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To Choose or Not to Choose
The Choice, Diego Barber Releases Album Combining Jazz and Classical
Music you just might hear in the “Barber” Shop—a little bit of jazz, maybe a touch of classical? Maybe you can have a taste of both. Diego Barber’s experience and musical background has led him in a direction to not one genre, but two, as the battle to choose between the two distinct styles failed to cease. Artists and ordinary people alike may be inspired by his Canary Islands roots and extensive schooling in music all which has brought him to the release of his album, The Choice. Relying simply on the sounds and the tones of the instruments in motion, one can travel into a journey of a story that is told beautifully without the utterance of a single word.
From the influence of his uncle, a pianist, and his father, a bassist, as well as working under the instruction of musicians as David Russell and Zoran Dukic, Barber’s palette is both extensive and impressive, having performed in cities and countries across the world. His album contains nine tracks and over 70 minutes of the sounds of his guitar paired with accompanying musicians including Joahnnes Weindenmueller and Larry Grenadier (acoustic bass), Ari Hoeniq (drums), and Mark Turner and Seamus Blake (saxophone). Barber delivers a solo performance which can be heard towards the end of the album entitled Sonata Banc d’Arguin. Though every individual song is worth noting, specific tracks include To Annie, which sets the stage for the rest of the album, Chicago, and Contraste.
The Choice, which was created under the American label Sunnyside Records, is both a fitting yet ironic “choice” to name the album. It represents the choice that he and many other musicians make when choosing one specific genre to carry out their career. But more than that, the irony sets in upon his decision to not make the choice at all, individualizing himself in the music industry and encompassing a feel for two highly regarded styles encased in just one album with the touch of the Play button. Reviews of his music have been quite positive, with comments such as “the potential to be a truly original voice in modern music,” “if there was a whole planet of exquisite impressionist art, then Diego Barber would embody all of it,” and “Barber approaches the acoustic guitar with precision and fluidity.” Despite the reviews, listeners and music-lovers alike have the opportunity to make their choice to find out if you can really have your jazz music, and your classical too.
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