Remi Álvarez

Remi Álvarez

Remi Álvarez is a prominent Mexican saxophonist, composer, and educator celebrated for his contributions to free jazz, improvisation, and experimental music. With a career spanning over three decades, Álvarez has become a central figure in Mexico's avant-garde music scene. His innovative approach blends traditional jazz influences with a fearless exploration of sound, earning him acclaim both in his home country and internationally. He studied transversal flute at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música from 1975 to 1979 with Rubén Islas.

Early Life

Remi Álvarez grew up in Mexico City,a city rich in cultural and musical diversity. From an early age, he showed a strong interest in music, initially gravitating toward classical forms before discovering jazz.

He then taught himself to play the saxophone and made his professional debut with Cuarteto Mexicano de Jazz in 1984. Later, he moved to New York City and continued his studies of composition and improvisation at the Creative Music Studio with Anthony Braxton, George Lewis, Roscoe Mitchell and Don Cherry. He studied a bachelor in jazz at the Escuela Superior de Música from 1982 to 1987. In 1988, he traveled to Paris where his musical development was strengthened by taking classes with the composer-sax player Steve Lacy. His transformative moment came when he encountered the music of John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, and Ornette Coleman. Coltrane's spiritual depth, Dolphy's boundary-pushing creativity, and Coleman's embrace of freedom became cornerstones in Álvarez’s musical education and vision. He honed his skills through training in classical saxophone performance and personal jazz studies, eventually expanding his horizons abroad. While studying in the United States, Álvarez immersed himself in the thriving free jazz scenes of New York City.

Style

Álvarez’s music is marked by a philosophy that emphasizes freedom, resistance, and intuition. He has described improvisation as an act of "absolute freedom," where music becomes an extension of intuition rather than a strictly controlled process. For Álvarez, this spontaneity transforms live performances into moments of shared discovery between artist and audience. Álvarez’s technical mastery of the saxophone is complemented by his use of extended techniques, including multiphonics, circular breathing, and harmonics. His playing alternates between visceral, unstructured bursts of sound and moments of rich melody. This unique interplay of energy and reflection sets him apart as a key voice in the avant-garde jazz movement.

Career

Throughout his prolific career, Remi Álvarez has worked both as a solo artist and as a collaborator with other boundary-pushing musicians. He has released critically acclaimed works like Espacial II, which features collaborations with Norwegian bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten. The album highlights his ability to create dynamic and evocative improvisational pieces. a fixture in Mexico’s avant-garde music scene, frequently performing at venues such as El Quinto Piso, a hub for experimental musicians. His live performances are described as electrifying, blending emotional depth with technical brilliance. Audiences at El Quinto Piso have noted how Álvarez’s improvisations seem to channel both the chaos and vitality of urban life. Álvarez's career has been marked by a series of notable collaborations. He frequently performs in international jazz festivals and experimental music events, sharing stages with artists from diverse cultural and musical backgrounds. His collaborative spirit extends to collaborative projects, where he explores intersections between jazz, spoken word, and contemporary classical music. Since 1991,he has been a professor of saxophone and jazz at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), where he teaches jazz theory, saxophone, and improvisation. His teaching philosophy encourages students to develop their unique voices by embracing experimentation and individuality, while still understanding the traditional structures of jazz. In addition to his academic work, Álvarez regularly conducts workshops and masterclasses, focusing on themes such as intuition in performance and the relationship between technique and emotional expression. Through these efforts, he has helped nurture a new generation of Mexican jazz musicians who value innovation and creative freedom.

Remi Álvarez is regarded as a pioneering figure in Mexican jazz and experimental music. His fearless dedication to improvisation and his ability to merge diverse musical traditions have made him an influential artist and mentor. In interviews, Álvarez has reflected on his role as both a creator and a cultural advocate, using his music to challenge conventions and broaden the scope of what jazz can achieve. Álvarez's impact extends far beyond Mexico, as his collaborations and performances have brought him recognition across Europe, the United States, and South America. Through his work, Álvarez continues to redefine the role of the improvising musician, ensuring that free jazz remains a space for innovation and unrestrained creativity

In February 2004, he traveled to Europe, invited by Georg Hoffman, Swiss bass player, and Tobias Delius, British saxophonist, touring several cities in Switzerland and the Netherlands with them.

In 2005, he took a course in advanced improvisation at the Vancouver Creative Music Institute with George Lewis and Evan Parker, among others.

In June 2006, he was invited to play in the Vision Festival, the most important free jazz festival in New York City by Dennis González, Texan trumpet player.

Founder of Cráneo de Jade, with whom he has co-produced and recorded three CDs, he was invited to the Festival Internacional de Jazz Plaza in La Habana, Cuba, in 1997. In October 2005, Cráneo de Jade performed at the Palacio de Bellas Artes as a part of the Los Diez Grandes del Jazz, a tribute to the pioneers of jazz in México. In April 2007, Cráneo de Jade attended the VII Festival Internacional de San Luis Potosí.

He has been a member of Astillero ensemble since 2000, performing in France in 2001 and 2004. In October 2006, Astillero joined the 34th edition of the Festival Internacional Cervantino.

Currently, he is a member of Antimateria, FAS Trio, Cráneo de Jade ensembles; he plays in a duet with Gabriel Lauber and runs his own trio: Remi Álvarez Trio. He has performed live with musicians like Sabir Mateen, Rodrigo Amado, Dennis, Stefan and Aaron González, Ernest Dawkins, Vinz Vonlanthen, Michael Vatcher, Tayeb Laoufi and the Gnawa Spirit from Morocco. He has performed live and recorded with the Camerata de las Américas.

Selected ensembles

• Chocolate Smoke Gang
• Álvarez - Lauber Duo
• Antimateria
• Cráneo de Jade
• FAS Trio
• Remi Álvarez Trio

Major collaborators

• Carlos Maldonado Cisneros
• Milo Tamez
• Aarón Cruz
• Gabriel Lauber
• Hernan Hecht
• Itzam Cano
• Gustavo Nandayapa
• Arturo Báez
• Jorge Fernández
• David Sánchez

External links

• Remi Álvarez at MySpace
• Article of July 5th, 2008 at mexican newspaper Diario de Yucatán
• Article of September 26th, 2005 at Mexican newspaper La Jornada

"Remi Álvarez - Discografía - Discogs". discogs.com. Retrieved 3 August 2020.

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