Jaded of attending improvised music concerts with false expectations, and being disappointed again and again as they always use to end up with the same topics, I have been generating in my head, for years, abstract images of what I would like to hear, see and experience in front of a stage. Finally, that intuition was materialized.
The title —BIRTH OF THE RITUALS— recalls Miles Davis' album BIRTH OF THE COOL, a seminal record which, despite an initial commercial failure, gradually caught on with musicians and listeners, inspiring several generations.
The subtitle —no more jazz— refers to a significant part of contemporary jazz, which has been learnt in academies and conservatories, lacking in substance and performed by musicians that are very good at doing «what-they-have-to-do», but soullessly playing and often sounding almost the same to one another. It is also a statement against the current need to put labels on everything and the attempt by some to monopolise those labels.
MANIFESTO
1 - Live concerts have always existed as social events, as ludic experiences and entertainment. Beyond that, they are losing their meaning in themselves. If what one seeks is not being at a party or enjoying a collective experience, other ways of consumption are replacing live performances. Refined music lovers take shelter in their home listening rooms, while many artists become «content creators» focused on social media.
However, there is a mysterious element (not playful, not ornamental, not social) that cannot in any way arise without a real presence. It is something undescribable that even remarkable productions often lack today, being able to be enjoyed comfortably via the internet. Only when that something appears, one experiences the awareness that being there physically was really necessary, absolutely unavoidable.
B.O.T.R. designs and hosts productions that are intentionally conceived for that to happen.
2 - It is said that there can no longer be any real communication between audiences and artists, because nobody seems to be willing to embrace anything genuinely new these days. Unfortunately, artists themselves often don't have much to say either. Much of today's music, across all genres, seems to repeat itself. Young musicians are trained in academies and conservatories, where they follow identical curriculums. They play very well, and it seems that no one expects anything more than that: simply playing very well. Some musicians even boast of playing «for themselves», in a display of pretended honesty and commercial indifference, and just forgetting the ultimate meaning of what they do.
Nevertheless, there is an enthusiastic public right today, eager for true innovations in contemporary music, beyond just entertainment. Receptive listeners, time and again disappointed by the emptiness of each new production, turning to our old favourites (that are naturally growing old and diying) while waiting for new creators to provide some glimpse of what we long to receive.
B.O.T.R. stems from the genuine need to contribute that drives art, and has been conceived as a means through which to channel that need.
3 - Programmers, agents and even managers often say that programming is «dictated by the audience». They refer, for example, to unsuccessful performances that had been programmed according to their tastes and criteria, contrasting them with performances that were not of interest to them but were nevertheless profitable.
Accepting this implies the disappearance of these professionals, turned de facto into nothing more than mere trend managers, easily replaceable by artificial intelligence and algorithms. It reveals a myopic perception, focused on immediacy, that ignores the meaning of art. Art has always pointed beyond, pushing human beings forward.
B.O.T.R. vindicates those «useful» actors that really enrich the value chain of the music business, bringing relevant novelties to their audiences. It is obvious that both concert venues and festivals, as well as the different intermediaries in the industry, must bet on what is known, profitable and safe. But managers, agencies and programmers with a medium and long-term vision cannot fail to invest in the only thing that will ensure their future. The only thing that justifies and gives meaning to their existence!
This is my stake. My purpose as a musician and as a listener.
— Josep-Manel Vega
RITUAL CONCERTS
Only when we create a proper situation, and both musicians and audiences prepare themselfs accordingly, phenomena may occur that generate meaningful performances, those indescribable moments in which the intangible emerges.
