16/03/2010

Jazz in Chile: Christian Gálvez



Christian Gálvez is another one of the prime movers and shakers of the Chilean jazz scene. At only 33 (by complete chance, today it's his birthday), this bass virtuoso has been around. Ten years ago, at age 23, he was awarded the national prize, "Altazor", to the best player in Chile. The other highlight of his career, as the tells in the video, happened in 2006, when fellow bassman Stanley Clarke snatched him as soon as he heard him, and took him around the world (you can see them both jamming the blues here, from 6:40 onwards, in a very long version of Clarke's "If This Bass Could Only Talk").

The clip above is part of the jazz_cl series, and in it Gálvez explains his work method (composing, forming a band, touring, recording, in that order). He also thinks that jazz musicians are the most proficient, for their technique, melodic and harmonic sense, arguing that they get all the session work. After some scenes at the recording studio and the live take of "Redentor", Gálvez appears in his car explaining how he toured with Clarke around the world and how he decided, after more than a year to go back to his family in Chile.

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