BIO
I came into to this world on a cold January morning in Pamplona, Spain, under the influence of Aquarius and Capricorn. I grew up in the heart of a cultivated family that passed on to me the love and respect for music that I still feel. From a very early age I was influenced by the great masters: Bach, Vivaldi, Falla, Strauss, Karl Orff… and also other big ones like Louis Armstrong, The Pretenders and Blondie. That might be why some critics say my composition style is eclectic and doesn’t correspond to my classical-jazz training… I try not to be affected by other people’s opinions: I continue studying and incorporating styles and new feelings to my compositions. Life and music are a continuous flow and I feel fortunate to find myself on this path:
“The path of a life of music”
Carlos
WORK
CARLOS ARRIEZU 4 ESTACIONES / 4 SEASONS is a personal project with original songs I have composed, attempting to portray the emotions and memories that the different seasons of the year inspire in me. In a structured concert with no pauses, I embrace the feeling of each season, taking the audience on a journey through different composition styles: Jazz, Flamenco, Improv, Pop, Latin-Jazz, Blues…
•Spring: The South, flowers, horses, sun, music, flamenco spirit and singing, light, magic. Four songs for the season of the rebirth of life.
•Summer: A Pop and Latin turn to take us to the heat, freshly-made lemonade, evenings of endless conversation, walks by the sea or in the countryside, nights of perfect temperature. Also to the nostalgia of youth and unattainable dreams…
•Autumn: It is in this season when the forests in my homeland display a very special light and energy, a spectacular colour, natural, magical. The music belongs more precisely to the Baztán Valley in Navarre, a place I have been bound to all my life. Four songs that honour my ancestors, define my culture and mirror my feelings in this season and this place.
•Winter: The concert ends with the sensation of frozen New York or Chicago, where Jazz was born and where it travels from, evolving through the different cultures that taste it, enjoy it and adopt it.
CARABAND JAZZ (Carlos Arriezu Jazz Band)
Three albums that came to life on a very low budget, kept afloat thanks to the excitement and hard work of great professionals and Jazz-lovers. “Nostalgic Waltz” was born in 2011 and brings together jazz styles such as Ballad, Funk or Bossa Nova. The second album, “Now is the time”, was released only two years after. Finally, thanks to numerous anonymous donors that collaborated with us through crowdfunding, we were also able to release the last record of this Jazz project, “Caraband Effects”. All of us that are part of this project are still connected with each other through music; the pandemic gave us the opportunity to stop and create the fourth Caraband album, “A Dream of Jazz”, launched this year.
CERVANTES THROUGH TIME
A voice and piano concert created with an educational and cultural purpose, travelling through different musical periods in history.
The starting point is the Middle Ages with its monophonic music, followed by works of key styles and authors for each period: Baroque, Classicism, Romanticism, Impressionism, Jazz and even Flamenco. It’s an innovative and enriching compositional development mixed in harmony with original Cervantes’ texts, sometimes recited, sometimes sung. We were very honoured to present the work in the Casa Natal de Cervantes, Cervantes’ Birthplace, an honour reserved for those who wish to deepen the perception of our most famous writer, seen through a lens that is very different from the usual one.
BAZTÁN
Baztán is a project dedicated to the author´s mother, inspired int he original folk music from this valley from Navarra region . Very emotional charged, this pretends emulating fables transmision as they were being whispered in the ears.
Carlos Arriezu suggests a trip through the Navarran and Pyrenean culture, always from his particular prysm. Made by sixteen intimate melodies talking about nature, forest, legends and ancestors, moving the audience to a magic and timeless place and inviting them to connect with their deepest emotions.
CINEMA MUSIC
I like exploring new areas where music becomes a fundamental element in the development of an artistic and audio-visual project. It is very gratifying to have the opportunity to study and work as a team with great professionals in other artistic areas, in search of the perfect union of all of them to generate emotions in the audience.
•Atasco en la Nacional – Jam at the National Road. Feature film.
•Muddy Mae’s Shoes. Short film.
•Trans Siberian-Trans Mongolian. Short film
•Cleopatra. Modal Music Example
•L´amant. Orchestral Music Example
•Throne Room Minus. Williams´ style Music Example
•Rocky. Conti style Music Example
•Ratatouille. Animation & Orchestral Music Example
•The Incredibles. Animation & Wooden instruments Music Example
EQUINOX
Two cultures, two paths that meet, two worlds that are born and develop at the two furthest extremes: that is EQUINOX.
Like the climax of the seasons. Like the vital meeting of two souls that were born to meet and mingle.
From the West, with a rich cultural mix, coming from European songs and African dances and traditions, Jazz was born.
From the East, bringing together North African arts, from Eastern Europe, India and parts of the Middle East, Flamenco is born.
Two rivers, two seasons that gather the waters of very different places and cultures, which grow in their own particular mixture until they meet.
With a totally original repertoire composed by myself and Jesús Carbonell: a guitar shows Flamenco, a piano expresses Jazz and both grow in perfect Fusion.
It is in this encounter that our EQUINOX takes place: The zenit. The meeting.
MIXES & SOUNDS
This section is constantly updated with different mixes of my compositions and other works inspired by special moments that keep happening in my life (Click here to listen).
I know the quality of the website’s sound is not the best, so if you are interested in exploring my music in greater depth, I invite you to contact me directly (info@carlosarriezu.com). You can also visit my Youtube Channel, where you will find some videos of better sound quality.
EVENTS
Music is essential for a successful event: it creates a magical atmosphere and wraps participants in a beautiful energy. I love collaborating very closely with organisers to achieve harmonic results that fulfil their needs.
As a composer, I develop new creations tailored to each event. As a musician, I adapt any melody to the interests and styles required in every situation. Why not explore together the universe of opportunities that musical composition offers? Click on the Gallery to see some examples of this…
CONTACT ME
I love sharing my projects and to be part of other people’s. I am open to listening to any proposal: keep in touch and together we will create an event or piece of work tailored to your wishes and needs: info@carlosarriezu.com
