Gonzalo Bergara is one of my favorite musicians ever. His music is pure joy, and his funny, outgoing personality makes it even better to hang out with him.
Aqui está a história completa. E lembrem-se... “Nunca desistam!” 😉
1 – What has inspired you to start playing music? Tell us about your influences and what was going on around you at the time.
Eu tinha 11 anos e vi um videoclip dos Guns and Roses. O Slash estava a ser elevado do fundo do oceano tocando uma Gibson Les Paul e fazendo todos aqueles sons de baleia com ela. 🙂 Nesse momento decidi que ia tocar guitarra. No entanto, ainda não fiz essa cena em particular.
2 - Quais são os seus projectos actuais?
The Gonzalo Bergara Quartet is finishing our 4th CD, “Claroscuro,” coming out in November 2015.
Back home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, we started a new electric project called “Zalo’s Blues”. It’s a power trio where I play guitar and sing a bit with very strong Texan blues and Hendrix influences.
We are also doing a show in a few weeks that features 12 of our compositions arranged for string quartet and guitar, a CD we will record next year.
3 – Since you’re an Argentinian guy, one must ask… what about Tango? Do you dance? 🙂 And do you relate Tango with Gypsy Jazz, in any way?
Eu não danço, e há muito pouco tango de que gosto atualmente. Mas tem estado na minha vida desde o início, de uma forma ou de outra, por isso podem ouvi-lo na minha música, mesmo quando por vezes não consigo.
The drama, the intensity, the passion, for lack of better words, that’s where it comes from. Astor Piazzolla’s music, call it tango or not, really motivated me to try to write better stuff all the time.
4 – Can you identify what key elements motivate you to practice guitar?
I have a bit of an obsessive personality, and jazz in general allows you to travel an endless road. I think it’s all about the constant gift of having the possibility of learning or discovering something new.
I’m very good at hearing my deficiencies, too, so that puts me into practice quite often.
5 – What were the biggest challenges you have faced to progress in your practice, performance, and musical career?
Eu diria para encontrar novas formas de atuar, para não ficar preso no mesmo sítio com as mesmas 8 frases. É muito fácil aborrecer-se a tocar as mesmas coisas vezes sem conta. Isto pode levar-nos a não ter vontade de praticar.
When you find something new, you start growing that ability, energy, and imagination that will, in some way, make you almost completely fall in love with your instrument all over again. I look for that every day and it’s tough.
6 - Juntou-se a Adrien Moignard num dos novos projectos mais excitantes do Gypsy Jazz (Clássico). Tell us about how this partnership was born and its dynamics, and its accomplishments so far.
I think in gypsy jazz, like it probably happens in all styles of music, there are many different styles inside that one style. Adrien and I spoke the same language, liked the same particular things in gypsy jazz.
It’s always a lot more fun to play with somebody you can connect with that way. So it’s easy, we like the same things, so we get together and jam, and have a good time.
7 - Lembras-te do teu processo de prática quando começaste a tocar? Quanto é que mudou ao longo dos anos?
I think the more I grew as a player and a person I started being a bit more thoughtful. Perhaps, as we get older, we don’t have the time we had before, so now I try to use my time a bit more wisely.
Today, if I’m about to sit down and practice, I’ll work on one of the things I know needs work. I think about what I’m going to practice before I sit down. Then I just play and let myself have a good time without thinking so much about the outcome.
(Gonzalo está de facto a falar de dois dos aspectos mais importantes da prática produtiva: PLANEAMENTO e PENSAMENTO DIFUSO. Mais sobre estes assuntos em posts futuros 😉 )
I still do that, but I also like putting my time into specific areas where I feel I could improve.
8 – How does a regular day in your life look like?
Se estou a viajar com a banda, é acordar, meter-me num carro, ir para o aeroporto, meter-me noutro carro, ir para o hotel, fazer o teste de som, comer, tocar no espetáculo, esperemos que depois haja uma reunião divertida e voltar para o hotel. Amanhã, a mesma coisa de novo.
