Claudio Nunez - six albums
Avant-garde jazz guitarist Claudio Nunez is well represented in the netlabel scene. He has no less than six free online albums on two netlabels, MW Recordings and Clinical Archives. The Buenos Aires based musician has a sound that reminds me a little of Nels Cline yet really sounds like so one else. Definitely jazz but also influenced by Argentinian music and post-classical, these six albums are essential listening for any jazz or modern music fan.
Odd Times, Uneven Dreams may be a good place to start. The small ensemble is intimate and dream inducing. It also may be the most accessible of his albums. Nunez likes flowing lines that are quite melodic. “Nine Deceased Reds” is a fine example of this. However all six tracks contains some very creative improvisation. Barking At The Wrong Tree offers two 30 minutes tracks of free improvisations plus an original composition all played on acoustic piano. His keyboard playing is quite good. The influence of Argentinian music, especially the tango, is quite evident on this album. Both of these albums come from WM recordings.
Clinical Archives houses four additional albums. Solos Vols. 1 and 2 are solo guitar works. Again there is a fascinating mix of Latin American sounds and the avant-garde, sort of a tango guitarist dueling with Derek Bailey. Recently added to the Clinical Archive roster is Mas Cerca Del Arpa Que de la Guitarra. It is another highly recommended two tracks of solo guitar improvisations. All three of these solo albums attest to Nunez’s impressive virtuosity on his instrument
Lastly, Free Jazz on Monday, Free Jazz on Sunday, also from Clinical Archives is sort of a jam and possibly live. I’m not sure of the instrumentation on this, but I’m reasonably sure the accordion sounding instrument is a Bandoneon. This is again a nice combination of improvised jazz and the traditional music of Argentina.
All album are available in MP3 format.
Download
Barking At The Wrong Tree
Odd Times, Uneven Dreams
Solos 1
Solos 2
Mas Cerca Del Arpa Que de la Guitarra
Free Jazz on Monday, Free Jazz on Sunday
Thank you for your comments, I like to add that the small ensemble is not live or “ensemble” since I play all the instruments, but the process is very much free improvisations that pile one instrument after another in real time improvisations (with myself to paraphrase those beatiful Bill Evans albums). I also work with compositions written down, but those albums are not on line. Hugs from Buenos Aires, Claudio
Comment by Anonymous — October 6, 2009 @ 4:20 pm
Thank you for the clarification. It is an excellent album regardless.
BTW. was that a Bandoneon?
Comment by Marvin — October 6, 2009 @ 4:28 pm
No, actually is a melodica, something that I use as my fake bandoneon (since the bandoneon it’s an instrument that I don’t play & the little game is that I should make noise with all my toys= the melodica is the closest thing). Bye Marvin, Claudio
Comment by Anonymous — October 6, 2009 @ 10:27 pm
Claudio - great albums, thanks for your work!
Comment by Paul C — October 9, 2009 @ 3:14 pm