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Interview with Nicolas Sorin

Interview by Agustina Perrota

Argentinean artist and contemporary jazz composer, Nicolas Sorin, began his musical career at age 17 and is the creator of the film scores for his father, Carlos Sorin, 3 latest movies. He also presented musical pieces with Henry Mancini Orquestra, National Sinfony of Argentina, Phil Wilson Big Band and Greg Hopkins Jazz Orchestra. Parallely to his job as a composer, he is also part of the septet “Malacara” and his own octet “Octeto Sorin”. Today he tells us about his steps in music and the real deal about Argentinean jazz.

            -Taking in to account that you have been in the scene since you were pretty young…how did you get in it?
            -“Well, I guess it was when I started studying at Berklee. Before that, the only thing I knew about jazz (or the only thing I recognized as jazz) was Paco de Lucia with John Mclaughlin or some Louis Armstrong record. I didn’t have that much background. I went there and I was only 17. I liked classical music, rock and really didn’t know much about jazz…maybe today I don’t know much either, but I did learn how to enjoy it and swing it. Although studying so much has taken me to the jazz side, I still like classical music and I try to mix a bit of both worlds.”

            -What do you incorporate in your music?
            -“Generally, in my compositions I don’t use “jazz” or that much swing or walking. Count Basie and Duke already did that in an unbeatable way, so I try to explore through other ways, trying to take out a little of the standard instrumentation or even the improvisation.”

            -So…do you think your music can be considered “jazz”?
            -“The word jazz today is very open…what is jazz? Its like talking about classic music. Not all orchestral music is classic. I think that in the present we are so open to genres, that what I do may be catalogued as “jazz”. You can also talk about it as fusion. There is so much information and its very interesting to look for sounds and investigating is a curiosity that goes beyond mind! I also experiment with rock, but I try not to think about it. I do what I do, and it comes out of me with what I know, a little rock, a little jazz, a little classical, I put all that in a bag and I think of all that as straight up music.”

            -Do you think now days we can talk about a “local jazz” or “Argentinean jazz”?
            -“Yes, I think of it as the “No Jazz”. Here there are many musicians, many composers that are in the scene, but they all have different propositions that some times include chacareras, or a more “European” esthetic. We get to be in the jazz scene, but however  its not jazz. They are very personal visions and the current is the same, the same people but the music is very different. There’s a lot of variety of you can listen to today, from Scalandrum to Esteban Sehinkman, Argentos, or any other band. I think that everyone of them is very particular, something that you may not see very often. Sometimes there are very marked currents, and people tend to get into one thing and get on it. Here the musical pallet is so varied of styles in jazz that I think that the Argentinean has very important data in rhythm. A little like Brazilian with their African rhythms.”

             -You also make music for film. How does that work for you?
            -“Generally, I follow a path a bit more classical. I use strings, I use guitars, Portuguese guitar, or some instrument that is a bit more Creole. I really like composers such as Nina Rota or Morricone, that after you listen to the sound track they composed, its an incredible record. I guess that being a musician, you give more importance to that, and it tends to make music a little nicer, you can listen to it with out the movie, although you have to comprehend that the purpose of music in film is another, that its music FOR film and not the other way round. It’s very important to understand that, and sometimes you have to know when to lay back.”

With the knowledge and structure of classic music, energy of rock, and folklore rhythms and elements that capture the roots of his country, Nicolas Sorin takes the freedom, language and attitude of jazz to experiment with his curiosity and make music. Currently he is writing the score for his father’s next movie, and is presenting himself live with his bands “Malacara” and “Octeto Sorin” around Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Stay tuned: http://www.nicolassorin.com

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