Emilio Teubal & La Balteuband

Argentine pianist-composer Emilio Teubal assembled an international cast of emerging jazz talent for his second release as a leader. The Swirling Ping-Pong is so named for the bouncing back and forth of the engaging melody between two soprano sxs, Cuban Xavier perez and Brazilian Felipe Salles. The mysterious "Before the Outerspace" features some soothing tenor sax work by Perez alongside the lush clarinet playing of Ivan Barenboim. On the brisk, chop-busting chorinio (T)La Arania '08, Teubal plays accordion against Japanese bassist Moto Fukushima's deep groove on six-string electric - Jazz Times, by Bill Millkowski

The spectacular collision of cultures raining down of music in the Latin idiom has brought with it a proverbial deluge of the most wonderful shower of metaphor and idiom, melody and rhythm and harmonics of a tantalizingly high order. This fine record Un Monton de Notas (Not Yet Records) by Emilio Teubal and his grupo projecto, La Balteuband is another fine example. Here is a nonet led by the Spanish-born Argentenian pianist and composer that has literally opened the mystical gates of oceans of music in a record that describes a courageous musical journey. It crosses continents, leaps out of Cordoba, Spain, dives into the heartland of Argentina, then emerges from the deep and dense recesses of the Brasilian Northeast in an explosion of propulsive dynamic energy, and takes off into interstellar space.

There is not enough space here to discuss how this happens in music, repeatedly; it is a matter of fact now. The real trick is to shut the eyes and give into the music, body and soul. The music of this nonet is so seductive that it is impossible not to be drawn into this world and virtually hypnotised. Teubal is a gifted musician and composer and has an inner ear that is sharp and intelligent. He hears music differently. Much of this lies in a multiplicity of tonal densities of various woodwinds and horns – ranging from the flute and soprano saxophone to the bass clarinet. This approach appears to superceed everything and his music is presented with the richly woven voices of these lead instruments.

Sometimes he will poke through with the piano or Rhodes to assert a certain rhythmic harmony. His use of the cello is inspired and on “Un Monton de Notas,” this wonderful instrument is played with equal virtuosity by Greg Heffernan. This track is stellar, a complex blend of maracatu rhythms that conjour a feverish ritual that is showered with melodic ingenuity. There is rarely such excitement in a song and such propulsive rhythm. It is possible – very possible that only Egberto Gismonti’s majestic compositions could have inspired such a richly textured piece.

However, there is much more to recommend this record as one of the year’s finest. “Ping Pong,” opens with a rhythmic piano figure and develops into a superb visual expression with a puckish tête-à-tête between the soprano saxophones of Xavier Perez and Felipe Salles. The mood and textures change dramatically with “Before the Outerspace,” where Felipe Salles creates a dramatic effect with beautifully toned bass clarinet. His speech-like modes are maintaining the dramatic tension of the song.

“X-cetera (after)” is an interesting composition where the melody states an obverse rhyming meter. The two tenors trading 8’s for some time and they make way for the dark piano, bass and percussion to lead the song into an extended piano improvisation that is urged on by the thundering cajon and rumble of the bass.

“El Amanecido” is a nervy polka that pits piano against percussion and horns in a rather jazzy chamane. ”Baguala” is stately, almost dolorous and brings to life a tstely dance form that stradles Argentina and Bolivia. The highlight once again is the superbly arranged dense tonal textures of the clarinets that color the piece and play off the tinkling piano beautifully executed and winds down with a swaggering blues ending. “(T) La Arania 08” is cast in the mould of a chorinho and is outstandingly authentic.

Teubal pays rich tribute to the music that might have first fired up his young imagination to conclude this memorable set. There is a fine piece; “A la Pantalla A” that turns the music awash with the rhythmic extravagance of Cordoba. This is an intense set and brings further evidence that Emilio Teubal is making a name for himself among the growing roster of young modern pianists and musicians. - Latin Jazz Network: by Raul Da Gama

