The ‘tell most’ of “Tell All” projectory moment with Brooklyn jazz musician and instrumentalist: Xavier Del Castillo, fascinates us with his exciting and ever-evolving career
In baking, culinary references can be found in concepts such as optimal mix and texture. You start by blending the wet ingredients and then add the non-wet ones. Music, too, has variations on this combination that are familiar to musicians of their genre. This includes a very special blend that jazz musician and instrumentalist Xavier Del Castillo repeatedly returns to. Although some of these compound steps initially emerge in the shower, while taking notes, or roughly editing fluid information, they can be shaped and adapted throughout Del Castillo’s highly entertaining creative process.
He describes language and poetry as a gateway to the universe that inspires him and helps him express something concrete while being inspired to make music, and like most of us who aspire to be idols, Del Castillo attributes some of his inspiration and motivation to reading the biography of American saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter. Although the inspiration of a good artistic flow has its ups and downs, Del Castillo believes that, starting from a state of exploration that is, however, beyond his immediate reach, he can develop ideas to overcome the frustration that often accompanies writer’s block.
In doing so, he understands how to master abstraction to recapture the spirit of rhythm. It was a deeply enriching experience to listen to the jazz musician reflect on the most fundamental aspect of music: entering a flow state where ideas come naturally. At the same time, he recalled one of his most difficult experiences with “difficult music,” as he called it. Something that forced him to think beyond the initial feeling, to focus on the possibilities of making music, to play hand-in-hand and reactively, and not to rely on an abstract structure of himself in the music. He had this experience some time ago during his artistic career, when he played with his friend Adam O’Farrill, leader of the band Stranger Days, which is touring Europe in May.
During his time working with O’Farrill, he immersed himself in the band’s improvisational process. He emphasized this as “thinking differently and breaking away from a top-down mentality, which can make you less reactive.” Now 31, Del Castillo represents much more than just the music behind the scenes. As an instrumentalist, he daily explores the melodic shapes, phrases, beats and harmonic structures that appeal to his fellow musicians and his own ear—down to the essence of the notes and rhythm of a song. “The key to perfectly executing this musical part lies in an eloquent, coherent work of connecting the musical lines,” says Del Castillo.
But when asked about his connection to his audience beyond his music, “My audience admired me in a less technical way,” Del Castillo says, something he feels mostly through indirect feedback from his audience as a proxy voice from his accompanist and occasional guest, after conveying his music and its emotions to an audience. Performing during the week and on weekends, at venues like the Artery in Brooklyn, New York, in cozy and relaxed spaces, like the Dumbo Jazz Loft in Brooklyn for his upcoming live jazz on March 28th at 7:00 p.m.
Follow the link to Xaxier Del Castillo’s website for updates on his upcoming tour and for tickets to all other upcoming jazz events. With each purchase, attendees will receive wine and food for just $25. The website informs about additional events, often organized and co-created by him and his bandmates, which find and strive to communicate in a way that is less tied to the hierarchical form of classical music, which we don’t always associate with rhythmic music. Del Castillo entrusted the treasure of his inspirations to a place where a layer of his heritage, a connection to a distant homeland, has always existed.
While this connection becomes a musical happy place, and when done right, Del Castillo believes that a cohesive performance as a whole must tell a story. This is important to him, as he takes the time to ensure that even the arrangements of individual songs, the body language on stage, and the sacred design of the space connect emotionally with the audience. He believes that musicians can learn a lot from actors, especially in how they use the stage, radiate energy, and engage the audience in the production. As Del Castillo says, “When you open the door to the audience, they will come, but you really have to open yourself to their energy.”
This piece by piece tells most of the musician’s own story, consisting of amazing anecdotes about his roots, his inspirations, and his entrepreneurial endeavors, including freelance gigs at weddings and in rock bands, the musician’s expression of his first love for music in a “metal band”, and his Hispanic cultural identity with great appreciation. This can be seen as a successful attempt to honor his Spanish heritage and his Mexican grandparents, León and Irene Del Castillo, as well as his North American grandparents, Les and Pamela Ede.
Such a prelude honors the jazz musician’s decision to use his “natural voice” on the tenor saxophone, his “mother tongue,” while interacting musically sophisticatedly with these instruments – flute, clarinet and alto saxophone. He already has trio experience with the group “Brick Work”, also known as “Mughal Muesli”, which operates in a relaxed and mixed group format. However, half of the group’s lineup consists of saxophone, double bass and drums. These are selected according to the specific project of the tenor saxophonist and in an organic way, so that the individual musicians can differ from each other but always interact within a common structural architecture of the rhythmic representation of the music.
