Julian Argüelles

LATEST REVIEWS FOR Tonadas

 5 STAR review, BBC Music Magazine, Sept 2018, Tonadas on Edition Records, Dave Stapleton 

“The delicious opening notes…tell you something good is going to happen...one of Europe’s finest, most in demand, jazz men…this programme of sparkling, original tunes explores that Latin heritage”

Open Jazz, France Musique - Sept 2018

”Julian Argüelles produced a jewel: a particularly warm album, very melodic, overflowing with elegance and colors. With changing phrasing and fluid and effortless interaction, Julian Argüelles' growing status as a composer, conductor and creator is evident. This joyous music is moreover masterfully produced."

SWR2 Review (in German) Sept 2018 - Full Review HERE

"Julian Argüelles sends greetings from his half of home Spain - a rousing musical search for clues, which makes you want more."

 BBC Radio Scotland, Jazz Nights (UK), August 2018

“The beautiful, gorgeous, haunting sound of Julian Arguelles…”

4 STAR review, The Scotsman, Jim Gilchrist, August 2018 

 “a lyrical tenor and soprano saxophone excursion into his Spanish lineage” Full Review HERE

The Herald Scotland, Rob Adams, August 2018

“...superb collection of compositions enhanced by a trio of musicians who put their imaginations and musical personalities at the service of a genuine group effort.”

Full Review: HERE

4 star Guardian Review For “Tonadas” 

“Argüelles is a gifted artist currently in his sophisticated prime: jazz, classical, and multi-cultural folk music all influence him, and distilled Spanish motifs (his mother was Catalonian) give this fine album its character….[the quartet] possess immense spontaneous fluency, but Argüelles’s atmospheric compositions complete their rich mix of improv and forethought.” JOHN FORDHAM

4.5 STAR review The Jazzmann

 "The writing is rich and melodic, sometimes complex but always engaging, and the standard of playing from all four musicians is exceptional. Another milestone in Arguelles’ glittering career.

Full Review HERE 

Review in the Italian magazine Jazz Convention FULL REVIEW HERE

"In short, a solid and lively album that reveals both the compositional skills, never predictable, of Argüelles... and the perfect integration with young and excellent musicians who contribute to give the project an unusual melodic freshness."

4 STAR review London Evening Standard 

 "There’s an ECM-like sense of space here, too, and touches of the blues. But it’s the melodies, elegant and joyful, that linger. Superb.” Jane Cornwell

Full Review. HERE

ABC Jazz, Jessica Nichols

”...have the album and it’s terrific!”

FT Mike Hobart JULY 27, 2018, 4 stars

The hallmark of Julian Argüelles’s saxophone sound combines a centred tone with clean articulation and clear phrasing. It reflects disciplines learnt in big bands ranging from the UK’s genre-exploring Loose Tubes in the 1980s to recent collaborations with Germany’s NDR. This rigour brings clarity to the interactive narratives and multiple influences on which Argüelles’s small groups thrive. His 2015 album Let it be Told celebrated South African traditions, and European influences, both classical and folk, are a feature in all his work. This CD, the second release by his working quartet, explores the Staffordshire-born saxophonist’s Spanish roots with a collection of lyrical themes, the Tonadas, or tunes, of the title. The inflected accents, rhythmic patterns and distinctive scales of Spanish music are present, though, for the most part, merged into a broad European jazz aesthetic. And there is none of the emotive brooding that can be such a cliché. The album begins with a catchy Ivo Neame piano figure, a patter of James Madden’s drums and Argüelles’s purposeful statement of the opening theme. “Alalá”, named after a traditional northern Spanish song, rises and falls over the polyrhythmic bustle of drums. “Bulerías” interprets an Andalusian form as a tricky theme snaking through the contours of Sam Lasserson’s single-note double bass. And on the joyfully airy “Alegrías” the rhythm-section features the distinctive whump of cajón. But overall, the album stands out for its firmly signposted narrative jazz, and the Spanish inflections are really no more than that. “Alfama”, a lilting theme for soprano sax, is a highlight of sparkling piano, while “Tonadillia” begins as a spacious elegy, gathers force and ends as a simple song, the “ditty” of the track title. “Sevilla” is another slow burn and “Barrio Gótico” is all angles, interplay and slants. The album ends with the beautiful ballad, “Tía Mercedes”, a memorial to Argüelles’s recently deceased aunt. The balance of emotion and form is just right, as it is on the album throughout.

Review from Evening Standard’s Jane Cornwell 

“This music is profoundly joyful and masterfully produced.“

“European Jazz at its finest blending Spanish roots, Nordic space and sound with one of the brightest and most talented British bands around.

Tonadas (simply meaning Tunes) is the lyrical and vibrant new quartet album from saxophonistJulian Argüelles. Drawing on his Spanish roots Argüelles has produced a gem - a beautifully warm, harmonically rich and melodic album, abundant with an elegant tone and absorbing colour. Tonadas has everything you’d want and expect from a contemporary Jazz album, yet it surprises on another level. With shifting turns of phrase and effortlessly flowing band interplay, Argüelles’ growing status as a master composer, bandleader and creator are clear. This music is profoundly joyful and masterfully produced.”

4 Stars, Written In Music (NL), Full Review HERE

"Tonadas is a beautiful jazz album…With each listen, those favorites change again, I have already noticed. As is always the case with truly special albums..Tonadas is again a clear proof of the great class of Argüelles. As a saxophonist, he shows a free, varied and, above all, very strong game that not only lasts but also moves. As a composer, he surprises with compositions full of strong melody lines, surprising twists and a rich palette of emotions. Neame, Lasserson and Maddren also have ample time to throw their class and optimal musical growth from the backline into the limelight. Tonadas is more than worth the purchase." 

 "...surely one of the most distinctive voices in British and European jazz...This album is quintessential Argüelles and a delight to be  savoured.”  LondonJazz, Mike Collins. Full review http://www.londonjazznews.com/2018/07/cd-review-julian-arguelles-tonadas.html 

 "What a mature, compact master in jazz from England and Europe!” NDR record of the week. 

“…the tracks, all originals, mirror the composer's eclectic proclivities. More importantly, the album engages the listener at every level.” 4.5 Stars, All About Jazz. Full review HERE.

"Small musical treasures from the Britain who has taught at the Kunstuni Graz for several years on tenor and soprano saxophone. A touch of Spanish folklore with the extremely tricky rhythms of all sorts of Spanish dances resonates - for example in "Sevilla", the musical portrait of the capital of Andalusia.” Review Kurier newspaper (Austria) 22 July 2018