Argentinean pianist Emilio Teubal's La Balteuband brings together musicians from around the globe, including Cuba, Brazil, Japan, Isreal, Argentina and the U.S. to produce Un Monton de Notas ("A bunch of notes"). The notes played form a mixture of Latin Jazz with a distinctive modern jazz direction. This is fearless music in which traditional instruments like accordion, cello, percussion and handclaps meets soprano and tenor saxes, flute, clarinet and bass clarinet, acoustic piano, as well as electric piano, six-string electric bass and electronic effects, to sound absolutely like no other music out there. Don't get me wrong: the music is still melodic and not so far out there as to be over the edge. But the music is adventurous and free-flowing, allowing plenty of opportunity for these talented soloists to experiment, and the results are very rewarding, with excitement, suspense and surprise. Proof that Vijay Iyer and Dafnis Prieto aren't the only NYC-based musicians exploring the blending of cultures, Un Monton de Notas is one of the strongest Latin jazz albums of the year and one I highly recommend for listeners looking for something new. Favorite cuts: the catchy opener - "Ping Pong," the incredible title track with percussive piano, soaring flute, startling shifts and an aggressive cello solo, the sprightly "(T) la arania" and the achingly beautiful "Baguala." - Jazzchicagonet: by Brad Walseth

......There is a more familiar sense of time-keeping, but still no old-fashioned swing, on un monton de notas from Argentine pianist and composer Emilio Teubal, a recording with a sense of modern jazz which stands out from the crowd. Teubal, a recipient of a Meet The Composer fellowship, uses simple elements to create ensemble compositions that are more complex and involving than the standard legacy of Hard-Bop. He favors lyrical, lilting lines over a pulsating, sometimes heavy groove – bassist Moto Kukushima solely plays the electric bass – and there are rhythmic ideas and melodies from café music, New Tango and what seems to be folk music folded in seamlessly, which give the music a satisfying international quality, an Argentine returning jazz to America with new ideas. The title track is a multi-varied composition that sounds like a tour of the past and present of Argentine culture, at times rollicking, naive, rocking and mysteriously mournful. There is featured solo from cellist Greg Heffernan who plays with great clarity, strength and rhythmic force. The basic band is a quintet, with Franco Pinna on drums and saxophonist Xavier Perez and Felipe Salles, who are fine players, although Salles is following Chris Potter a little closely on this CD (Teubal features the two horns together on most of the compositions, but the liner notes don’t identify who can be heard in which channel). There is some deference to the standard, mainstream conception of jazz on ‘El amanecido,’ which is the only weak part of an otherwise completely enjoyable and satisfying record – Teubal’s own art and style are strong enough that he needn’t prove that he can fit into a mainstream conception. The opening track, ‘Ping Pong,’ does a lot with repetition over a solid ostinato, while ‘Before the outerspace’ wrings great power out of taking a long line and doubling it’s tempo, going from bluesy and funky to carnivalesque, and ‘Baguala’ is a sonorous ballad. Teubal clearly has a fulfilling idea of what he wants to do, it’s worth doing and he does it so well that he sounds like no one else. This is a CD worth seeking out, and a musician worth watching, - The Big City (Blog): by George Grella>

La Balteuband is the musical enterprise of pianist/composer/producer Emilio Teubal, an Argentinean musician who moved to New York City in 1999 to pursue his ambitions as a jazz artist. Rounding out his band La Balteuband are drummer Franco Pinna, clarinet and soprano saxophonist Kobi Salomon, electric bass guitarist Moto Fukushima, and tenor and soprano saxophonist Felipe Salles. Their self-titled debut album, produced by Emilio Teubal, supports avant garde music structures and baroque-jazz displays. The music notes are spontaneously splayed and extemporaneously spliced. Each song is a musical vignette that when strung together creates a whole composition of moving pictures demonstrating independent movements that fluctuate between being uncoordinated and acting in accordance with each other.

The music mimics the activity going on a city street as people are bustling about with their own routine independent of each other. Everything that is happening on a stretch of block is being represented in the movements of these musical vignettes. Instrument parts are strewn autonomous of each other as their librettos vary and their tempos are diverse with some slow and other hurried. The songs are a hotchpotch of expressions and musical ideas with the horns often operating the dominant chords and the piano laments cabling the undercurrents. The music has a free spirit as notes are plotted with spontaneity and emotive impulses coursing streaks and stipples across the melodic folds.

Each instrument sequence has their own unique accents guided by their own capricious instincts and idyllic hyperboles. The instrument parts usually do not act in accordance with each other but rather follow their own independent ardor. The horns can be fervent and some times competitive while the drums will be sedate or frilly depending on their temper. Each instrument makes their own melodic blueprint and inebriated bliss so when these lines are layered, they cause the songs to pull the listener in different directions. There is not one conceivable melody to follow but several meshed into one song. Independently of one another, the artistry of each instrument is bedazzling but when put together the melodies battle for the listener’s attention which gives the songs intense complexity.

