Kepa Junkera

Published in DEIA, Sept 23, 2010

THEY SAY that magic is something that exists but it can not be normally seen. I do not know if this is right, but what I do think is that when it appears, you feel it. September 18. I arrive to Iruna’s bullring (Pamplona). Greetings, hugs and a kind of tension that encourages you to feel the intensive the moment. With the so-called spectacle Amorena´s  Children – Amorenaren Kimuak celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Retinue of the Gigantes and Cabezudos (a carnival figure with an enormous head) of Iruña (Pamplona). A century and half of work, music, dance and the effort of several generations in pursuit of a common project. Absolutely enviable. In the course of the night you lived unique moments.  It was so curious to me to see the reconstructed workshop, which originally was in Estafeta Street, where the Agote Tadeo Amorena, had constructed the giants. I couldn’t stop looking at them. So enormous and dancing in an amazing way, surrounded by the kilikis and zaldikos joining along with the music a fascinating collage. 14,000 exultant people in the stands shared with all of us that fantastic and unforgettable moment. They participated among others, groups like The Pamplonesa, Jarauta, gaiteros (the bagpipers) and txistularis (the Basque flutist) of the Town Council of Iruña and Josetxo Goia who composed a special theme for this occasion. While I was interpreting the theme Muskerraren Balsa & La Balso de Comoboscuro from my record Bilbao Hora 00.00h, with the ally of the giants dancing, I came to realize how marvelous the results come out of a theme composed in a determined moment and under some concrete circumstances and when you present it, it begins to sustain life and then, one does not know where it is headed to neither the roads it will take. Giants, zaldikos and kilikis, came to life, one more time, forging stories that joined the people in a collective way in becoming magical that join illusions, efforts and hopes. Mila esker (Thank you) for sharing it with me and zorionak (congratulations) to you all.

Photograph by Javier Sesma

A short video of that performance:  Kepa with the Gigantes.

www.kepajunkera.com

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Published by Dani Chicano on July 6, 2010: www.avui.elpunt.cat
Photograph by Lluis Serrat

After the concert on Friday night on the steps of Girona´s Cathedral, which Kepa Junkera offered, talking to with Miquel Basin, what is that you always enrich the conversation, a scholar in the field of music, and especially the has been called world music, in which in the traditional Catalan music that would be extremely well a figure that was the equivalent to Kepa Junkera in traditional Basque music. Junkera has achieved, among other things, which the trikitixa, Basque diatonic accordion linked to popular music and with a liberating function ceases to be a reviled instrument, frowned upon even by religious and social issues, usually related to rural and little academic places. The trikitilari from Rekalde understood that to maintain the tradition it needs to evolve, it must be renewed by applying a creative spirit. Shield against any alteration, to repeat over and above what can only be reliably lead to the disappearance or the relegation to the status of anthropological oddity. Junkera has recovered the trikitixa, but also the traditional Basque folk music and has adapted to the times, repeating this operation with the txalaparta and alboka, traditional Basque percussion and wind instruments, respectively, which together with the sound of trikitixa are the hallmark of Kepa Junkera and his group of excellent musicians. In Catalonia there are commendable efforts, such as Jordi Molina with the tenor, Artur Blasco (El Pont d’Arcalís), also accordionist with a long history and a lot of work of recovery behind his back, but none of the size, versatility and the international projection of Kepa Junkera, comparable to what has been done with the Galician gaita by Carlos Nunez, for instance. Just as Núñez and gaita (bagpipes), Junkera breathe the same rhythm as his instrument, which has an absolute dominance, spectacular, which allows him to play at a high speed without losing a single note, with vivid clarity. The symbiosis, perfect, allows to modular the speech to Kepa Junkera´s convenience, qualify it, to excite the public, who finished surrendered to him.

At the concert in Girona, Junkera, was accompanied by Iñigo Olazabal (Txalaparta, albota and percussions), Argibel Euba (txalaparta and percussions), Roberto Caballero (bass), José Luis Canal (piano) and José Ángel Telleria (drums). The majority of the songs played were from his album HIRI (2006)- Hiri, Kokkola, Buenos Aires, Reno, Agadir, Tatihou, Ataun and Napoli- in which Junkera, being an interpreter and composer, he was inspired by many cities of the world.  The rest of the themes are from his album Bilbao 00:00 – (Bok Espok, Gaztelugatxeko) Maren -(Kaixarranka, Peliqueiroak terranovan) and Leon Orroeak (Zirkinipez)

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