Infante / Colina / Lemes Trío
Guiguan is the result of the collaboration between three musicians, Javier Infante, Alexis Lemes & Javier Colina, who share a deep desire to develop a unique style, entrenched in their island roots. This ensemble can be summarized in one sentence: "The sublime art of listening". These three virtuoso musicians embark, like explorers of the sonic universe, in an incessant search for musical beauty, the subtlety of melodic counterpoint and the courage of risky improvisations. Their music represents an opening towards a genuine musical language, which is inspired by contemporaneity, jazz and the deep musical roots of its land. In short, this group is an emotional picture, where an experience that touches the heart and awakens the soul, are painted with musical notes.
Javier Infante carried out his studies at the Canary Islands Advanced Conservatory with teachers Fernando Bautista & Carlos Oramas where he graduated with honors (1999). He studied composition & jazz language with the maestro Ricardo Montelongo. He also obtained a Master degree in Jazz and Modern Music (2000) from the Musicians Institute (Hollywood) in Los Angeles (USA) where he worked as a musician for MCA Universal, California.
He has participated at the Festival de Jazz de Canarias (Canary Islands Jazz Festival) in different consecutive years, (2000- 2005- 2008- 2011- 2015- 2019, 2020 y 2021); at the Festival de Música de Canarias (Canary Islands Music Festival)(2002 & 2016); Festival Internacional de Guitarra Canarias (Canary Islands International Guitar Festival)(1996- 2000- 2001); Festival de Guitarra Seis Cuerdas in Tenerife (Six Strings Guitar Festival)( 2008 & 2020); Festival de Músicas Alternativas de Canarias (Canary Islands Alternative Music Festival)(2006 & 2007); WOMAD Festival(2009); Festival Maestros en Guitarra en Gran Canaria (Gran Canaria Guitar Masters Festival)(2011); III Edition Canariasjazz Showroom (2011 & 2016); Semilla Jazz International Festival (2015 & 2016); XXIX Festival Jazz de Madrid (Madrid Jazz Festival)(2012); Santo Domingo Jazz Festival)(2012); 31st Festival Oficina da Música in Curitiba, Brasil, (2013); Spanish Sound Festival in Haus am Waldsee, Berlín and the Heidelberg University during the Conference ‘Jornada de Hispanismo en Alemania Hispanism in Germany (One day session on Hispanism in Germany)(2012).
Born in 1977, Alexis Lemes Socas from Lanzarote discovered that the ‘timple’ provided him with a new means of communication. So he decided to complement his self-taught training with great musicians: in 2002 he completed the advanced level of timple technique & interpretation with Domingo Rodríguez El Colorao. In 2003, he finished an advanced level course in timple harmony & improvisation with the help of José Antonio Ramos. From 2006 to 2008 he took courses at the Music Conservatory in Arrecife, Lanzarote, where he got to know the Cuban maestro Aldo Vázquez, whose influence and teaching encouraged him to write his own pieces for the timple. In 2009 he completed jazz training courses under the tutelage of the Uruguayan Alex Janssen, with whom he performed countless concerts of recognized success. Currently and expanding his knowledge, in 2014 Lemes received flamenco classes given by Manuel Jiménez and participated in several performances of modern music, under the supervision of the director of the Canary Islands Jazz Orchestra, René González.
Javier Colina is considered one of the best bass players on the current double bassist scene. His musical paths have taken him to play alongside renowned musicians in the world of jazz, such as Tete Montoliu, Al Foster, Chucho Valdés, Jerry González, among others. Outside the jazz scene he has collaborated with flamenco musicians such as Tomatito, Pepe Habichuela, Diego El Cigala & Enrique Morente, and has experimented with the Cuban sound, sharing the stage with Pancho Amat, Compay Segundo & Bebo Valdés and El Cigala, in his work Lágrimas Negras; he starred with Bebo Valdés in a week of performances in New York and did a live recording of Bebo Valdés & Javier Colina Live at the Village Vanguard.
After seven years of sharing stages, they have taken the plunge of recording an album titled Guiguan, due to the drive & encouragement of Javier Colina on double bass, who has got the group together. The album was recorded live in the ‘Musigrama’ studios in Madrid.
Line-Up:
Javier Infante: guitar
Alexis Lemes: timple
Javier Colina: contrabass
