Daniel Garcia

Something very special indeed is happening in the Spanish jazz scene. For a long time, its lively centres of Madrid, Barcelona and Seville tended to stay somewhat detached from the international jazz world. But in recent years a whole generation of Spanish jazz musicians has been rising to international renown: it is more than a cohort, it is starting to feel like a movement. And one key figure in it is pianist Daníel Garcia, born in Salamanca in 1983. With his trio he has made a name for himself as one of the most important representatives of jazz in his home country – playing over 300 concerts throughout Europe and as far away as Japan. The band’s line-up demonstrates another important aspect of the Spanish scene: many musicians from Cuba found a second home there due to the common language – and brought their outstanding musical training and influences with them. This is certainly the case for bassist Reinier „El Negron“ and drummer Michael Olivera, who form the rhythm section of the Daniel García Trio. Together, they are a tight unit with an instinctive feel, and who after seven years together are completely played-in.

„Wonderland“ is the Daniel García Trio’s third album on ACT. And whereas the previous albums „Travesuras“ (2019) and „Vía de la Plata“ (2021) were still characterised by clear influences from flamenco and traditional Spanish music, García has now cast his net wider. There are flamenco borrowings on „Wonderland“, but they are more subtle and sit alongside a whole range of inspirations from modern jazz, classical music, pop, together with influences from the Caribbean and the Middle East. At the same time, „Wonderland“ is also about the inner search: Daníel Garcia quotes Swiss psychologist Carl Jung in the liner notes: „Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” García invites his listeners to explore their own feelings and thoughts – in “this secret haven where our deepest illusions and most fervent hopes reside, guiding us through the labyrinth of life.”

In the twelve songs on the album, Daniel García traverses many different places in the soul, and creates a coherent narrative from them. We enter the emotional landscape with the powerful „Gates to the Lands of Wonders“. This is followed by the title track, in which the Israeli guitarist Gilad Hekselman, a guest on the album, plays a cheerful melody in unison with the bandleader. „I love his sound and his compositions,“ says García. „Such a creative force! I like guitarists who speak through their instrument in such a human way“. García has dedicated the gentle „Mi Bolita“ to his new-born nephew; it represents the importance of family in the pianist’s life, while the playfully energetic „Witness the Smile“ shows García leaning into empathy and generosity, its catchy melody showing the pianist’s Cuban influences – and, of course, those of his bandmates Reinier „El Negron“ and Michael Olivera. „They are my brothers,“ enthuses García. „If I could choose two musicians from anyone in the world, I would still choose these two! Together, we are one unit.“

„I find it hard to put my music in any one category,“ says García. „It feels like trying to put the sea in a box – it just overflows! I love classical music, I love Middle Eastern music, I love rock, I love singer/songwriters! Inspiration can come from anywhere. The intro to ‚The Gathering‘, for example, was inspired by a melody I heard on the streets of Salamanca.“ Two remarkable voices round off the album, the A Coruña- born and Madrid-based singer Verónica Ferreiro and the Catalan singer Lau Noah, who is based in New York. In „You and Me“ she sings: „Take my hands/Now, come and dance/Time to forget the wounds/All the scars, the pain“. An invitation to forget the pain in dance – and for Daniel a way to make the world a better place, if only for a moment. He says „There are so many tragedies happening around us. There is little we can do except believe in ourselves and be good to others.“

The power of music to improve the world may sound utopian. But Daníel Garcia, a soft-spoken man, warm-hearted and always smiling, will make you believe it. Take the opportunity to go with him as he travels through his „wonderland“. The journey is fulfilling, worthwhile and memorable.