Launching of CHIDÍSIMO MÁS – A CD that adds-up
Pianist and composer Ania Paz will present her 8th CD Chidísimo más on occasion of the International Jazz Day, on April 30th 2022 at 4:00 pm, time of Berlin, Germany. Through a transmission on pages
www.youtube.com/aniapaz , musicians from Chile, Germany, Mexico, Peru and the United States will share their experiences participating on this album.
The project started in 2019, as the third cd of a series of initiatives that were produced in Peru, and that culturally bond two countries through the universal language of jazz. The first of these productions was Dos Mundos (Peru and the Dominican Republic), and the second one was Fortaleza (Chile and Peru).
Ania Paz reflects: “The original title was Chidísimo, a Mexican term that reflects a lot of joy and enthusiasm, and that we used to hear frequently during our last international tour as Ania Paz Trio before the pandemic. This tour took on a special meaning for me, given that shortly after all live musical activities were interrupted in a very dramatic and radical way.
But it also had a great meaning because we could present our music in several Mexican cities, such as Xalapa, Cholula, Puebla and Mexico City, where we met wonderful people inspired by jazz. We specially thank the invitation from the International Jazzfestival JazzUV and the support of Ibermúsicas. I wanted to capture all these beautiful human encounters through a CD that honors the coming together of Mexico and Peru.
Thanks to the initiative of Elier Contreras and the support of Cauz, where the video team of Daniel Sedas also participated, we recorded the piece Tristeza en las montañas with the Chilean bassist Eduardo Peña and the Peruvian drummer Franco Alcázar. This polytonal composition with influence from the Andes was an opportunity for the Mexican saxophone player Adal Pérez to explore this Peruvian musical language with the group, from a jazz point of view. I recorded shortly after Algo más in Lima with the same Trio. Later, with Ken Ychikawa on the drums and Adrián Muñoz on bass I recorded Mambo, a composition with Afro-Peruvian and Caribbean influences, but with new rhythmical angles. I played my last concerts in Lima before the pandemic with Ken and Adrián. So gradually more artists were adding up to the project.
And then the pandemic came…
The pandemic had a great impact on all musicians, and stopped or slowed down several projects. This was the case with Chidísimo. Years have passed since the initial idea, and during this time jazz musicians were up to the challenge to keep the music going with remote recordings, even though they deal with a genre that requires a lot of closeness to communicate creatively. We did our best efforts to transcend the inevitable isolation, and we improved increasingly our production abilities. This is how some pandemic sessions emerged.
The CD was growing and integrating according to the time, beyond the participation of Mexico and Peru. For example, because of the new virtual reality an alumni reunion via zoom was organized by the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, instead of a live reunion. Therefore I was able to connect with Skip Spratt, who participates as a saxophone player in Los Cirros and Gotas. At the same the double bass player Charly Rodríguez from Mexico was integrated in the pieces Los Cirros, Maybe Blue and Pregunta. All musicians had already adapted to virtual production. We sent each other the tracks several times until we felt that they flowed like live Jazz. For these sessions we were able to count with the important support of sound engineer Sergio Reynoso from Mexico.
In addition, I decided to include piano solo works as Danza and La Bahía, as well as the Encore of our participation at the JazzUV Festival, emphasizing this special moment of life with concerts, previous to quarantine (Valparaíso).“
In conclusion, this CD is not only Chidísimo, but Chidísimo Más [Chidísimo Plus]. The word Plus reflects the adding up of musicians from different countries, together as they face and transcend a world phenomenon. They are jazz musicians that broke the geographic and pandemic barriers to create together in this new album. Even though they were far apart and isolated, they could be close to each other and connected through music.
Pieces and credits:
- Algo más
Eduardo Peña (Chile) – bass
Franco Alcázar (Peru) – drums
Ania Paz (Germany/Peru) – piano and composition
Recorded in Dragonverde Studios by Eddie Plenge in Lima, Peru
- Tristeza en las montañas
Adal Pérez (Mexico) – saxophone
Eduardo Peña (Chile) – bass
Franco Alcázar (Peru) – drums
Ania Paz (Germany/Peru) – piano and composition
Recorded in Cauz by Elier Contreras in Xalapa, Mexico
- Pregunta
Charly Rodríguez (Mexico) – double bass
Ania Paz (Germany/Peru) – piano and composition
Remote recording
- Danza
Ania Paz (Germany/Peru) – piano and composition
Remote recording
- Los Cirros
Skip Spratt (USA) – saxophone
Charly Rodríguez (Mexico) – double bass
Ania Paz (Germany/Peru) – piano and composition
Remote recording
- Maybe Blue
Charly Rodríguez (Mexico) – double bass
Ania Paz (Germany/Peru) – piano and composition
Remote recording
- Mambo
Ken Ychikawa (Peru) – drums
Adrián Muñoz ( Peru) – bass
Ania Paz (Germany/Peru) – piano and composition
Recorded in Dragonverde Studios by Eddie Plenge in Lima, Peru
- Gotas
Skip Spratt (USA) – saxophone
Ania Paz (Germany/Peru) – piano and composition
Remote recording
- Valparaíso
Participation of Ania Paz Trio – Perú Chile Jazz at the 9th International Jazz Festival JazzUV in Xalapa, Mexico
Eduardo Peña (Chile) – bass
Franco Alcázar (Peru) – drums
Ania Paz (Germany/Perú) – piano and composition
Recorded live by Sergio Reynoso
- La Bahía
Ania Paz (Germany/Peru) – piano and composition
Remote recording
Mix and Mastering: Sergio Reynoso, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
Video team in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico:
Daniel Sedas, Ale Rouge and Carolina Erives
Cover inspired on the poster designed by Mr. Power for the Ania Paz Trío concert at Jazzatlan in Mexico City and Cholula, Mexico
