A supergroup with band spirit although the four are leaders of their own projects. Artists from the forefront of the Buenos Aires jazz scene, gathered under the unspoken acronym URMG. Juan Cruz de Urquiza on trumpet, William Romero on piano, Javier Malosetti on electric bass and Oscar Giunta on drums are one of the most fascinating proposals in current jazz music.

The beginning of this project started with Giuntawho summoned Romero and Malosetti in July last year, in the midst of a pandemic, for a trio and thus play outside of their projects.

“We came from not playing or playing very little because of the pandemic and the possibility of coming together to make music seemed very good to me. In addition, we would meet on various projects”, said the pianist who was with Urquiza and Giunta, chatted with Clarionon Bebop, where this Friday, April 15, they will do a double feature, at exactly 10:00 pm and 0:30 am

He came as a guest and stayed

Shortly after the meeting, they decided to meet a guest at each presentation and the chosen one was Urquiza, who became part of this project that started warmly with a repertoire of standards that had as major compositions by Jerome Kern (1885-1945).

Romero pointed out: “I studied this composer a lot and I thought of his songs with their own arrangements. Coincidentally Urquiza has a very interesting song arrangement in rhythm. Everything You Are, which is from Kern and so we compiled the material; the idea was to make standards and we expanded on other composers like Herbie Hancock, Thad JonesWayne Shorter, Sonny Rollins and Lenny White”.

Both Giunta, Romero and Urquiza agreed that from the first performances at Thelonious the group sounded good and there was no shortage of dates for play or tours to be done in the interior of the country. In a short time toperformed in Salta, San Juan, Neuquén, Junín, Bahía Blanca and Mendozalast weekend.

“We play the songs we like best. There was only one test with all those arrangements, but then we started playing very often and we never did. We’re betting on putting together a show where the list hasn’t changed, but the changes are the way they play and that’s very interesting, ”Romero said.

“I really like doing it that way; sometimes people get bored with songs and change the repertoire, but they sound the same and what’s boring is the form”, the pianist added.

Four talented jazzmen

Urquiza is a talented trumpet player, with a consistent soundsilver with strong melodic creativity; Romero is an artist of extreme swingwith personal language and phrases; Malosetti, meanwhile, is one of the figures of local jazz with amazing rhythmic authority and an open approach that puts the bass as the single instrument and Giunta, a creative drummerrhythmically solid and a solid technique.

Four creative improvisers who create a particular charm on stage.

“The novelty is that this Friday we are going to make original music with compositions by the four of us; heThe idea of ​​the group came in to record”, Urquiza advances and thus confirms the projection that this supergroup has today, with less than a year of activity.

“Maybe in May, at the Sonorámica studio, at Mina Clavero; a great studio ”, added the drummer and a tour of Córdoba is already planned to stay close to the studio.

The original music they will perform has plenty of space to improvise, almost one of the hallmarks of this supergroup. Of the brand new songs that will be presented this Friday, there are those with names like URMG Bluesfrom Romero and frame, by Malosetti; Urquiza, a theme with a certain rhythmic complexity, is still unbaptized.

“From the beginning we saw a very clear sound” Giunta said- and that grows into gigs. The group allows us to make music with very careful treatment and we sound with a very jazzy approach. , even more filling because of the electric bass “.

group without leader

-Four important actors within the local scene, how do they live together in this supergroup?

Giunta: No leader, there are elements given secretly; instead we live a communionthere are no personal issues involved and there is a balance that makes the music seamless.

Urquiza: The four of us have a long history of playing together at different times and proposals, never with the four of us, but between us on shows and recordings. We share a lot of history and that gives us an affinity that came long ago.

“The meeting had a strong bond, an idea of ​​a band was formed together space for everyone to contribute musical ideas, topics and even dates. We work collectively ”, Urquiza concluded.

Each of the four members also maintains their own projects, some, as in Urquiza, with significant activity in clubs. On March 25, the trumpeter presented his tenth album half truthin a foursome with guests and the surprise of her debut as a singer in one of the compositions.

For his part, Romero continues his trio while Giunta already maintains a legendary OG Supertrío, both proposals having a strong anchor in repertoires based on standards.

Malosetti, for his part, maintains his trio Javier Malosetti & La Colonia who, in 2020, released their album with the same name.

wd