Raspa Garcia Trio - Standars Session Vol.1 (2024) [Hi-Res]

Jorge "Raspa" García has been establishing himself over the years as a reference and an indispensable figure when it comes to piano within the blues scene. An artist who studied at the IMT music school, completing his training in the field of classical music and jazz and who has mainly traveled through the music of African-American origin, especially investigating blues and jazz, showing off a more than noticeable influence of the music of New Orleans with his band The Tremendous. In 2015 he released "Boogie Woogie Voodoo" under the name of Raspa García & the Crawfish, a very personal album where he showed not only his compositional ability, but also advanced the master lines to follow in this “Standards Session Vol. I”.

Eight tracks recorded entirely live at the Brazil Studios in Madrid that consolidates the integrated project in addition to Raspa García himself on piano, to two other legendary figures within the African-American music scene: Antonio Álvarez “Pax” on drums (Vacazul, Tres hombres, Speak low, Los Reyes del K.O.) and Francisco López “Loque” on double bass (Bob Sands Big band, Grant Stewart, Steve Markus, Arturo Ofarril), two of the most sought-after musicians within the blues scene and jazz.

A band configuration that gives this work a natural sound, without artifices or additions, recovering the original essence of the blues.

The album serves as a tribute to the beginnings of jazz by the hand of ”Mamanita“ by the legendary Jelly Roll Morton and New Orleans jazz, on the theme ”Black, Brown & White" by bluesman Big Bill Broonzy.

The three components of the trio shine individually and collectively. And if not, listen to ”Stop Time“ by the Texan guitarist Clarence Gatemouth Brown or the powerful Charles Mingus theme, ”Boogie stop shuffle“ or Bill Doggett's ”Honky Tonk". From Roosevelt Sykes they incorporate the classic "44 Blues”, a lifelong blues, which gives way to the intense “Blue Minuet” by the New Orleans pianist, James Brooker, to finish the album with a traditional theme, “Careless Love” another blues with a New Orleans sound.

The album could be labeled as a blues album, but the truth is that the Trio gives the songs, some more than others, an indisputable jazzy character.

None of the members of the trio could be singled out, because the work of all three is essential for the final result of the album.