'AUTANA TRIO' PLAYED ‘MATISSE CLUB’ IN VALENCIA (EXCLUSIVE PHOTOGRAPHIC REPORT) • 24/7 Valencia

On Sunday night, the public were treated to an intimate night with ‘Autana Trio’. They are a locally-based global Latin jazz band. They played at ‘Matisse Club’ in the studenty Ciutat Jardi barrio of Valencia. Here, we saw master musicians from far away corners of the globe joining together and playing original instrumentation for rather distinctive compositions too.

Celebrating their new 10 track self-titled debut release, the repertoire was bright, intricate and inspiring. Both cerebral and visceral, the music has soul. According to their press, the trio’s name Autana comes from the indigenous ‘Piaroa’ dialect (an indigenous language of Colombia and Venezuela) and means the “Tree of Life”. They explained: “This is a poetic reference to life and the connection of its members with instrumental music and cultural diversity.”

The trio of Rafinha Barros (Brazil) playing bandolim and cavaquinho, Marcel Montcourt (Venezuela) on the Venezuelan cuatro and Ricardo Osorno (Colombia) on electric bass offers a unique blend of acoustic and electric instrumentation. Osorno’s bass weaves a melodically jazz rhythm, countering Barros and Montourt’s folk instruments.

Marcel, Rainha and Ricardo, the young virtuous musicians, have masterfully integrated the best of their native countries: Columbia, Brazil and Venezuela. This amalgamation intertwines with the harmonic nuances of their new home; Spain, bringing forth a profound musical experience and maturity. When we add to this their distinctive jazz touch, Autana Trio stands out as one of the most authentic and sophisticated proposals in the current scene. I foresee a promising future for them.

Omar Acosta is a Grammy nominated and Global Music award recipient musician, composer, educator and producer. Guest artists joining them on stage were singer Lili Del Sol (Colombia) and later flautist Omar Acosta (Venezuela / Spain). Categorized by their record label as World Music, they truly represent multicultural backgrounds. This is recognition of their cultural blend through music. Worth checking out.