The members of La Balteuband are all award winning musicians and avid students of jazz music. Their vast complexity is reminiscent of John Coltrane and their liberty with music notes recalls Gil Evans. The music is dependent on the instruments variables which take on a different facile, accents, and trundling mechanisms similarly to the way people on a city street move around each other autonomous of one another. It’s orderly chaos as independent schemes are spliced to make a musical bouquets representative of personal tastes. The music is personalized to La Balteuband and in that way impossible to duplicate.
- Jazz Review.com: by Susan Frances

La Balteuband is a first release of rich harmonic and rhythmic beauty from the instrumental jazz ensemble of the same name led by Argentine composer-pianist Emilio Teubal. The band personnel are an interesting mix of New York-based musicians of international origin — Spanish, Argentine, Brazilian, Japanese and Israeli. Their music marries jazz, classical and Argentine styles, largely composed, yet with outstanding solos from each one of the band members at some point along the musical journey which begins with the folk rhythm of the brief, bright “A Caballo” and ends with the moody twists and turns of the dense tango-jazz that is “Sin Pestanias”.

All of the material is original, all of it penned by Emilio Teubal except for the solo bass “Intro” that is track number eight. Fittingly, it is written by bassist Moto Fukushima. Drummer Franco Pinna is credited as co-arranger on two of the nine tracks. The musicianship throughout on the part of everyone is excellent and often exceptional.

It is during the second piece on the CD, “Capinias”, that the music really starts to engage me although I find the “Off to see the Wizard” musical quote a little off-putting when it pops up.

“El Sausa”, the third piece on La Balteuband, starts with a light, happy motif but proves to be a true heavyweight through its twelve-minute-plus evolution. It fuses Argentine rhythm, jazz, tango and haunting tonalities. There are definite shades of Astor Piazzolla, Egberto Gismonti and Debussy; Gil Evans layering and Mingus madness. Moto Fukushima plays a truly outstanding electric bass solo, very classical, sometimes Bach-like and sometimes like Spanish guitar skilfully underpinned and accented by drummer Franco Pinna. After the bass solo, the plaintive saxophone of Felipe Salles joins, developing into fierce passionate blowing and bringing us into the crux of the piece. The melodic motif is played ever faster until it is picked up by the piano which then plays alone as introspection replaces passion and the motif breaks down in one of the most delicately-executed jewel-toned piano passages on the CD. The motif will re-emerge, fluid and bright, joined by saxes and move into more composed territory — until one sax rips off a line and the other tears off on another tangent. The piece ends with the same motif it started with, but transformed into something a little stronger.

“Twisted Title”, introduced by Kobi Salomon’s clarinet, is a melancholy piece with a dark tango piano line and shimmering surges of cymbals fully integrated with hot jazz. “Historias Tristes”, also mixing jazz with tango, features both flute and a clarinet solo which combines with some bird-like soprano sax against a rumbling bass. The piece develops a great bass groove, builds delicious tensions and features an interesting drum solo against 3 repeated bass notes.

“AC in Ab” is, at least at its outset, the most 'classical' piece on the CD with a long solo piano introduction reminiscent of Debussy, Satie and Piazzolla. It moves from there through South American rhythm, jazz comping and sax, a light touch of “Rondo a la Turk”, interesting drums and percussion and some exceptional bass.

“Berry” bounces and lilts along with a folk-jazz feel and faint hints of klezmer to a drum solo punctuated by a repeated piano line. The exquisite solo bass “Intro” flows smoothly into the last but definitely not least perhaps even the best (save the best for the last?) “Sin Pestanias” — a great piece, and especially for modern jazz-tango-lovers, worth the whole CD. - The Live Music Report vy Joyce Corbet

New York-based pianist and composer Emilio Teubal presents his sophomore effort with “Un Monton de Notas” (a bunch of notes) and follow up to his critically acclaimed 2006 debut “La Balteuband,” continuing a musical journey of non-traditional improvised light jazz diced with elements of the Argentinean musical flavor. Though actually born in Spain, Teubal is of Argentinean descent which does influence his writing and musical style as was evident in his first album and continues here. There are no simple melodies found on this project, the music offers a blend of sophisticated intricate lines presenting a challenge to the listener and demanding a touch of concentration for full appreciation of the music.



