Andrea Motis: "Brazilian music has a special 'flow'"

BarcelonaA Brazilian perfume accompanies some songs byIntimate (Elemental, 2026), the album just released by Andrea Motis (Barcelona, ​​1995). After more elaborately produced albums and more visceral shows, such as the one she dedicated to Amy Winehouse, the singer and trumpeter from the Sant Andreu neighborhood has sought the warmth of Josep Traver and Jurandir dã Silva's guitars. The three of them, along with cellist Jaques Morelenbaum, will premiere the album live at the Paral·lel 62 venue this Sunday, March 1st, at 7:30 pm, as part of the Barcelona Jazz Festival program.

Brazilian music has always been a reference point for you. What does Brazil give you?

— There's a certain linguistic affinity between us, due to our shared Latino heritage. I was raised on American music, but it's also true that Brazilian music has been very present in our music since the rise of the [unspecified movement/culture]. new bagAnd the percussion is closer than it seems. I think it has a flow It's special, I wouldn't even know how to define it, but it's something that almost everyone can understand and that makes it very appealing. Brazilian music has a lot of personality. What's more, it's incredibly rich. It's as rich as jazz, really. It's not a world limited to new bag or in samba. It's a whole musical universe, and it always has a lot of flow.

One of the album's unique features is the absence of percussion. It's essentially a trio of guitar, vocals, and trumpet. And Jaques Morelenbaum's cello appears on a couple of tracks. How did you decide on that format?

— It came about quite by chance. We'd been wanting to do a duo album with Josep [Traver] for a long time. We recorded several tracks. We also finished a couple of original songs with Jurandir [Da Silva]; he composed the music and I wrote the lyrics, and we thought it would be really cool to have a recording of these tracks, which were completely new. So, I had two recordings in the works. Then my manager told me he thought it would be a good project to combine these two things that were coming up at the same time, and that bringing these two guitar talents together would allow me to play concerts. As a reference, he mentioned that Dianne Reeves had also done a very iconic guitar trio project. With all this in mind, we went ahead and recorded duets with both Josep and Jurandir, enriching the album with trio songs and with Jaques's collaboration. And we're working together on the live shows.

The Brazilian influence is very prominent on the album, with songs by Chico Buarque and Djavan, but there are also other influences such as Joan Manuel Serrat, Georges Brassens, Silvio Rodríguez...

— Yes, there are different references, both geographical and stylistic: from Elizabeth Cotten, of whom we make Freight train...even Georges Brassens, whose music we played Je suis fait all small. I also have a song by Jacob Coller, Little blue. It ranges from American music from a century ago to songs by Jacob from two years ago, in addition to the original and previously unreleased compositions that have just come out. There's a wide variety. And Brazilian music too, both very new and older.

Why do you choose precisely My bed is madeWhat is a very beautiful song by Silvio Rodríguez?

— Yes, I love it. Josep and I had played together a few times. Cloud tailIt's very beautiful, very sweet. And I think it was Josep himself who told me, "I just heard another Silvio Rodríguez song I didn't know." He shared it with me, and when I heard it, I said, "I'd love to do it." I've fallen in love with that song. It's one of my favorites to sing these days. Wow, being able to play it with Josep, too, I love it.

Little by littleYou've already played Joan Manuel Serrat's song live, haven't you?

— Yes, I've performed it live and we'll also be performing it at Sunday's concert. It has an arrangement for cello by Jaques, which is stunning.

To tie it in with other projects you have, you start the album with You sent me flyingby Amy Winehouse.

— Yes, that's how I link one thing to the other. The concept of the album Intimate It's about intimacy, and I think these small formats suit me very well. And I also like the concept of playlistThe idea is to convey a lasting atmosphere, rather than a journey filled with tremors.

Had festival performances distanced you somewhat from that more intimate format?

— I've also done festivals in an intimate setting, but it's true that the two previous albums, Loopholes and FebruaryThey are large formats. Loopholes It's just a quintet, but it has a lot of production and a lot of electronics, making it sound very powerful. February It's very delicate and more tranquil, but it's a supergroup. In that sense, I did prefer a smaller format. And with Intimate I'm going back much more to my roots, because Josep is the musician I've played with the most, and we have a sound that's closer to what people know from our early days. But beyond that, I've chosen the songs because I like them, and in a very intuitive way, I think they connect, they fit together, they work, and that it can be beautiful.

Of these seventeen songs, are there any that you think your audience might not know and that you would like them to know?

— I love incorporating discoveries like the ones I was telling you about, such as My bed is madewhich I don't think is very well known, or Beatriz. I'm also really excited to bring back to life songs that perhaps aren't being played much, at least in my circle.