Strings And Air

Playing music with only six nylon strings and a bit of air: What sounds like fragments of musical stopgaps at first impression once again becomes a masterpiece of minimalist virtuosity and unpretentious emotionalism in the hands of Grammy winner Hernán Romero. Following the celebrated "Tres Caras de una Moneda" with Hernán's mother Estela Raval and Al di Meola as well as Jerry Marottaof from Peter Gabriel's band, the guitarist of Spanish ancestry born in Argentina and currently living in New York presents an album together with the Lithuanian soprano saxophonist Kestas Vaiginis that is full of breathtaking facets, which creates a great effect precisely due to its airy, celebrated minimalism. However, the brothers in spirit do not want to palm off any superficial crackers from all-too-well-known folklore clichés on their listeners. Instead, "Strings and Air" proves to be a carefully crafted sound journey, which takes listeners past Romero's known references classic, jazz, Latin American harmonies, flamenco, oriental and Mediterranean folk music and at some point even shortens this distance to the Baltic States to a bar line. The two do not take an earthy business trip, but instead a journey defying gravity without superfluous noises and interruptions caused by faded childhood memories, thoughts, hopes and disappointments. Each of the eight songs seems to float in a special way and disseminates a wondrous scent of melancholy and depth. For Hernán Romero, this is another step from flamenco-related improviser to a string magician open to all styles, a path that he has been following consistently since he moved to New York in 1986. He soon met the best guitarists in the interface between jazz and folklore in the Big Apple. World famous colleagues such as Paco de Lucia and John McLaughlin became Hernán's friends, with whom he played alongside on equal terms. He developed a very personal professional relationship above all with Al di Meola. Sixteen albums document the very fruitful collaboration of these two exceptional musicians. Hernán Romero attracted special attention with his recordings for the series "Live at Trinity Church", the lyrical style of which influenced many other guitarists. On the album "Un Segundo Una Vida", which was awarded a Grammy, Romero merged his jazz touch influenced by flamenco and Latin with the complex orchestration of a chamber orchestra. His CD "Duende" achieved sixth place on the Billboard Charts in the area of World Music. Kestutis "Kestas" Vaiginis is one of the most gifted saxophonists of the young generation in Lithuania. The 36 year old fascinates above all thanks to his clear, controlled sound, his lyric and passion. Vaiginis got his initial polishing at the conservatory in Wilna, completed classical studies later and received a Master's degree from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater. After continuing his studies at the Manhattan School of Music, among other places, the saxophonist quickly became established in the Lithuanian jazz scene, and he has performed at important national, French, Dutch and Italian festivals. As musical partners alongside of Hernán Romero, Barbara Dennerlein, Daniel Messina and David Berkman appreciate above all his talent and sensitivity.