The Ray Gelato Enric Peidro Quintet
Biographie The Ray Gelato Enric Peidro Quintet
Enric Peidro
A self taught musician, Peidro began playing tenor at the age of fourteen.
A couple of years later he was playing on several blues and rhythm and blues bands. His interest in Jazz developed quickly and since then, Peidro has remained loyal to his musical heros: jazz masters like Leon "Chu" Berry, Ben Webster, Don Byas, Coleman Hawkins Benny Carter,Johnny Hodges, Lester Young as well as some of their disciples, like Illinois Jacquet, Arnett Cobb, Paul Gonsalves, Flip Phillips, Jimmy Forrest, Buddy Tate, etc
Although Peidro's sound and phrasing are deeply rooted in the swing-era, his approach is so natural and genuine that he has achieved great popularity and is acknowledged as a real “keeper of the flame” among the classic jazz lovers all over Spain. Often labeled in the past as an “outsider" a “rara avis” or “an stylist swining against the current” by some Jazz writers, also at the same time he's been always regarded in high esteem by the jazz media (critics, magazines etc) wich have always appreciated his honest, genuine and unpretentious approach and invariably have pointed out the richness of his tenor sound and his knowledge of the classic jazz idiom.
In the later years, he works mainly as a leader with two main units under his name: a quartet consisting on him plus a rhythm section and a six piece band (often augmented to 7 or 8 pieces) wich under the name of Enric Peidro Swingtet has become increasingly popular in the Jazz scene not only in Spain but also in Europe, touring quite a lot and delivering some swingin' jazz to the audiences everywhere. As a leader he has recorded 14 Cds under his own name with several different units and as a sideman his recorded work goes up to 35 Cds at last count..
Beside his projects as a leader, he loves to play in other bands either as a sideman or sharing the leadership duties with other musicians. Currently he co-leads a quintet with international sax player and entertainer Ray Gelato. Together they have recently recorded an album wich will be released in June 2019.
Also, he has recorded and frequently tours with world class trombone player Dan Barrett, with whom he also co-leads a quintet that in 2018 released their first cd wich was more than well received and got great reviews at the jazz media.
A particularly interesting unit wich features Peidro its the "International Classic Jazz All Stars" wich include among others musicians Australian bass player and vocalist Nicki Parrott, french drummerGuillaume Nouaux or London based piano man Richard Busiakiewicz.
Always a hard worker, Peidro's schedule keeps him busy most of the year and as he has done for the last 20 years he keeps relentlessly exploring the legacy of the masters of tenor sax he admires, trying to find his personal voice within that musical language and delivering swinging, creative and imaginative music to audiences worldwide
