Finally we got out in the market the first CD with the group I play in Nepal, UrJazz.  This is a fusion band that combines hindustani, flamenco, jazz, rock...and its name is also a fusion between the Sanskrit’s word urja (energy) and jazz = UrJazz

Hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoy recording it besides all the difficulties of recording a live album!

To buy it click on this link:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/urjazz 

La historia del Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory...mi historia. Parte I

Aquí va un pedazo de la mi historia de los últimos 5 años, el cómo llegué a Nepal y el porqué de una escuela de música, peor aun, de Jazz.
Llegué a Katmandú en 2005 gracias a uno de mis hermanos el cual me pidió ayuda con un negocio que tenía por aquellas tierras.  Nosotros, mi chica y por aquel entonces una hija solo, salíamos de los EE.UU, donde vivimos 10 años, y se nos ocurrió que con el dinero que habíamos ahorrado nos podíamos dar el lujo de viajar por Asia durante un añito.  nepal no estaba en el mapa pero aceptamos la oferta de mi hermano.  Al poco de llegar, el festival de jazz de Katmandú me ofreció tocar allí y acepté. Después de este comienzo empecé a tener varios alumnos privados y estos varios se convirtieron en mucho, entonces decidí que no estaría mal abrir una escuela de música allí, ya que todas las que había visto les faltaba mucho para poder ser denominadas escuelas, simplemente porque los educadores de las mismas nunca habían tenido la oportunidad de salir de Nepal.  Me sentí un privilegiado, nunca pagué por mis estudios en los EE.UU ya que siempre me dieron becas, eso sí, me lo curré muchísimo.  El caso es que le comenté mis intenciones a un colega Nepalés que tocaba el bajo y me dijo que se apuntaba...buen rollo, ya somos dos colgaos!  Después de diseñar la escuela y elegir el sitio (un edificio de la familia de mi nuevo socio), se empezaron a erguir las paredes y todo aquello empezó a tener forma.  me dediqué a preparar un curriculum y a buscar a posibles profesores, los cuales tendrían que ser entrenados.  Se me ocurrió que lo mejor sería empezar a traer profesores extranjeros para que estos dieran clases y ayudaran a entrenar a futuros profes nepaleses, y así fue.  En estos cinco años de vida de la escuela hemos tenido muchos profesores extranjeros de muchas nacionalidades: Curaçao, EE.UU., Brasil, México, España, Japón, Holanda, Korea, India, Noruega, Dinamarca, Alemania, Australia, Francia, Italia, Bélgica, y algunos que seguro se me olvidan.  Nunca creí que tratar con tantas ciudadanos de diferentes países fuese tan difícil.  Difícil porque tienes que descubrir cómo trabaja cada uno de ellos, su cultura y encima entender su frustración al llegar a Nepal, un país fuera de este mundo, donde todo es muchísimo más complicado de lo que te puedas imaginar.

De nuevo en Madrid y esta vez para quedarme.
Muy pronto tendremos el Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory en Madrid, exactamente en San Lorenzo de El Escorial, donde empezaremos con formaciones de big-bands gratis para todos. Clases de saxo, clarinete, flauta, improvisación, teoría, combos y más.

Nuevas ideas en un sitio nuevo! 

The Spanish Revolution

I want to apologize to my english speaker's friends for not updating them in my entrances on facebook.  Here is a page just dedicated to you, explaining what's going on in Madrid and the rest of Spain right now.

On Sunday the May the 15th there was a demonstration called: Democracia Real YA! (Real Democracy NOW!).  After the demonstration some young people stay a bit longer and suddenly started talking about getting together and camp until May 22nd, when the municipal and regional elections happen in Spain.  That same night nineteen of them were taken by the police and the movement of 'los indignados' (the indignant) decided to raise their voices and make 'Puerta del Sol' (a main plaza in Madrid) their home.

In two days this group of people was multiplied and they organized themselves in a horizontal way, meaning that there is no hierarchy.  On tuesday there was already some commissions taken care of the young republica which was governing the plaza.  By thursday these commissions were multiply and they even had a library, daycare, small clinic, and all this totally improvised under the main statue of the plaza.  

What we want is a social change, no more political bipartite, new electoral laws that give chance to the small parties, a society with more social meaning, no more political corruption, transparent political campaigns and how they are financed, jobs for everyone or not more than 5% of unemployment, and many more social oriented changes.

Spain has 40% of youth unemployment and more than 5 million unemployed.  Our two main parties, PP the right and PSOE the left, keeps getting in financial scandals (corruption) and no one can say anything. WE ARE PISSED OFF and finally we are raising our voices together and we have one thing clear: WE DO NOT WANT THEM ANYMORE, and we know how powerful we are.

This amazing social revolution (not a single fight yet, it is all pacifist and more then that, we both right or left voters, got together and hold hands for one same cause: we need a change and we want it now) started from the internet and now more than 50 cities in Spain and all main capitals in Europe and other European cities, and other cities around the world, are getting together and protesting for a social change. 

Last night at midnight there was more than 25,000 people in the plaza, near by plazas and streets.

In our own small society, in the plaza, people from all over Madrid comes and helps, gives food, drinks (alcohol is not permitted), gives internet so we can inform...it is definitely a social phenomenon that I've never seen in my life before.  

We need a social change all over the world and I think we can if we all come together and tell our leaders that enough is enough.  They cannot keep lying to us, getting in wars without our authorization (it is our money that they are spending and the money of our kids), being corrupts, sell weapons to other countries so they can kill each other! NO MORE AND WE HAVE THE POWER TO STOP THEM NOW!     

To see pics of the revolution and a video go to my facebook:  mariano abello

For more info in different languages you can try:
madrid.tomalaplaza.net
facebook: spanishrevolution

Introduction

My story starts in Buenos Aires, Argentina from where my parents had to leave due to some instabilities.  My father used to travel a lot but when he was home, he used to grab me and put some tangos, specially Carlos Gardel, for me to learn. My mother put records for me to sleep when she realized that for this guy, no music no sleep. I grew up in Madrid, a fascinating city with huge cultural background. Unfortunately the education system was not that developed (and more unfortunate is that still not developed) and I was classified as a bad student, the student that no teacher wants; you know:  too many questions, arguing about everything, not quiet at all...all this put me in a situation where school was not interested to me at all.  After I became an educator I realized that my problem was that I did not fit in this education system where exams tells you how much you know.  When I grew up and without finishing my high school, I moved to the US to achieve a music career, which was and is my passion, cause learning music in my country means going back to the 19th century!!  In the US I learned English, finished high school, and got a Summa Cum Laude in my studies in the university.  Then I knew that I was not stupid as many teachers suggested to my parents. After the US we (now is we not I anymore) moved to Kathmandu, Nepal, in South Asia and I opened a music school with my savings. Now I continue playing and teaching everywhere people want me.

Ah! Photography, is another passion.  I love it because I don't have to make a living from it.  I love B&W film photography, love the smell of a darkroom.