Pianist and composer Marco Mezquida breaks down his creative process in a talk where improvisation emerges as the central axis. Trained at a conservatory but with jazz in his veins, he argues that music should flow like an open dialogue with the audience. His proposal seeks no labels: it fuses classical harmonies with popular rhythms to build a unique language that breaks down the boundaries between genres.
The Architecture of the Instant: How Mezquida Structures the Unpredictable 🎹
Mezquida approaches composition as a living organism that develops in real time. His method starts from a basic harmonic structure but leaves ample room for controlled improvisation. This is where extended piano techniques, sudden metric changes, and references to Mediterranean popular music come in. The result is a score that functions as an open map: each concert is a different version, where classical technique supports the free flight of jazz.
When the Pianist Becomes a Tightrope Walker Without a Safety Net 🎪
Imagine going to a concert and the musician decides on the spot whether to play a ballad or a mambo. That's Mezquida. He says he seeks emotional connection, but what he does is test the audience's nerves: will he dare to change genres in the middle of a chord? Luckily, his classical training serves as a net, though sometimes the net seems made of foam and the jump is from the tenth floor. That said, no one leaves indifferent.