Diego Pinera & Daniel Manrique Smith - Echoes of Two (2026)

The debut album Echoes of Two by the Pinera & Manrique-Smith Duo is a vivid testament to spontaneity, dialogue, and the art of listening. Recorded over just two days at the Blue in Green Recording Studio in Bonn, the album captures the immediacy and raw energy of two musicians meeting each piece for the very first time.

Apart from Astor Piazzolla’s haunting Oblivion—a last-minute, inspired addition—the album consists entirely of original compositions by the duo. Two free improvisations unfold as open conversations, while the remaining works balance structure and freedom, always leaving space for surprise.

A distinctive element of Echoes of Two lies in its exploration of electronic textures. The duo experiments with a wide palette of sounds, expanding the natural voices of their instruments into unexpected sonic landscapes. In a playful leap of courage, Pinera even approached the keys of a synthesizer for the very first time, adding a new color to the duo’s palette.

The recording was engineered and produced by Frank Brempel, whose keen musicality brought an additional layer of creativity to the session. Beyond his role behind the console, he contributed subtle arrangement ideas that shaped the atmosphere of the album without compromising its spontaneity.

What sets Echoes of Two apart is its sense of freshness: nothing was rehearsed in advance, every track was born in the moment. This approach lends the music an authenticity deeply rooted in the jazz tradition, where risk, intuition, and interaction are essential.