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Bidaia
Oihan (Resistencia, Spain)
An innovative, all-acoustic ensemble from Basque Spain offers a unique and creative vision for both their local roots and the greater world beyond. It's a highly modal experience, driven primarily by traditional Basque instruments - alboka, ttun-ttun (an instrument similar to a zither, but played with a stick as a percussive effect), combined with acoustic guitar, piano, hurdy-gurdy, Moroccan darbouka & Andalusian cajon. The almost surreal vocals of Caroline Phillips are a central, if not solely defining, part of the sound, as her soaring voice is merged into a wall-of-sound created by the instruments in a sharp and stunning series of arrangements.
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Listen:
Oihan
Nun Zira
laminen Dantza
Binangobarri
Dena da presaka
The band says:
Traditional Basque instruments ; alboka (a small hornpipe), ttun-ttun (stringed-percussive inst.) are combined with acoustic guitar, piano, hurdy-gurdy, Moroccan darbouka & Andalusian cajon.
The musicians:
Caroline Phillips was born in Northern California's Bay Area, a hothouse of a rich and varied artistic culture.
Passionate for singing, she studied classical voice in Paris and regularly performed in jazz clubs and private parties for the ex-patriot American community. In 1988 she composes her first song in her home studio and a year later meets and works with Mixel for the first time in a Parisian recording studio. Two years later she moves to the Basque Country, learns Basque, takes up the hurdy-gurdy and forms a duo then the group Bidaia with Mixel.
Jabi Area : percussion
Ritxi Salaberria : upright bass
A musical duo for more than 5 years, Caroline Phillips and Mixel Ducau then formed the group Bidaia with Ritxi Salaberria & Jabi Area. Together, these four musicians create music which is as much Basque as is it universal, inspired by traditional dance melodies & rhythms as well as international folklore.
Mixel Ducau is a native of Bayonne in the northern part of the Basque Country (France), founder of the very successful Basque contemporary rock group Errobi in 1975 (more than 40,000 albums sold). A multi-talented instrumentalist, Mixel is an accomplished saxophonist and a composer and arranger for many groups throughout southern Europe. In 1990 he created the group Zaldibobo with Joseba Tapia (diatonic accordeon), a mix of rock & folklore. In 1995 he formed a duo with Caroline, and together they formed the group Bidaia.
Born in the capital of Gipuzkoa, San Sebastian, Jabi studied classical percussion at the conservatory while playing rock'n'roll and Basque folk music. He has played with a large number of Spanish and Basque artists including : Cesar Cuenca (Celtas Cortos), Iñaki Salvador, Mikel Laboa etc…, he also works at ETB (a Basque television station) from time to time.
Born on the Atlantic coast in Hondarribi (Gipuzkoa), Ritxi studied classical flute in Pampelona and bass in London. He was a founding member of several groups including Sorotan Bele & Zaldibobo. A studio musician, Ritxi has worked with Diego Vasallo (Duncan Dhu), Cesar Cuenca (Celtas Cortos), Julia Leon and Pascal Gaigne and works at ETB (a Basque television station) from time to time.
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