Photo by Titus Brein
Jacco Muller is a soft-spoken and thoughtful man with a twinkle in his eyes and an easy smile. He is also a musical tour de force.
I had known Jacco from a distance for a year or 2 through dance workshops before we ever became friends. He is the kind of guitarist who is so very easy to dance with that you don’t fully realize how good you had it until he’s not in the studio anymore.
Ten years ago I spent a school year in Amsterdam rebuilding myself after a serious back injury with Jacco’s wife, Vida Peral (a whole separate post on Vida in the future). And if you take class with Vida, you have the privilege and joy of being accompanied by Jacco.
Jacco and I have shared many after-class beers in Amsterdam and many after-show sherries in Jerez, and I know when he lives part of every year in Chicago where he is also a resident, he loves these certain burritos in Lincoln Park that are “as big as your head.” We have road-tripped to Brugges, Belgium, and hung out at the plaza in Santa Fe, NM. Through it all, his lilting baritone is full of quirky yet spot-on observations and the genuine warmth of friendship.
Jacco is such an understated person that it was only little by little that I learned of his tremendous talent for composing. Flamenco guitar is the instrument he plays professionally, and certainly composing traditional flamenco music is mandatory for establishing one’s own sound and style. But he has also created a more classical CD entitled “Silueta,” featuring flamenco guitar accompanied by exquisite violin and cello (my personal favorite) which led to composing for chamber music ensemble and symphony orchestra (my husband’s favorites) and the double cd “Orchestral Music of Jacco Muller.”
Jacco’s musical talents and interests continue to both broaden and deepen with his most recent project, a collaboration with oud player, Victor Ghannam, that gives us the Middle Eastern and flamenco world music CD, “Vientos del Desierto.”
And then Jacco steps into a dance class with his Western boots and turquoise rings, and you just faint with how sublime his guitar playing is.
Overall this is music that transcends each of the forms involved, that floats above it all, that becomes an entity unto itself. As someone who has studied and worked in the film industry myself, I want to specifically give a heads up to the filmmakers out there who are reading this: this is music that lends itself very well to film scoring. Jacco’s website includes not only audio clips that you can listen to while browsing, but also information on composition rental and commissions. Hmmm, I wish I were making a film right now… http://www.jaccomuller.com/html/compositions.html
At some point during that year in Amsterdam, Jacco gave me a copy of one of his first CDs, “Laberinto.” I later asked him to sign it and gave it as a gift to my mother, an aficionada herself who was a big fan of Jacco’s. It remained one of her treasured items to the end of her life 4 years ago.
Again, please explore Jacco’s rich website: http://jaccomuller.com/
AND Jacco will also be performing at the 3rd Dutch Flamenco Biennial, January 21 – 30, 2011: www.flamencobiennale2011.nl
For the Dutch Flamenco Biennial website to open in English: http://www.flamencobiennale2011.nl/p/88.html
A VER
Coco's Chronicles: The Story of a Comeback
Remembering Jose Granero at the Flamenco Festival de Jerez
Vida Peral, Dancer/Teacher/Choreographer
Ciro, The Great Maestro, Part 1
!Y!
Carlo Basile y Las Guitarras de Espana
Tamara Carson, Ole Music and Dance of Spain, and the flamenco community of Kansas City
LLAMADA
Calling out to all flamencos to write your own post for this page! It can be a one-time article or a regular contribution on any flamenco topic that you are passionate about. Just post a comment or send me a message on facebook letting me know that you'd like to write, and I'll let you know what to do from there. This isn't a paid gig, but it is... a juerga.
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