Aljibe plays contemporary folk based on the traditional music of Castile, La Mancha and other parts of Spain.
Aljibe has been working since 1985, investigating and reworking traditional songs to make them attractive to all types of audiences.
This veteran group has the classical instrumentation of Castilian groups, supported by contemporary instruments and influences from other cultures as well. The style has evolved over the years, pure compilation to developing new material based on traditional forms such as seguidillas, fandangos, torrás.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Aljibe released a live CD and DVD recorded live titled “Al lado del mediodía” (Next to noon). Nearly 80 minutes of music featuring the best cuts from the previous 7 albums. The matetial includes original compositions, arrangements of traditional songs from Castille-Leon and Castille-La Mancha, as well as Sephardic and Galician songs.
Musicians:
Juan Rodríguez Tembleco: Solo voice, accordion, bagpipes, charro bagpipes, saxophone, bandurria and lute. Founder of Azada y Aljibe. He has collaborated with Paco Díez and La Bazanca. He also participated in other groups such as the Captain Street Big Band and the Municipal Band Joaquín Rodrigo de Aranjuez.
Luis Ramón Martín: Bandurria, lute and Spanish guitar. He began with the group La Picota de Yepes and later joined Aljibe. He is one of the best plectrum musicians of Castilian music.
José Manuel Rodríguez Tembleco: Voice, bandurria, lute, electric bass and percussion. A member of Aljibe since the very beginning, he stands out for his enormous rhythmic capacity in Spanish and Arabic percussion. Sound technician of the group.
Domingo Martínez: Spanish and acoustic guitar, manchego guitar. Started in music in the Orquesta de Plectro y Púa Vicente Aleixandre. He has performed with several jazz, classical, and country acts always as a string player, playing lute and banjo.
Luis Miguel Novas: Flutes, clarinet, dulzaina and bagpipes. He completed the recorder flute degree with Professor Álvaro Marías at the Royal Conservatory of Music of Madrid, obtaining an graduated with honorable mention. He has worked and collaborated in bands such as the Real Capilla de Madrid and La Bazanca.
Manuel Marcos: Voice, piano, keyboards, guitar and percussion. He studied piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music of Madrid with José Luis Fajardo. He has been a member of the Dioptrías Blues Band, and the group Algarabía. He has collaborated in recordings such as Mañana de Navidad, with the group La Berza.
Teodomiro Rodríguez: Electric bass, flutes and percussion. Founder of the Nueva Castilla group and later, of Aljibe, he left the group twice to work in Warsaw and Prague at the Cervantes Institute.
Teresa García: Voice, violin and percussion. Classically-trained, she collaborated with several Galician bands before joining Aljibe.
Discography:
Temas Infantiles Tradicionales de la Comunidad de Madrid (Saga, 1987)
Surco arriba, surco abajo (Saga, 1987)
Felices Nusotros (Tecnosaga, 1989)
Gañanes, gancheros y otras faenas (Several Records, 1991)
La Marca del Oricuerno (Several Records, 1997)
El Motín de Aranjuez (Several Records, 1998)
Penas y Alegrías (Sonifolk, 2002)
Al lado del Mediodía (Galileo, 2002)
Enea (self-released, 2011)
Agua. Músicas Tradicionales de la cuenca del Tajo (Doce Calles, 2018)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.