Biography

THE MUSICIANS

Teresa Zabalza (piano, Pamplona 1972) studied advanced music at the Pablo Sarasate Conservatory in Pamplona. She later moved to Barcelona, where she studied with Joan Monné and Martí Ventura, among others. She has played with groups such as the London Jazz Sextet, Q-Bop, and the Big Band of the Music Workshop, where she also gave piano and music theory classes. It was there that she first met the musicians with whom she now plays, and with whom she has recorded this album, which features mainly her own compositions.

Alejandro Mingot (guitar, Alicante 1975) brings new life to the Spanish jazz guitar scene, ranking alongside musicians such as Dani Perez (with whom he studied at the Barcelona Music Workshop) or Jordi Bonell, with echoes of Kurt Rosenwinkel, John Scofield or Bill Frisell etc. He has played with groups such as Collage, Maixa, Asian Food Store and Heckler, and has collaborated in recordings by Sant Pau 44 and Ballcock. He also has his own trio. He currently combines both these projects with his work as a lecturer in jazz guitar at the Pamplona Advanced Conservatory.

Hasier Oleaga (drums, Bilbao 1979), with his incredible energy combined with delicate subtly, was a musician before he became a percussionist, something which marks a good drummer as a cut above the rest. Projects have begun raining down on him, and there are doubtless many more waiting in the wings! Ortophonk, Victor de Diego, Heckler, Mikel Andueza, Gonzalo Tejada, Iñaki Salvador, Mikel Laboa, Sant Pau 44…

Iosu Izagirre (double bass, Vitoria-Gasteiz 1974) is already a young veteran of the Basque music scene, constantly in demand by Gari, Mikel Urdangarín, Ruper Ordorika, Maixa and Bingen Mendizabal, among others. He played with Alejandro Mingot and Hasier Oleaga in Sant Pau 44, the Victor de Diego Quartet and Asian Food Store and is currently a member of the Iñaki Salvador trio, with whom he is preparing Mikel Laboa’s new album.