Recording...

I have just finished recording the debut album of OPAZ, a music group that performs Turkish Romani music, that fiery, sexy, mad and melancholic music that makes people dance all night...

Nicki Maher, the leader of the band, is an upcoming amazing musician whose clarinet playing is every day more and more inspiring, transporting you to that very place that you don't know quite sure where it is but you feel it in your heart...

Charlie Cawood is the musician bringing that fresh, groovy creative bass lines that are very distinctive and original, making the music even more interesting.

Morag Brown on violin...oh...what can I say... her sound made my heart ache and breathe, my whole body shake... she can play Classical Western music, Scottish folk and Romani Turkish music as genuinely as any person born in those traditions... Our Turkish sound engineer and percussionist told her that she played exactly like those Romani in Turkey... It was so overpowering listening to her lines during the recording session. She definitely left a mark in my soul.

And last but not least... Numan Elyer. OMG... who can stop this man's fingers playing like horses on a race, like hungry fire, like...well...you get the picture... At least on darbuka, this man is unstoppable and his background on South Indian sulkatu and gatham makes his playing trickier and more striking... 'Where the hell is your 'DUM'?' I would say to my self... and I still complain about it I must say, but he certainly knows his tradition and his playing. I am learning a lot from him and now I enjoy my davul and riqq playing more :)

OPAZ album to be released this year... no dates so far, so keep an eye on here...

Aprender enseñando. Learning through teaching

He visto que he aprendido muchisimo enseñando a los demás el tambor árabe o la lengua española; o cuando trato de explicar algo a alguien como que el proceso me hace ver cosas que antes no veía... Y los estudiantes también pueden llegar a observar y expresar otro punto de vista, otras ideas acerca de cómo aprender lo que estan aprendiendo, lo cual me ayuda a mi también a ver y aprender de otra manera :)
También he visto que me llena de inmenso placer y gratitud el ver como mis estudiantes quieren aprender y se esfuerzan por ello, con entuciasmo y dedicacion :)


I have observed that I have learnt a lot through teaching others Arabic drumming or Spanish language; or it seems like when I try to explain something to someone, the process itself makes me see things differently or see what before I could not see :) and students can also come up with new ideas and new ways of thinking about what they are learning which in turn nurtures me as well :)

I have also seen and felt how much it fulfils me with pleasure and gratitude to see my students dedicate so much time and energy to learn to play the instrument or to speak the language; to see them smiling and really wanting to learn :)

Que hay que perder? 'What is to be lost/give away?

Cuerpo, emociones, atencion, observacion, desatar, sentir, ser... dejar cada dia el dialogo que te ata a la negatividad y desconfianza en ti misma... que hay que perder?? me pregunto.... que hay que perder? :)

Body, emotions, attention, observation... Untangle, feel, being... let go of the dialogue that attaches you to being negative and distrusting towards yourself. What is it to be lost? I ask myself, what do i lose by letting go? :)