Jazzy soul musician GENE GARCIA has released numerous music, including his most recent being an album titled "Genesis". With this release, he plans to promote as much as possible, with playing shows wherever possible as well. See what else Gene himself had to express within the dicussion found below.
1. Please, tell us about the history of your band and its members.
Yes, thanks, the band is the project has my name, and the album Genesis, is a old project rescued from the my trunk after not being able to do so in the last 15 years, and now i could do it. We come from different ways and styles, although not very different. Victor Zamora, pianist of the trio, comes from Cuban jazz, jazz, Afro-Cuban, Mr. Lee double bass comes from jazz, he has a lot of talent and Joel Silva is a big drummer from Lisbon as Mr. Lee. And i comes to blues, jazz, soul. I knew it could be a good trio for my first solo album. They understood perfectly what I wanted to do the album and I think we did a good job. Personally, what I like the most about black music in all its breadth and especially jazz, blues, soul, afro,… is what I like to sing for thirty-five years a go, but I’m a milky man, but i always try to do it with a lot of respect and love in my music. I think we have made an album that will delight listeners lovers of jazz blues soul around the world.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
Well, is my artistic name, GENE GARCIA, my real name is Eugene of the Kings García García. That’s the name of the project. And i was play with my name to make the name of album GENESIS.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
I live in the south-west of Spain, on the border with Portugal, all members of my band live in Lisbon, where the jazz music is a part very important in a big city and they have more movement, musicians, bands and followers of this music. In Lisbon I would recommend several bands that I know, Alma Nuestra, Afro-Cuban jazz, P.L.I.N.T., an excellent new jazz band, also without forget the Sobral brothers, Salvador and Luisa who experiment with jazz among other styles. The scene of jazz blues soul here in Badajoz ( Extremadura-Spain) is a minority and I would recommend to Ivan San Juan Quartet, bebop ,new jazz, etc.. and Pedro Calero Trio, jazz and new jazz and I don't want to forget Mili Vizcaino, a great jazz singer and my partner in a local big band called Iberian Big Band, who has been active for almost five years, but the public in Spanish-speaking countries as mine is not there for a great public, I think my music is intended for English-speaking people. I understand but I want to spread my album in all over the world, outside of my country when there’re few followers for this music.
4. How would you describe your style?
Jazz-soul music, where is everything I learned in 35 years of African music and knowledge and my veneration of the great legends of black music in all its breadth, from Johnny Hartman, Ella, Dinah, Lady Day, Joe Turner, Joe Williams, Leon Thomas,… passing through Son House, Muddy Waters, Rev. Gary Davis, Bukka White, Jimmy Rushing, etc.... all the way to All Green, Aretha, Anne Peebles, Mahalia, Sister Rosetta, James Brown, Simone, Coltraine , Miles, Archie Sheep, Pharoah Sanders, and many others. All in a shaker and there my sound comes out. Also one of my current inspirations is Gregory Porter.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
Genesis is my first solo-album, before I had a blues band call Inlavables with five albums, The Revrendoes, we played blues, soul, gospel, and many bands of covers as Iberian Big Band, The Moochers, the latter dedicated to playing live, clubs, events, parties, festivals, covers of blues jazz soul etc..... and the other question, I think that people who will listen Genesis enjoy my proposal realizing its high quality, respect and credibility that in others places of the world, that also can open other paths in others places where my music is never heard it. I think it is an excellent album with my own compositions and the other composers than I have worked. In my opinion, it is an album in which I close one path and open another door in my career.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
At the moment I'm spreading this album, promo, radio stations, TV, in Spain and America Latina. New songs are brewing in my head, some that didn't make it into this album. I'm working on making other clips for other songs on the album. But I never stop thinking about music.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
Of course, there are four presentations signed in Spain. The situation with the pandemic in Europe and more specifically in Spain and Portugal is difficult to play in clubs, festivals, etc.... everything stopped when the pandemic began, but it seems that it is beginning to normalize. There are concerts in big jazz festivals but for 2022, Lisbon, Madeira, Azores, Madrid, Barcelona, Vitoria, San Sebastian, etc... I'm in talks with two record companies and also in getting an international manager for we’ll have to enter in USA, UK, and all international market.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
But I see a very interesting future for this formation and especially for Genesis, and surely there will be more jobs with these guys or with others. There is a lot of illusion and desire to work.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
People can listen the music of GENE GARCIA, and Genesis, his last work on Spotify, iTunes, Deezer, and all digital platforms and buy a physical copy on Amazon, FNAC, Jazz Messengers Store.
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
I don’t know, “Where the hell did this guy come from?” Hahaha, its a joke, sorry.… always I searched my own way of singing, the way, the style, my voice be different, and above all that you enjoy the sound of the songs. the first thing that comes to mind is SO COOL, I’M GOING TO BUY GENESIS OF GENE GARCIA Thanks.
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