Javier Pedreira. Spanish Guitarist - Improviser. Vocational musician, professional since 1989, he has worked over 20 years in both study recordings -more than a hundred- and live ones around the world with a variety of artists, either within the pop music scene, Mikel Erentxun, Luz Casal, Amaral, Najwa Nimri , Quique González, The Cabriolets ... other musicians, Tino Di Geraldo, Jorge Pardo, Suso Saiz ... and some interesting personal projects, Latino Diablo and Extraños en el Paraiso. Throughout his career he has been working as a performer, producer, musical director and has been session musician for TV series and movie soundtracks.
With Miguel A. García (ERRA FAGUS)
In free improvisation, his concept of the art and language of the guitar is a revolution of this iconic instrument in the Iberian identity, that's playing along the evolution of Spanish music soul from the time of the vihuela. This has led to collaborations with leading musicians on the international scene as William Parker, Abdul Moîmeme, John Bisset, Seijiro Murayama, Miguel A. García (ERRA FAGUS), Paloma Carrasco (MOON- DOS) and Wade Matthews (GENMAICHA).
What do you remember about your first guitar?
My first guitar was a Spanish to which the head stock broke and never finished fine. Years later I bought an electric Cimar (Ibanez) second hand, with a small amplifier. I remember breaking strings all the while using the whammy bridge.
How would you define "improvisation"?
Creation in real time. Flux in coherence with time and space.
john bisset - guitar, voice, camera, wade matthews - electronics, javier pedreira - guitar
Which is the main pleasure of the guitar? What led you to start playing guitar?
I do not recall precisely what lead me to play guitar. Remember when I was a child, I imagined music in my head.
Photo: Ángeles Martín
Where are your roots? What are your influences?
Over the years many. ...
Brian James, Johnny Ramone, Tom Verlaine, Manolo Sanlúcar, Steve Stevens, Robert Quine, Johnny Marr, Frank Zappa, Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp, Joe Gore, Marc Ribot, Bill Frisell, Steve Jones, East Bay Ray, Jimi Hendrix, James Blood Ulmer, Derek Bailey,...... but also Picasso, Giacometti, Bruce Lee, Deleuze, Luis Alberto Spinetta, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, Ornette.......but above all, my son Jorge!!!
mercedes carrillo, jacob reguilón, angel medina, angel luis samos, karlos aranzegui, javier pedreira, alejandro serrano.
Why and how do you use extended techniques in guitar?
I do not believe in what is called "extended techniques" as all technique involves an extension of the instrumental concept somehow, as the outcome of a need. For me, technique is not an absolute and depends entirely on the musical situation.
Define the sound you're still looking for, or the sound you'd like to hear.
"The physical intelligence of the universe"
How would you define the present time in musical terms?
A bad orchestra. I feel that we -socially spoken- need that somebody lead us, because we still don't have enough confidence in ourselves to interact freely and make it work.
What's the importance of technique in music, in your opinion?
For me is: what is the importance of music in technique?
A valuable advice that someone has gifted to you in the past?
"Be yourself"
What's your prefered, fetish, diferential device in the sound chain?
For me the instrument begins in the strings and closes in the amplifier. It's a body without organs.
What artist -any genre, any time- would you identify with?
Giacometti, because he reached a point of confidence in his work in which the only reason to continue was to be able to understand his artistic medium, something which, after decades, it seemed unattainable.
And Bruce Lee, martial arts and the estimation that if an enemy exist is yourself.
What’s your latest project about?
GARNET SKEIN, a disc recorded in trio with Thanos Krysakis y Wade Matthews.
And soon will be edited cds of Genmaicha (duet with Wade Matthews), Moon-Dos (duet with Paloma Carrasco) y Erra Fagus (duet with Miguel A. García).
And I have a pending recording in duo with my friend Abdul Moîmeme.....
Which was the first and the last record you bought with your own money?
The first two records i bought with my own money were "NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS" by SEX PISTOLS and "LONDON CALLING" by THE CLASH. It was the same day, some days before my 11th birthday. Things changed inside of me since then. The last record i bought a couple of days ago was "WARPAINT" by WARPAINT and co-produced by FLOOD, one of my favourite producers. I really love the album, the voices, the guitars sounds and the overall mix.
