24/7 VALENCIA: Could you tell us something about your musical education and also about your influences?
EDUARD MARQUINA-SELFA: Of course, as in countless cases, I started in music thanks to my parents (both music teachers, my mother is a singer and my father a saxophonist). At the age of five, together with my brother at the age of three, we started playing the piano and the violin respectively, thus creating a musical family that was not only based on musical interpretation. We have all been very involved in choral singing and have been in countless groups with which we have learnt a lot.
As far as formal and/or academic musical training is concerned, I started with the Suzuki methodology (a lot of imitation and ear work) until I entered the conservatory, where I first completed the superior classical piano course and then the jazz course. I finished my training with a master’s degree in musical research.
My influences, as is normal, have varied over the years, influenced by my study needs. Starting chronologically and summarizing a lot, I could say that in my most classical period, I was very influenced by the compositions of Beethoven and Chopin…and great interpreters such as Sviatoslav Richter, Claudio Arrau, Vladimir Horowitz among others.
Later on, I became interested in jazz and all its aspects, and I must confess that I was initially enraptured by swing. Pianists like Fats Waller and Errol Garner fascinated me, and before long I found myself listening to other pianists like Red Garland, Bill Evans, Chick Corea, Ethan Iverson, Brad Mehldau… among others.
However, I must also confess that sometimes I have felt more influenced by the compositions of musicians like Cole Porter or Benny Golson, than by the interpretations themselves. I would also like to comment that I have felt very drawn to musicians from my city, from whom I have learnt a lot such as: Albert Sanz, Matt Baker, Sergio Martínez, Sara Dowling and Albert Palau.
Please tell us in detail about your album, ‘Carpesa Estesa’.
if I remember correctly, I should start by saying that ‘Carpesa Estesa’ has been nominated for the Carles Santos 2022 awards. It is the most personal work I have, given that all the compositions are my own, and although I tried to draw on all the influences that shaped me as a pianist, I always tried to give it my personal stamp.
It is a synthesis of different inspirations, all of them composed in Carpesa (a small town near Valencia). Inspirations range from the dark blue of the sunset to the classical music I played for so many years, passing through collaborations with flamenco musicians and rhythmic-harmonic research. Together with Sergio Martínez (percussion) and Matt Baker (double bass), I tried to reflect this palette of colours.
Tell us about your love for swing and your work with ‘Dómisol Sisters’…
Well, my ‘love for swing’ started before I decided to begin my deeper learning of jazz. I find it a sophisticated music, easy to listen to for any kind of audience and rich in resources. That’s why I have always been very grateful to dedicate all that time to it to understand the foundations of the musical styles that would follow. Moreover, it was during the time of the ‘Lindy hop’ boom here in Valencia and it was in this way that I was able to train and give concerts at the same time.
Dómisol Sisters is a group that more or less started around this time, where the group’s repertoire was originally based on those swing standards from the 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s. At the beginning I was a collaborating pianist in the group, but little by little, due to the same evolution of the group, I ended up being the musical director and arranger, in addition to the role I already played.
It has been a group in which I have developed a lot the facet of arranger/composer (sometimes the two are not so far apart) and little by little we have continued to explore other styles, not only swing.
What do you think of Valencia as a place to live and work as a musician?
I have mixed feelings about this question. As in the rest of Spain, I think there is a huge lack of legislation that really defends the rights and duties of musicians. Their day-to-day needs, sick leave regulations, precarious invoicing… and a long list that goes on and on.
Now, focusing on Valencia, and leaving legislation aside, I see pros and cons based on the following reflection.
A priori, Valencia is the ‘terra de músics’ and if we start from that premise we deduce two things: there are many professional activities to access and there are a large number of musicians. From here I can tell you my personal experience:
Regarding the number of opportunities when it comes to playing, it is true that they do exist, although there are some big buts. Personally, I have studied two advanced degrees at the conservatory and in the 8 years that this training lasted, at no time was I taught how to invoice. How can I face the professional world if I don’t know how to start? By trial and error and the corresponding fines that this can entail?
We can also talk about the aid that can be obtained in this city in relation to music. As in many other matters, they have been used as a political weapon between one side and the other, and this has repercussions on the musician, giving value to certain characteristics that are not musical. What generates this situation is that the musician who really needs the help, not having the infrastructure behind him cannot apply for it, and on the other hand, established music companies (most of them based on entertainment and not on culture) get these aids that were supposed to be destined for small entrepreneurs. I have tried to summarise a personal experience without trying to give many specific details, since this question alone could be another whole interview; although I would like to say that when I applied for one of these grants, I ended up telling the contact person: “You ask me so many requirements to get this grant, that if I had them, I wouldn’t need you to give it to me”. She agreed with me, she was just an employee in the service of political guidelines.
Continuing with the analysis of the number of musicians that live in Valencia per square metre, I think we can also find a double-edged sword. It is fantastic the weight that music has in society and how it nourishes the day-to-day life of a large number of groups: bands, choirs, ensembles… but it also has some drawbacks.
Sometimes we confuse professionalism with amateurism. Accustomed to the fact that there are musicians who play in exchange for a sandwich, it is then surprising to ask for decent salaries for professional musicians in a medium-sized circuit. And this is where I think the city should improve with the mid-range circuit. There is a great polarisation between the big concert halls: Palau de les Arts, Palau de la Música, Teatro Principal… and the more modest clubs. I think it would be good to go for something in between where one can carve out a career, as a professional musician with dignity.
Do you have other projects in which you are involved?
Well, the truth is that I do: ‘Tecles i cordes’, and ‘Kiumars & Eduard’.
The first one is based on original compositions from a more classical point of view, although jazz inevitably appears. It is a string quintet and piano ensemble. I was lucky enough to present my first work from this project in Morelia (Mexico) together with the Tzintzuni orchestra, and relatively recently I released the first sextet album in its entirety on all platforms. It is a project where I have also tried to be influenced by Valencian popular music.
‘Kiumars & Eduard’ is the project with which I have recorded ‘Standard Session Vol.II’, recently released on all platforms. It is a duo with Kiumars Vahedi, a baritone with a fascinating facility for improvisation where we dared to record with my standard session collection. The idea is to record jazz standards but without too much arrangement. We met up one day and recorded. So, I think there can be no greater honesty in music production. It’s a way of dealing with reality, without tweaking. Either the take is good or it’s not.
What are your plans for this spring and summer in terms of live music?
I’ve just recently been collaborating with the Orquesta de Valencia and the Valencia Symphonic Band. We have a small tour with Dómisol Sisters, at the end of February and beginning of March performing in Villareal, Benimaclet, Callosa d’Ensarrià and Ondara. Towards the end of March we will present the album ‘Kiumars & Eduard’ at La Vitti.
Regarding MARQUINA-SELFA trio, we are organising a series of concerts that will start on the 7th of August at the music festival in Potries.
Interview by Will McCarthy
Article copyright ‘24/7 Valencia’
More info: https://eduardmarquinaselfa.com/
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