, you can enjoy Ruper's last published videoclip HERE.

The sixth edition of Festival Musicas de Frontera was held this August in Agreda (Soria-Spain). It was organized by Council of Agreda and Castilla y Leon Regional Goverment. Brasilian group FERCUSSAO PROJECT played the 5th of August; GOSPEL TRAIN of Barcelona, day 10; and Ballet Folkclórico de Veracruz - Mexico, day 14.

The design and production of scenery were in charge of Javier Larreina, and Polinomio Estudios made visuals and live video.

More PHOTOS of Gospel Train HERE .

More PHOTOS of Fercussao Project HERE .

As we live in Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country, Spain), and we have enjoyed its Jazz Festival since the 9^th edition (what old we are, my God), we are going to tell the concerts we see everyday, and to show some VIDEOS. But as the official section is covered by TVE (public Spanish Television), we will shoot the parallel section, that is hold in bars and pubs of the city. Also we will show what happen in the Canciller Ayala Hotel, where the musicians are lodged, and where they play the famous jam-sessions, the most authentic concerts of the festival, without a doubt.

SUNDAY, July 9^th

We have a trip until Campas de Armentia , where a traditional celebration takes place every April 28^th, and where today there is the same familiar environment -children, grandparents, picnic blankets on the grass- but more cultured and elegant. Typical New Orleans music played by Dukes of Dixieland, impeccably dressed, transports us to the first decades of XX century. The best, Richard Taylor, the leader and baterist, striking with his drum-sticks the cords of Everett Link’s bass, while Everett marks the notes in the fret.

Later on, Dr. Michael White Quarter , moves us backwards, until the 20s, with the characteristic background that provides the banjo of Detroit Brooks. Incredible the interpretation of the classic Summertime, whose first recording was made in 1939! Moreover, Dr. Michael plays an original composition titled “Blues for Vitoria”, and in recognition to be here, not watching the final of the world champion soccer on TV (even, we are rare)

In spite of soccer on TV, there are about 1000 people enjoying jazz in the Campas, there are 20ºC and everything is free (except drinks)

MONDAY, July 10^th

We come in the main festival venue, Mendizorrotza Pavilion, to enjoy with one of our favourite groups from the acid jazz times: INCOGNITO . The called Electronic Night, that does not have any electronics, only good fusion, invites to us to dance and to enjoy the quality of the 11 INCOGNITO components on stage. His leader, Paul Maunik, let the others demonstrate their value, and in the end he shows that he could sing and play every instrument, but he prefers Peace and Universal Love, the elimination of borders and good roll. Where can I sign?

TUESDAY, July 11^th

In Mendizorrotza plays the Master-Monster Paco de Lucia , and in the city grow up the locals with good live music, always from midnight. In Café Dublin we find Belleville Trio -> VIDEO , -two guitars and a viola- a delight music with a French touch. In Molly Malone pub plays the saxophonist Iñaki Arakistain -> VIDEO , with a group of pure funk. Meanwhile, in Juke Box pub we meet the universal Gecko Turner ->VIDEO , with his intimate blues with a Manu Chao flavour; In addition, they demonstrate that it’s not necessary to saturate the amplifier volume to reach the soul of the public.

We finished the night in the Canciller Ayala Hotel, where, as every year, we have an exceptional trio with an outside series pianist: Ronnie Mathews