Artist Profiles: Javier Paxariño

Saxophonist, flutist and composer Javier Paxariño is considered one of the greatest representatives of world music in Spain. His music is characterized by mixing aspects of the three cultures that have called the Iberian Peninsula: Christian, Muslim, and Jewish, but with a view always looking south: to the Mediterranean. Founder of Radio Tarifa, he has collaborated with musicians such as Joaquín Sabina, Aute, Miguel Ríos, Víctor Manuel, Ana Belén and Luis Pastor. He has participated in film soundtracks such as Vacas, La Ardilla Roja, Una casa en las Afueras and Los amantes del Círculo Polar.

He was born in the city of Granada in 1953. He later moved to Málaga, where he studied at the Superior Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Maestro Perfecto Artola. He started his musical activity with Jazz and Rock bands in the 1970s and founded the Onice Jazz Quartet at the end of that decade, which had a great local impact, although they did not record. At that time he also began experimenting with ethnic flutes to introduce himself to his music.

By 1980 he was living in Madrid and played at the iconic Whiskey & Jazz Club. He also played occasionally at La Cova del Drac in Barcelona. At the same time he continued his musical training and attended music seminars, like the one Thad Jones directed in Bañoles (Gerona).

He worked as a teacher at the Taller de Músicos de Madrid and played as a session musician in various groups. He collaborated in recordings of different musicians (Kevin Ayers, Joan Bibiioni, Gerardo Núñez, Miguel Ríos, Joaquín Sabina, L. Aute, Víctor Manuel and Ana Belén, Pablo Guerrero, Luis Pastor, etc). Parallel to this formed Javier Paxariño Group in which he played only his own compositions and in 1988 he recorded his first album “Espacio Interior ?, with very good reception by specialized critics, presenting it at the Jazz Festival of Madrid with the Oregon group. This disc was also published in Mexico with a good impact.

He collaborated in the recording of the documentary series Indico for Televisión Española, with the composer Alberto Iglesias for film soundtracks like Vacas (awarded in Japan), La Ardilla Roja (Winner of the Goya Award), Una casa en las Afueras, as well as how the music of the work Tabulae for the choreography of Nacho Duato in the Compañía Nacional de Danza.

In 1992 he recorded Pangea, a work that involved a musical journey through different continents and that projected him on a national level, presenting it with great success at the Festival of New Music of Madrid, in which they took part: Michael Nyman, Wim Mertens, Balanescu Quartet and John Cale.

He composed with Eduardo Laguillo the original music of the work of F. García Lorca, La Zapatera Prodigiosa for the Teatro de la Danza de Madrid.

He participated in the first recording Rumba Argelina and in the formation of the multiracial group Radio Tarifa, with which he played in Europe until the end of 1994. In that same year he recorded his third album, Temurá, based on the great cultures that existed in Spain (Jewish , Christian and Muslim), in which the percussionist Glen Velez intervened. The disc was distributed in Europe, the United States and Japan, opening good expectations. The group was selected as representative of the New Spanish Music in Pop Kom in Germany. In 1995 the General Society of Authors and Publishers (S.G.A.E.) commissioned a composition to be included in the commemorative CD ROM of the Spanish Presidency of the European Community; He was a member of the jury of the S.G.A.E Awards for the best jazz compositions.

In 1996 he recorded his new album titled Perlhellón. Inspired by Mediterranean music and from sub-Saharan Africa. It was presented in Madrid with a strong public and critical success. At the same time he recorded music for Television and gives concerts with his group.

In 1997 he began a concert tour in the network of National Theaters, Festivals of Navarra, VIII Encontros Musicais da Tradicao Europea in Portugal, etc. He also participated as a guest artist in the recording made by John Cunninghan and has among other guests musicians such as Luis Delgado, Kepa Junkera, Amancio Prada, Manuel Luna and percussionists of the Radio Tarifa group.

In 1998, he took part in the VIII Festival of New Music of León and later in the Interceltic Festival that takes place in Oporto as guest artist with the group La Musgaña. Parallel to this he collaborated in the new record projects of L. Eduardo Aute, Jorge Drexler, Luis Pastor, Tomás San Miguel and was also part of the project? Hispanic Tribes? by Eliseo Parra with J.A. Arteche, the latter was awarded as the best record of the year by the Villa de Madrid and is considered by the specialized critic a fundamental work in the new folklore for his original interpretation of traditional music.

He recorded with the pianist Chano Dominguez and Hozán Yamamoto (master of the Shakuhachi flute), a disc of encounter between Flamenco, traditional Japanese music and New Music, which is also published in Japan.

In September of 2002, he released Ouroboros.

Around 2014, Javier Paxariño formed the Javier Paxariño Trio along with Josete Ordoñez on guitar and Manu de Lucena on drums. The trio incorporated Gnawa music and Ajechao rhythms from Extremadura.

Discography:

Espácio Interior (Grabaciones Accidentales, 1988)
Pangea (Música Sin-Fin, 1992)
Temura (Nuba Records, 1994)
Perihelion (Nuba Records, 1996)
Tribus Hispanas (Música Sin-Fin, 1998)
Ouroboros (52 P.M., 2002)
Dagas De Fuego Sobre El Laberinto (Icarus, 2014)

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.