Miquel Gil: Katà Price: 16.90 € Cat-Nr.: GMC005 Format: CD

Alike the oranges he cultivates according to ecological principles Miquel Gil´s voice grows directly from the Valencian earth. With his last album Orgànic (Sonifolk, 2002) Miquel had opened a new chapter in his career as a musician and earned several awards, i.e. the "Best album of the Year in Catalonia" (enderrock awards). On Katà he dug even deeper in what had brought him the great critics of Orgànic: "... the time to think and to observe and investigate his Mediterranean surrounding, to re-discover almost forgotten sounds, songs and identities. It´s an oeuvre for any kind of audience, captivating, as it shows us the musical treasures that surround us and only wait to be discovered." (Jordi Turtós)

On Katà he discovers the geological layers of Levante, Andalucía, Mallorca and Catalunya, travelling over these countries and the Spanish Mediterranean seaside. On his trips to Northern Africa, Greece and Turkey he demonstrates the close relationship and neighbourhood between Spain and these cultures: styles like granainas and fandangos, gnawa, jotas, rembetika, picados mallorquines, boleros, dances from the mountainside, odd rhythms from Turkey are put together in a small room and a big album comes out of it. Miquel does not care about political conventions and makes all these cultures live together in a natural familiarity. It´s astonishing how he takes advantage of his broad musical experience and naturality and manages to submerge us into landscapes, feelings, flavours and sensations through his music.

Miquel puts his feelings about the Mediterranean music in very clear words: "Three are the vertices of the Mediterranean music: [...] Raï, Rembetika and Flamenco. The influence of the Cante Jondo starts at a distance of 50 km from my home and the Andalusian part of our musical heritage is related with the Flamenco. I don´t believe in the impermeability of traditional music. Music has always been moved from one place to another; the "Mestizaje" is not an invention of our times, it has existed for many centuries [...] Valencia is the Southern Station, the end of the northern line and the beginning of the South. We have cultural elements in common at the same time with Mallorca, Greece and the tradition of Castilia, the centre of Spain. The worst thing you can do about roots music is categorize it in too many separated compartments." (excerpt of his interview with David Alcácer for estaciontierra.com) The extensive work of collecting traditional motifs and reinventing them has made out of the Cantautor Miquel Gil (singer/songwriter) in Orgànic the Cantaor (flamenco singer) in Katá. The wide musical range that covers Katà is also reflected in the musicians who joined the recording sessions: Raúl Rodriguez (guitar) from Seville who is responsable for the flamenco sounds; Eduard Navarro, well known from his band L´Ham de Foc, who has created his very own sound due to his great performance on the dulcaina and other wind instruments; Diego López, also known from L´Ham de Foc, who gives to each and every of the 11 songs his particular flavour through his precise and subtle playing, and finally Xavi Lozano (Eliseo Parra, Lídia Pujol), who creates a special magic on his exotic wind instruments. Special guests like Carles Belda (Pomada) and Pep Toni Rubio (Música Nostra) point out the great reputation that Miquel has reached in the Spanish music scene.

Once again we have to draw attention to the union of music and lyrics in Miquel´s work. Seeking continuity with the previous Orgànic, Miquel puts poems of young poets of Catalonian language into music and manages to build a bridge between the antique traditions and the touchable actuality. No matter whether the topic is pragmatic or poetic, concrete or metaphoric, quotidian or enigmatic: Miquel finds the right phrasings to sing about banners and frontiers, drunk moons and drugged suns, abysses and rainfalls, the sap of antique memory, the little things love is about and the messages on the mobile phone, arms that turn ´round and ´round, the trading of spikes and looks, opium poppy and the cockcrow, eyes of deep water, an Arabian horse at a gallop, or the river hidden under the bark of the tree.
With his new release Katá Miquel Gil has definitely reached to be recognized as one of the most important artists of popular Mediterranean music.

Opinions from the press

01.03.2004: TODAS LAS NOVEDADES
...El disco mejora a su predecesor y sigue manteniendo vigente la idea de que este artista puede dar muy, pero que muy, buenos momentos a la música española sin necesidad de mirar más allá de su propia raíz. Excelente...

05.03.2004: EL PERIÓDICO (J.B.)
...Pocas veces un ejercicio de fusión exhibe tanta credibilidad como en la voz de Gil. Un nuevo paso de maestro...

04.04.2004: LA VOZ DE ASTURIAS (Miguel A. Fernández)
...Miquel Gil, la personalidad dentro de la tradición, firma otro soberbio disco...

01.03.2004: INTERFOLK
...aúna maravillosamente una creatividad elegante con un sonido impregnado del Mediterráneo hasta lo más profundo, lo cual es hablar de la belleza...

1		Bandereta Plàcid Rosaleny / Miquel Gil i Eduard Navarro 5:06
2		Tornada Antoni Fornés / Miquel Gil 4:35
3		Katà Miquel Gil 2:48
4		Memòria Manel Rodríguez Castelló / Miquel Gil i Òscar Roig 4:45
5		Fandango Helena Casas / Miquel Gil 3:02
6		I giren Eduard Iniesta 4:04
7		Fènix Jaume Pérez Montaner / Miquel Gil 4:45
8		Saturnàlia Enric Casasses / Miquel Gil 4:35
9		Un bolero (a l'Alcúdia) Vicent Andrés Estellés / Tradional i M. Gil 3:37
10		Cavall d'Aràbia Plàcid Rosaleny / Miquel Gil i Eduard Navarro 3:34
11		S'amaga Anna Montero / Miquel Gil i Efren López 3:17

Reviews

I giren i giren... (Miquel Ramon)
...espere que el govern feixiste local-regional-nacional-faller no el vete al c9 i al p2 com amb ovidi i tota la resta. Maleïts feixistes, maleïda incultura. L\
Date: 13.03.2005	City: Catarroja by València	Valoration:
Review about: Miquel Gil: Katà
Sin informacion (irene cardenas)
soy colaboradora del unico club de fans de miquel gil de valencia el katá después de haber sido obligada a escucharlo me gusta muchisimo
Date: 20.02.2005	City: valencia	Valoration:
Review about: Miquel Gil: Katà
Sin informacion (Rubén Fortuny)
Excel·lent! com l\
Date: 29.04.2004	City: La Pobla de Montornès	Valoration:
Review about: Miquel Gil: Katà
Average valoration: