ISSUE #5
ALBUM REVIEW /
THEMNGRMAG.COM
JULY 2019
J
uan Dhas is a young jazz guitarist from Colombia. Born in Dubai to a Colombian mother and Indian father, he began playing guitar at the age of 12. He attended Berklee College of Music, where he was accepted on a scholarship in 2011, and graduated at the age of 20 in 2014. His debut album Embracing Clarity was released just before his graduation and was described as very impressive, particularly in view of the musical maturity that was displayed. Juan returned to Bogotá in 2016 and still lives there, teaching at EMMAT where he is the coordinator of the Guitar Department, and performing regularly with local Colombian musicians. His second album Catharsis, was inspired by a difficult time of his life when he was in Maryland, US, and after going through a less creative 18-month patch, he started composing again and ideas “seemed to flow very naturally”, he says and “as a result the process of writing this album became very cathartic, hence the title”. At that point, he returned to Colombia and became aware that he had put together a body of work that he was very happy with. This album was recorded at Audiovision Studios in Bogotá, Colombia and features 9 tracks: 1. Reverie, 2. Deeper Spirit, 3. Alma, 4. Showers over a Silent Lake, 5. If Only I Could, 6. Story of Night, 7. Conscience, 8. Beacons, 9. Sleep. Ranging from 2’48 to 10 minute-long compositions, the tracks are more deliberately composed by comparison to his previous album, containing more single melodic lines and more adventurous harmonies. Juan describes his inspiration as coming from composers such as Debussy, Ravel, and of course jazz. When I listen to his music, I hear a sound that is reminiscent of the ECM Jazz label, creating space, an airy atmosphere and crisp, crystal-clear production. In order to achieve this of course one needs not
15
only a great recording studio and great engineer but also a set of extremely creative and very accomplished players. Accompanying and interacting with Juan on guitar, Kike Harker is on double bass and Ramón Berrocal on drums, with the exception of the track ‘Story of Night’ featuring Jacobo Álvarez on drums. The album is produced by Juan Dhas and co-produced by Anthony Muthurajah. This guitar trio format does remind me of the Gateway Trio, and as Juan says himself: “The ECM stuff is always a treat!” Phew, I was relieved that he didn’t mind my comparison of his playing and sound to the late John Abercrombie’s (my favourite jazz guitarist). The reminiscence that Juan’s music brings me is no doubt due to a similar approach to music that John Abercrombie had, one where creativity and exploration of time and sound are more important than showing off, or prioritising the display of technique over feel, speed over fluidity. Don’t take me wrong, there are no apologies to be made, this band has the technical chops but what you hear first is the beauty of the music, the adventurous melodies, cleverly going into new modes and taking unexpected turns, changing feels, dynamics, while the written themes and improvisation ebb and flow into one another, creating a soundscape that brings joy.
