Quique RamÍrez - Connected to Earth (2024)

Tracklist

01. This! (feat. Daniel Juárez, Diego Hervalejo & Miquel Àlvarez)
02. Impro II "Dire Docks" (feat. Daniel Juárez, Diego Hervalejo & Miquel Àlvarez)
03. Connected to Earth (feat. Daniel Juárez, Diego Hervalejo, Miquel Àlvarez, Dante Bertolino, Rodrigo Gomes, Lesster Mejías & Cecilia Martínez)
04. Impro I "Oh Jeez" (feat. Daniel Juárez, Diego Hervalejo & Miquel Àlvarez)
05. Latency (feat. Daniel Juárez, Diego Hervalejo, Miquel Àlvarez & Alina Engibaryan)
06. Euterpe (feat. Daniel Juárez, Diego Hervalejo, Miquel Àlvarez & Juan Dhas)
07. Springtime in Amsterdam (feat. Daniel Juárez, Diego Hervalejo & Miquel Àlvarez)
08. Impro IV "Jazz Snob" (feat. Daniel Juárez, Diego Hervalejo & Miquel Àlvarez)

This' is the name of the opening track on Quique Ramirez's latest release entitled “Connected to earth”. It opens like a rocking mid-80s pop song, mesmerizing with a powerful, edgy beat and a droning electric bass. What follows is a dive into deeper harmonic sensibilities and solo’s, first with Daniel Juarez on tenor sax and continuing with Diego Hervalejo playing a distorted detuned Fender Rhodes that takes us further into the improvisational abyss, reminiscent, but not imitative of Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew. There is simplicity here with a harmonic landscape that can resonate with anyone, but it’s the real listener who will stick around for the main event to savor its well-crafted development.

'Dire Docks' takes its time in revealing itself over a dry but hip 7/4 beat with minimalistic gradual entrances by sax, bass and a spacy Rhodes keyboard.

The title track of the album 'Connected to earth', starts with the seed of a contemplative pianistic phrase, and gradually expands to incorporate the full band. a melancholic simple sax melody follows ultimately giving way to the blossoming of a gorgeous celestial string arrangement. Bassist Miquel Alvarez adds an impassioned final layer with vocals which, if not done live in the session while playing the bass, certainly has the emotive feel that he did, and is a gorgeous Pedro Aznar like cherry on top. This is truly an epic track evoking existentialist thoughts and wonderings and leaves no doubt that a drummer’s record doesn’t just have to be drum or groove oriented, and that Ramírez’s prowess doesn’t just exist while on his throne but lies in his complete musical imagination of these compositions.

True to much of the album, 'Oh Jeez' sustains a film soundtrack like essence. The listener is drawn into this cinematic world with a stalking, menacing bass and drum pattern, accented by futuristic synth sounds and Juárez’s Tenor Sax as the main character of a thriller.

'Latency' shines with the vocal talents of Alina Engibaryan, who’s distinct sound and lush harmonies elegantly float atop the intricate layers of Juárez’s composition.

'Euterpe' is the kind of odd time signature in 17/8, that you’d expect from a drummer’s recording, except in this case the feel is quite organic akin to an Indian raga that the band plays with ease. Melody is doubled between Daniel Juárez’s Tenor Sax and the sole appearance of Juan Dhas, who’s soulful chameleon like solo begins with characteristic elements that remind me of a soloing bassist, shifting to sheets of harmonies and peaks in his upper register transforming to the aesthetic of a slide guitar. Euterpe climaxes with the band locking into a spellbinding unison, where Quique takes his only real solo. He weaves in and out of the 17/8 time-feel effortlessly and teases us with his mastery of time even creating the illusion he’s speeding up only to resolve the tension with an obvious transition back to the groove. As a listener, it’s easy to get drawn into this song’s mantra, as the ensembles unassuming execution never leaves the listener to feel that the musical complexity is performed for complexities sake.

'Springtime in Amsterdam' is a fun trip into Ramirez’s time spent in Holland when he was a student. His innocent playful vocals and Zappa-esque chorus combined with a funky synthtinged Bass make for a fun combination.

The final track on Connected to earth is another Ramirez composition called 'Jazz Snob'. 'Jazz snob' is a slow burn, taking a few minutes until there is a solid pattern to grab onto. Ramirez is almost generous to a fault, barely taking any space or solos for himself, but rather giving unconditionally to the feel as well as being the main compositional contributor for this outing. Connected to earth succeeds because it lacks the very convention of what is generally thought of as a drummer’s recording. It is more of a journey than the traditional drummers record in the sense that these aren’t mere songs, but rather insights into other worlds that unfold in a very cinematic way, and like the great art films, leave no concrete answers, but instead create more questions for the listener.

Alina Engibaryan - vocals
Juán Dhas - guitar

Dante Bertolino - violin
Rodrigo Gomes - violin
Lesster F. Mejías - viola
Cecilia Martínez - cello

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