Rita Payés - Imagina (2019)

For her latest project, the young Catalan trombonist and singer Rita Payés joins forces with her mother Elisabeth Roma who is also an exceptional classical guitarist. Mother and daughter will be launching their debut album during the London Catalan Festival, giving their personal take on the music that has accompanied them all their lives, from traditional Catalan lullabies to bossa nova, fado, boleros… For this particular performance, the duo will be joined on stage by bassist Magali Datzira (Sant Andreu Jazz Band) and percussionist Juan Berbín. This family project started when Rita booked a two-day studio session for Elisabeth as a birthday present in June 2018. Rehearsing and preparing for that session, they re-evaluated and strengthened their repertoire and arrangements. It was then when they decided to take the project further and release it as their debut album. The album will be released later this year (2019).

Rita (20) has lived and breathed music since she was a child thanks to her musical family. She studied piano, and later trombone which later became her main instrument. In 2017 she entered the well-known Sant Andreu Jazz Band, and under the direction of bassist and tenor player Joan Chamorro, she recorded several albums along with Andrea Motis, Eva Fernandez and Magali Datzira: some of the artists who performed in last year’s London Catalan Festival. With Chamorro she also released the album “Joan Chamorro presents Rita Payés” featuring Scott Hamilton, Dick Oats, Scott Robinson, Toni Belenguer and Jo Krause among others. Rita has performed in some of the most venerated stages and festivals in the country and abroad, such as Barcelona Jazz Festival, Jamboree Jazz Club, L’Auditori de Barcelona, Barnaswing, Summer Festivals in several villages of Catalonia as well as venues in France and Switzerland.

Elisabeth has a classical musical background but she has always been inspired by Latin American music, especially bossa nova, from the voices of Jobim, Chico Buarke and Elis Regina amongst others. Besides her work as a music educator (Bruc Conservatoire), she has performed as a classical guitarist for most of her career, both as a soloist and in larger ensembles. Two of her most successful projects were duos: guitar duo with the late Victor Valls, and cello and guitar duo with the Brazilian cellist Ana Moreira. Elisabeth also participated in the two albums that Rita recorded with Joan Chamorro. Elisabeth has incorporated her visions of classical guitar into the repertoire that she plays with Rita, using her excellent musicality and techniques and combining them with the personal sounds of Rita’s melodies and improvisations.

This project is a meeting point between two generations, two points of view. It’s neither strictly jazz nor classical. It’s a highly personal interpretation of Rita’s and Elisabeth’s favourite music.