Se estiver em casa, posso passar grande parte do dia a praticar, ou não praticar de todo. Tento fazer exercício, mexer com a minha mente e sentir-me melhor, como ler, estar com amigos, beber vinho, nada de extraordinário. Ouvir música, provavelmente sempre.
9 - Como é que equilibra o trabalho e o descanso?
Today I respect my desire; however, I feel. If I don’t want to play the guitar, I don’t. If I want to play it all day, I will.
10 – What are your plans and goals?
Este tem sido um ano muito ocupado para mim, em que trabalhei em três projectos completos. Gostaria de abrandar no próximo ano e talvez desfrutar de outras coisas, só para ter a certeza de que não me queimo demasiado.
11 - O Quarteto Gonzalo Bergara (re) introduz o elemento vocal e o violino na música manouche, mostrando que não se trata apenas de um estilo virtuoso de tocar guitarra. Isso foi algo que procurou deliberadamente ou simplesmente aconteceu?
I try to feature the best about everybody who works with me. Leah Zeger joined the band, and she had a fantastic technique and great vocal chords, so I just let things naturally go where they sound good. Whatever that may be.
12 – What key ingredients do you love to hear in the music you love?
Devo dizer: tempo, tom, imaginação, paixão, fogo e sensibilidade.
13 – You moved from Argentina to France, worked with Denis Chang (Canadian), played with Andreas Oberg (Swedish), and Joscho Stephan (German), amongst other “foreign” players. Everybody is from different places, but manages to gather for the music. What are your feelings about this globalization of Gypsy Jazz?
I think music has always been this way; it’s a universal language, it’s a human thing. We are all one organism in some way, and it seems perfectly normal that the same thing moves us all.
14 – You’re also part of an uprising community of Gadjos (non Gypsy) Manouche players in France, including Benoit Convert, Sebastien Giniaux, and Adrien Moignard. Where does this burst of vitality, good taste, and energy come from?
Penso que a responsável por isso hoje é a Bireli Lagrene. Ter a oportunidade de se esforçar para ser tão bom, um dia, faz com que todos nós tenhamos esse desejo.
15 - Medita?
Gosto de ler. Muitos dos livros de que gosto não são necessariamente sobre meditação, Tao ou religião, mas tocam um pouco nessas áreas.
16 – Is there any ritual or habit that you feel pulls you towards a more focused, clear, or mindful state?
I like going to the beach every tiny chance I get. There’s something about the ocean and the sun that clears me up.
17 - Qual é que considera ser o conselho mais importante que alguém lhe deu?
I don’t know if I’d call it “advice,” but I have one vivid moment clear in my mind. I was having a great time playing a show, and somebody just yelled at me as they were leaving: “Never stop”.
At that time, I thought: “Why would I ever stop?”
Since then, I have been faced with difficult turns, stressful moments, where I would think, ahh, this is what he meant. It’d be a lot easier to give it all up. “Nunca parar.”
18 - Qual é o aspeto mais importante do seu percurso de vida que gostaria que as pessoas recordassem?
I’m not sure I have an answer for this. I would like to make sure that I gave my best in all, while I enjoyed every bit of time I had.
19 - O que diria ao Django se tivesse a oportunidade de o conhecer?
Ouvi dizer que ele era uma pessoa difícil, por isso talvez tivesse mais curiosidade em conhecer este aspeto da personalidade do que a música.
20 – And what would be the record, the musician, or the song that you would always refer to in a conversation with Django?
Acho que a música clássica é o meu maior amor desde que me lembro, por isso seria uma peça de Debussy ou Ravel, sabendo que ele também gostava desses géneros.
21 - Já agora, como tu és argentino e eu sou português... Cristiano Ronaldo ou Lionel Messi? 🙂
No soccer here, man, sorry. I’m sure they are all great! 🙂
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