Francesc Capella

Department of Jazz, Flamenco, Popular and Traditional Catalan Music

fcapella@esmuc.cat

Combo jazz
Piano Jazz
Composició de jazz I
Composició de jazz II
Història del jazz
Història de la música popular

Francesc Capella (1)

Education

Trained musician in classical and jazz music. His classical piano education was under the guidance of Maria Carbonell and later, Albert Gimenez Attenelle.

In the field of jazz, he has received lessons from Álvaro Is, Lluís Vidal, Albert Bover, and Bruce Barth.

Concerts

He has participated in concerts and festivals across the country and internationally: United States, Japan, China, Russia, Germany, Great Britain, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, Latvia, Luxembourg, Hungary, Italy, Guinea Conakry, Morocco...

He has collaborated with artists such as Jesse Davis, Scott Hamilton, Johnny Griffin, Perico Sambeat, Jorge Rossy, Sheila Jordan, Judy Niemack, Damon Brown, Thomas Dobler, John Marshall, Leroy Jones, Ray Gelato, Jordi Sabatés, etc. He has also been a steady member of La Vella Dixieland (1994-2000). He has collaborated with Latin music figures like Lucrecia, Azuquita, Moncho, and singer-songwriters such as Maria del Mar Bonet, Quico Pi de la Serra, or Lídia Pujol.

Currently, he regularly collaborates with David Pastor and Laura Simó in various musical ensembles.

Recordings

Discography as a leader:


  • Pil Pil (Nuba, 1994)

  • New Tango Ensemble (Notaanota, 2001)

  • Erwyn’s Hot 5 (Temps Records, 2001)

  • The Minimum Trio (Satchmo, 2004, reissued by New Mood, 2007)

  • Jazz On Bach (New Mood, 2005)

  • Roses de Gos (Switt, 2009)

  • I’m Confessing (Nomad, 2010)

  • Cantabile (Nómada57, 2012)


He has participated in about 40 recordings as a sideman

Career

In 1993, he was awarded by the Generalitat for the composition " Sis peces per a piano" (IXè Concurs de Joves Compositors).

In 1997, he composed and directed the music for the show "Ball a Cavall," which premiered at the Palau d'Esports in Barcelona.

In 2000, he premiered the work " Variacions sobre un tema de Mompou " for solo piano. In 2002, he premiered the opera "Roses de Gos," inspired by Henry Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas."

In 2003, he presented the project "Jazz On Bach" for jazz septet, inspired by the music of Bach. In 2005, he won the third prize in composition at the SGAE Jazz Composition Biennial.

Since 2015, he participates as a composer and arranger in the annual Esmuc Jazz Project, being one of its 5 artistic directors. (Univers Jarrett 2015, Bestiari i Univers Zawinul 2017, Univers Carla Bley 2018, Univers Towner 2019, Univers Corea 2020, Univers Shorter 2021, Concerto For Trumpet 2022).

He has also composed and arranged music for theater and television, as well as for artists such as Tete Montoliu, Laura Simó, Pedro Ruy Blas, David Pastor, Lucrecia, Moncho, Big Mama, Amadeu Casas, etc.

Occasionally, he has worked as a producer and/or musical director for singer-songwriters and popular music groups. (Dusminguet, La Troba Kung Fu).

Teaching

He has been a professor at ESMUC since 2002.

From February 2014 to July 2017, he served as the Head of the Jazz and Modern Music Department. From September 2014 to September 2019, he was the Coordinator of the Master's Degree in Jazz and Modern Music Performance.

He has also worked as a teacher at the Escola de Música de Badalona (1994 – 2004) and at the Canfranc International Course "Pirineos Classic" (2005 to 2014).

He has conducted courses and masterclasses throughout the country and also in Germany and Switzerland.