h3o

h3o is the meeting of three long-standing musicians who freely travel through contemporary Jazz and avant-garde music. On the one hand, pianist Sorkunde Idigoras artistic curiosity, founder and director along with Alberto Lizarralde of Jazzle, first Jazz and contemporary music school founded in the Basque Country, renowned Plaza festival and promoter, "Zirrara" record  label  publisher along with Alberto Lizarralde del seal. Focusing her career on creating and collaborating on different artistic projects, she is a teacher at the Basque Country Higher Music Center. On the other hand, drummer Hasier Oleaga, has frequented different styles until he became a reference in local Jazz scene as a player and creator. Mugalariak member, he has released several records and has collaborated with artists such as Ruper Ordorika, Iñaki Salvador and Mikel Andueza, among others.  Trizak band member and collaborator with countless artists such as Organik’s, RS Faktor, Travellin Brothers, saxophonist Julen Izarra is another point of reference of the most recent Basque Jazz scene.

Recorded and mixed by Freddy Peláez at Pottoko Studios in Beasain in November 2019 and produced by Alberto Lizarralde, this record suggests experimentation beyond a mere Jazz label conception right from the beginning,  permanently displaying the unexpected, breaking any rule if  needed to play along harmonic structures and go back to the rule, only just to break them again. "Sad Circus” paradox precedes "S3 ... and 4", both signed by Sorkunde Idígoras in this perfect three musician’s interrelation searching for the unsuspected every personal creativity speaking in a single common language. Hasier Oleaga signs “Cronopio busca esperanza” ("Cronopio seeks hope"), a small tribute to the Argentinean writer, Júlio Cortázar and unequivocal proof of the record spirit, permanently removed from conventionalisms or predictable structures. Along the line, Julen Izarra proposes “Labyrinth” in addition to his particular tribute to Sonny Rollins' creativity in “Rollins”. One of the great values about this work is its impeccable production and execution, in addition to the distribution of authorship in the songs, where the magic displayed by each and every author awaits in every corner for the listener eager for surprise. "Ezin saihestu eta larri" ("Rushed for not being able to avoid it"). Written by Oleaga, conducted by Ibarra’s saxophone in his introduction along with Idígoras on piano, we are taken to the lands of the unknown  just about to close the perfect circle with three compositions signed by Sorkunde, “Laket” (“Pleasant, friendly”), “Ziklo 1”, a title that refers to double bass player Gonzalo Tejada first album published on Jazzle's “Zirrara” label, where Sorkunde participated, ending up with  “Telmo y yo” magical surrealism.

 H3O speaks the language of the moment. The moment is now and it is unknown, avant-garde contemporary jazz if you like, but this record is the brave result of three musicians eternal concern about achieving the beauty of the ephemeral,  the unique, the unlearned but most of all the unrepeatable.