In 2014, the outstanding Agusti Fernandez came to Warsaw to celebrate his 60th birthday at the invitation of the Ad Libitum festival.
We remember that time well. On the festival stage, the Catalan presented himself four times: in the excellent trio Aurora, created jointly by Barry Guy (double bass) and drummer Ramon Lopez, in the solo recital El Laberint de la Memorial devoted to the interpretation of 20th-century Spanish music, as a resident conducting the 10-person Ad Libitum Ensemble by Conduction method, composed of Polish young improvisers, and in the newly created Thunder trio with Joele Rayan – electronics and famous cello master Frances-Marie Uitti.
In 2015, in July, Agusti Fernandez had another opportunity to celebrate his birthday at the Ovidi Montllor Hall, Mercat de les Flors in Barcelona. Then, thanks to the help of the heads of GREC Festival de Barcelona, the pianist gathered a completely different birthday line-up. Apart from the leader, the Catalan audience could also listen to Frances-Marie Uitti, Mats Gustafsson and Pablo Ledesma on saxophones, Nate Wooley – trumpeter, the outstanding guitarist Joe Morris, Ingar Zach and Núrie Andorra on drums and the phenomenal flamenco dancer Sònia Sánchez.
This meeting resulted in a completely different music than the one from Warsaw, and the recording of this concert entitled Celebration Ensemble is now in your hands and together with the box of River, Tiger, Fire constitutes a complete birthday musical journey of August Fernandez.
