SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2025
Maddison Pack at the “XXIV JAZZ CLUB”. Jaca Congress Palace
Last March 8th, we had the privilege of inaugurating the XXIV edition of the "Club de Jazz" festival at the Palacio de Congresos in Jaca. Our performance focused on the presentation of our latest album, "Abril 1959" (released in April 2024), although our repertoire also included tracks from the preceding album, "626 Club." For this concert, we decided to challenge ourselves and try to go further: to achieve a greater interpretative depth in these musical pieces, seeking improvisations of a more extensive and free nature, with the intention of taking our cohesion and capacity for interaction as an ensemble to a higher level. The challenge was to achieve a state of musical immersion that transcended formal execution, delving into the realm of melodic improvisation, spontaneous harmonization, and rhythmic exploration, defining elements of the jazz language.
The initial challenge was exciting, exhilarating… would we manage to reach that state of flow where the music completely absorbs us? And more importantly, would we be able to convey that experience and connect with the audience that accompanied us that evening?
We began the concert with "First Song" (from “626 Club”). With a completely free introduction, we transitioned into this agitated meter piece with bebop and modal influences. We didn't want to start the concert halfway, but at full throttle. With the tracks "Pink Sauce Tears" (from "626 Club"), "Evans' Smile," and "Alleyway" (both from “Abril 1959”), we articulated the most challenging and jazzy imprint of the repertoire.
As the concert progressed, the connection between us musicians, as well as the connection between the band and the attending audience, clearly increased in intensity, “in crescendo.” Undoubtedly, both our rendition of Gershwin's "Summertime," with intentional nods to the style and sound of Sidney Bechet, and the strategically placed performance of blues tracks reinforced these connections. Our foray into blues territories was with Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments," and our "Whisky, Freddy and me" (from the album "Abril 1959"), a track that already in the middle section of the concert, with the four of us very connected, evolved into a visceral, primal, wild blues and jazz moment, which confirmed that we can reach a state of "mystical" connection, all being one on stage and with the auditorium. Difficult to explain in words.
In the growing intensity of the evening, the moment of pianistic introspection became inevitable. True to our custom, midway through the concert, Noel unfolded his magic improvising on the classic "You Look Good to Me," originally immortalized by the mastery of Oscar Peterson.
From a concert, the connection with the audience is the greatest reward that musicians can take away. The enthusiastic applause of the audience was the best confirmation that we had achieved our goal. Their warmth was such that we did not hesitate to return to the stage to offer an encore that we had not planned, we played a newly composed blues (it doesn't even have a title yet…) that will be part of our next EP dedicated to this genre. It was a premiere and a gift for the audience and for this great jazz festival.
The members of Maddison Pack: Ernesto Calvo (double bass), Noel Redolar (piano), Israel Tbilleja (drums), and Javier Calvo (clarinet and flute), wish to express our deep gratitude to the audience of Jaca for their attendance and their receptiveness. It was an honor for us to kick off the "Club de Jazz 2025" in a space of acoustic quality and cultural significance such as the Palacio de Congresos. We hope to have effectively shared our conception of jazz and generated a memorable listening experience for all those present. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming concerts, unique and unrepeatable sensory journeys: let yourselves go… believe us, it's well worth it.
Until next time, see you soon.
