Daniel García

Daniel García has become one of the most original and influential voices of the new generation of Spanish Jazz. With his last trio album for ACT Music, "WONDERLAND", the group reaches the highest peaks of compositional and creative expression, establishing as one of the most in demand and solid trios in the jazz world. With three special guests as rising star singer Lau Noah, wizard guitarist Gilad Hekselman and Spanish super talented singer Verónica Ferreiro, "WONDERLAND" represents a milestone in Spanish Jazz. 

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"WONDERLAND" is  Daniel García Trio's third album on ACT. And whereas the previous albums "Travesuras" (2019) and "Vía de la Plata" (2021) were still characterised by clear influences from flamenco and traditional Spanish music, García has now cast his net wider. There are flamenco borrowings on "WONDERLAND", but they are more subtle and sit alongside a whole range of inspirations from modern jazz, classical music, pop, together with influences from the Caribbean and the Middle East. At the same time, "WONDERLAND" is also about the inner search: Daniel García quotes Swiss psychologist Carl Jung in the liner notes: "Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” García invites his listeners to explore their own feelings and thoughts - in “this secret haven where our deepest illusions and most fervent hopes reside, guiding us through the labyrinth of life.”

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Daniel García was born in Salamanca in 1983. As a student at Berklee College of Music in Boston he was taught by Grammy-winning Panamanian jazz pianist Danilo Pérez. Pérez became a mentor for García  and had a decisive influence on his musical development."Music is about truthfulness and self-knowledge, says García. “Only then can you penetrate deeper into things and find your own artistic expression, and Danilo showed me the way." García's success was not long in coming: in 2011 he received the award for the best jazz performance in Berklee. He subsequently played with renowned musicians such as Arturo Sandoval, Greg Osby and Perico Sambeat.

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Western classical music also helped to pave García's way to becoming an artist: before he went to the USA, he studied classical piano at the Castilla y León Conservatory in his native Salamanca, one of the top institutions for advanced music education in Spain: "While jazz is all about the WHAT, classical music focuses on the HOW,” he says "And good technique gives me the freedom to express exactly what I feel". It’s fascinating to hear how García's music sparkles and shimmers with the cadenzas, harmonies and timbres of classical music, but will then unexpectedly take a flamenco turn, dissolve into jazz harmonies or flow into a powerful improvisation. 

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Flamenco, jazz, classical music... and there is yet more to Garcia’s musical substance. He describes himself as an eclectic who has also ventured into rock, electronica, music of the Middle East, Cubanism, and even medieval music and Gregorian chant. "So much has influenced Spanish culture – and also left its mark on me. 

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After many years playing together and searching for the same things, musical interaction between Daniel and his fellows Reinier El Negrón on bass and Michael Olivera on drums is extremely organic, deep and almost telepathic: "When we play together we are in a deep listening state all the time. We are constantly exchanging information and reacting to it, like if we are making a real time musical sculpture. It is a very intense experience in which the audience takes a fundamental rol, since what happens on stage is only half of the equation. We receive a lot of energy and information from the audience that we transform into music for them, in this amazing feed back circle that makes each concert a one of a kind experience"