Zopli2

Zopli2

By Jorge Fuentes

Click para español - Las Coincidencias

I suppose coincidences do not exist. The duo Zopli2 [so-plee-dohs] visits New Orleans from Spain after a layover in New York on their route to Mexico. Clara Gallardo and Joaquín Sánchez, the artists in the duo, began playing the clarinet at the age of 8.

Both have a passion for the flute and wind instruments in general, and they also share a passion for folkloric music from all over the world. Though they were both born in Malaga, they only met in December last year, when Clara returned to the city after culminating her studies at the conservatory in Holland. Right after they met, Joaquín and Clara began intense work sessions, practicing for 12 hours per day to get ready for their first performance in the city of Granada in January. A person from the audience at that first show approached them to tell them she was also a professional musician, and that she knew the perfect place where they could go and play their improvised pieces in New Orleans, where she lived. This is how the duo ended up with a booked performance at the Sidebar Nola, just before Jazz Fest. Joaquín is a recognized multi-instrumentalist. Among his many projects, he plays in the band Vibra-Tó, an ensemble dedicated to making music with hollow recycled materials.

Referring to the fact that improvisation in their pieces fits perfectly with the improvisation that characterizes jazz--our folkloric music. Joaquín assures “it’s a challenge improvising in a duo" as they need "to accompany and fill the gaps" while it is only the two of them creating all the sounds. Usually, they get most of the attention when performing a piece where they play one flute together!

It was no coincidence that we got to enjoy the talent of Zopli2 at the SideBar Nola in our musical city around the Jazz Fest, a time that brings us amazing music from all over the world.