cdRoots Home Page More music from Spain

Search for music Need Help?

JOXAN GOIKOETXEA
GOAZEN LAGUN
$17.99

ROOTS AND BRANCHES
A tree with deep roots can spread its branches wide. A shallow-rooted tree fears every gust of wind, but a tree that is firmly anchored in the ground can stretch out its branches to the four winds and absorb the nourishment they bring it. In the same way, this latest offering from Joxan is deeply rooted in the traditions of his Basque homeland and yet, precisely because of this, is wide open to a range of rhythms, instruments, styles and techniques from all over the world. It comes to us in a new form that makes full use of the new technologies, not from a desire to keep up with fashion, but as a way of enriching and strengthening our heritage. New technology has redefined sapce and time. In place of Einsteins's vision of space as finite and concentrated, we are offered limitless space in a smaller and smaller format. This new concept of space has shaped the elements of Joxan's music. his words, choice of instruments, stories, games, thoughts... wich, far from being purely ornamental, serve to make his message clearer. Fortunately he hasn't succumbed to the Postmodernist concept of time - an eternal "virtual present"- but instead provides his own calm, personal and meaningful version in his haunting melodies, both the traditional themes and his own compositions. Arantxa Irazusta's voice does the rest, making time stand still as the sirens once did in days gone by. You have two choices: you can either close your ears and eyes and carry on yor way, or you can take the plunge and immerse yourself in this sea of music and sound. Come on, don't hesitate. My friend, let us go! JOXERRA GARZIA

The artist's official bio
Energy and great activity in a variety of fields characterise the career of this eclectic and innovative Basque musician.

His introduction to music came via Basque songs, melodies and dances with his early training on 'txistu', and shortly afterwards on accordion. Later he was to make his own the contrasting world of contemporary accordion and avant-garde music at the Higher Conservatory of San Sebastian, where he won the final-year prize. He took part in several international competitions in Europe and undertook further study at Le Thor in France.

His first commercial recordings of jazz accordion, clearly influenced by the French accordionist Richard Galliano, were made in 1988 - LEHENENGO GELTOKIAN and 1991 - KOLLAGE.

He set up 'HAT' (Hernani Accordion Group), which between 1987 and 1991 performed a repertoire of classical chamber music and also recorded LIBERTANGO - In Memoriam (1991) as a tribute to Astor Piazzolla.

Since 1985 he has combined his work as teacher at the Hernani Music School with a great number of collaborations with singers and musicians (Javier Alvarez, Suso Saiz, Jorge Drexler, Txomin Artola, Amaia Zubiria, Oskorri, Kepa Junkera, Joseba Tapia, Xabier Lete, Imanol, Paco Ibaņez, Anje Duhalde, Diego Vasallo, L.E.Aute, Alberto Iglesias, Dulce Pontes, Alasdair Fraser & Skyedance, Bingen Mendizabal, Joan Valent, Pasion Vega, Antton Valverde, Xabier Euzkitze, Andoni Egaņa, Mikel Laboa, etc.. ) both in the Basque Country and at national level, in addition to composing and performing music for many plays and television programmes.

In the area of traditional music he has had two parallel careers: with ALBOKA, the traditional folk group with whom he has played over a hundred live concerts and made three records (Alboka 1995 , Bi beso lur - 1998 and Lorius - 2001); and with Juan Mari Beltran (EGURRAREN ORPOTIK DATOR... in 1993 and BETI TTUN-TTUN in 1998), in the field of musical experiment and recycling in a studio context in collaboration with producer-guitarist Suso Saiz, another of the artists who have left their mark on his artistic life. In 1997 he recorded QUARTET live and ELEKTRO PSYCHODELIC FILM MUSIC REMIX (2000) with Suso.

Since LIBERTANGO, Joxan has also continued to produce works combining visual images with words and music: AMETSAREN BIDEA (1994) , METROPOLIS (1995) and SUPERNOVA (2000) led to GOAZEN LAGUN (1996), his, and the Basque Country's, first multimedia work combining CD audio and CD-Rom. This latter project led him to create AZTARNA, a record label devoted to issuing works by Basque artists in CD audio + CD-Rom format. .

Credit card orders are placed on a secure server.