www.marcoscollado&thebeatguardians.com

The Project

Marcos Collado, a guitarist from Mallorca based in Madrid, presents his new proposal in this exclusive concert. On this occasion, he brings together an exceptional quartet consisting of guitar, alto saxophone, double bass, and drums to explore a jazz repertoire in an acoustic format. In "The Beat Guardians," Collado pays homage to various classic and contemporary albums and authors who have been sources of learning and inspiration throughout his career. This neoclassical approach is presented in a simple and clear manner, blending recognizable elements with a creative distortion of the model, avoiding falling into literal repetition. Marcos Collado, a highly sought-after guitarist in Spain and beyond, has captivated audiences on international stages, from the Los Angeles Opera and the Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna to the Lugano Estival Jazz in Switzerland. His training in classical and modern music, coupled with his deep knowledge of jazz, makes him a versatile and talented musician who seeks to capture, with this project, a vision where musical boundaries blur and art finds its true expression in human connection.

ALMUDENA TOMAS

ExHodos Music

exhodosmanaging@gmail.com

+34 616724564

BIO

Considered one of the most sought-after jazz guitarists in Spain, Collado has been involved in numerous albums, concerts, and festivals. He has collaborated with artists like Alain Pérez, Emilio Valdés, Henry Cole, Erwin Schrott, Chris Kase, Bobby Martínez, Jerry González, Norman Hogue, Molly Duncan, Ben Stivers, Estefan Rademacher, and Bob Sands. His artistic journey includes performances with the National Orchestra of Spain, Miguel Blanco's Afrodissian Orchestra, Ramón Farrán's National Jazz Orchestra, and Bob Sands' Big Band, as well as recordings for RTVE (Spanish National Television). As a guitarist, he has graced international stages across Europe, Latin America, and the United States, including prestigious venues like the Los Angeles Opera, SOB’s in New York, Munich Opera, Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna, and Castello Sforzesco in Milan. He has also performed at international festivals in Spain, France, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Portugal, Italy, Malta, Romania, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Switzerland, Brazil, Peru, Morocco, Finland, Germany, and the USA.

As a composer and performer, Collado has released albums such as "What’s Up" (2006), "Suite I" (2013), "Suite II" (2015), and "POE" (2018). He is currently working on his next recording, "Suite III," in addition to his latest sincere and personal avant-garde jazz project, "The Beat Guardians" (2022).

With the utmost respect for cyclical trends in the realm of art and the wide array of world music offerings within jazz channels, this project aims, humbly, to move along a more universal line of work. I believe it is possible to uphold a legitimate line of inquiry without falling into stereotypes regarding the artist's origin, which, at times, in my humble opinion, can wrap the product in somewhat reductionist expectations.

Convinced that any serious line of work must be based on a profound study of traditional elements and draw from references, I believe that what is natural and honest, in my case at least, is to show referential interest, firstly, in the music with which I have naturally felt rooted, being a child of an era that was already tremendously globalized. Next, I am convinced that references are universal by definition and that eclecticism is an absolutely respectable and probably indispensable path.

Reviewing the history of music, we can observe how the universalization, blending, and interweaving of different artistic references, traditions, and folklores have, since time immemorial, fostered the development of what we now understand as tradition. Art was never a static element, and has always been grounded in movement and constant revisionism. In any case, the extensive artistic legacy that we are fortunate to have today, coming from every corner of the world, constitutes the most solid source of inspiration on which to base the constant search and construction of an artistic line of work.

That being said, The Beat Guardians is perhaps my most neoclassical project, where the “distortion of a model” is based on the most specific and recognizable references without resorting to direct quotations. This is a simple, non-eccentric project, its transmission channel is clear and designed for a universal audience that has been shaping up for many years. We believe in the plurality of channels within jazz, in the need to diversify the offerings, and we trust in the warm reception of a project grounded in the defense of its powerful live performances.

Marcos Collado