The music is billed as a “rhythmically and harmonically rich pre-composed structured and improvised sections that highlight the musicality of each member of the band.” The band, known as La Balteuband, originally a quintet comprised of drummer Franco Pinna, reed men Kobi Solomon and Felipe Salles and bassist Moto Fukushima, who all return fo r this encore performance, is augmented for this project to include Xavier Perez (saxophones and flute), Ivan Barenboim (clarinet), Greg Heffernan (cello) and Marcelo Woloski (percussions and hand clapping).

The pianist introduces the opening “Ping Pong” with light mellow chords the flow gracefully into a semi-classical groove eventually engaged with tasteful soprano forays making for an enticing beginning. There are nine original compositions all offering distinctly different directions but containing very similar improvisational undertones. The second tune. “Before the Outerspace,” is actually a quiet number with an inviting tease and a warm texture. The third track, “X-Cetera (after) features a nice sax chase between reed men Perez and Salles, both on tenor displaying their very able chops on the instrument. Other highlights include the title track, the lively, hand-clapping “El Amanecido,”the gentle “Baguala”and the spacious “A La Pantalla A.”

“Un Monton de Notas” is not just a bunch of notes that pianist Emilio Teubal has penned without meaning, it is in fact an intricate recording of harmonically-rich music that offers an intelligent sound and a relaxing musical experience. - Ejazznews: by Edward Blanco

Miguel Teubal y su esposa Norma debieron exiliarse en 1976 de la Argentina debido a la dictadura militar imperante (e inoperante) existente. Recalaron en Madrid y all�, ese mismo a�o, naci� su hijo Emilio Teubal. La familia regres� al pa�s en 1984 con el retorno de la democracia. A los 9 a�os, el peque�o comenz� sus estudios de piano, asisti� al Conservatorio Nacional de Buenos Aires y estudi� composici�n, arreglos y orquestaci�n en forma privada. En 1999, Teubal se mud� a New York a seguir estudiando y all� se qued�.
Conform� La Balteuband, debutando discogr�ficamente en 2006 con el �lbum hom�nimo, donde se hizo cargo de la mayor�a de las composiciones (ocho sobre nueve), de los arreglos y la producci�n.
Para ir formateando la cuesti�n, podemos arriesgar que La Balteuband es un grupo instrumental en el que confluyen el jazz y ritmos provenientes de la Argentina, b�sicamente del folclore.
Como para que tenga una idea, �vio?

Un l�mite es, dice la se�ora RAE, m�s conocida como Real Academia Espa�ola (no confundir con el Racing de Santander), una l�nea real o imaginaria que separa dos terrenos, dos pa�ses, dos territorios. En m�sica deber�amos referirnos a los estilos. Tambi�n al talento, al buen gusto y a etceteridades varias. Pero lo que nos ocupa, en principio, es el estilo. Los estilos.
A lo largo de la historia se han producido muchos encuentros de estilos. Tambi�n desencuentros, �stos cada vez con mayor frecuencia. En el barrio lo llam�bamos "pastiche" o, como reza la sabidur�a popular barrial, "ni chicha ni limonada".

Es indisimulable que, en los �ltimos a�os, los puristas deben andar a cabezazo limpio contra las paredes debido a que todo estilo est� tendiendo a la impureza. Pero si intentamos hablar seriamente, en todas las �pocas se han dado estas situaciones, de manera m�s o menos solapada. Dentro de la m�sica argentina, a m� a veces se me dificulta distinguir un guayno de una chacarera de una zamba de un malambo de un peric�n. Dije que se me dificulta a veces. En otras ocasiones, me resulta decididamente imposible.
Y si vamos al rock... todav�a estoy tratando de interpretar en qu� se diferencia el rock sinf�nico del progresivo. O d�nde empiezan y/o terminan estilos como el hard rock, heavy metal, death rock, gothic rock, metalcore, deathcore, stoner rock, grunge, action rock, industrial rock, black metal, glam metal, kraut rock, thrash metal, extreme metal, garage rock o... ��dance rock?!
Tal vez puedan tildarme de b�sico, pero ten�a las cosas mucho m�s claras cuando por un lado estaban los chetos (Willy Ruano, Pablo Codevila y Silvia P�rez) y por el otro, los rockeros.

Lo cierto es que los estilos existen y sus l�mites tambi�n.
Y hay quien sabe conjugarlos y quien no.
Como en todos los �rdenes de la vida (cristiana, musulmana, buda, jud�a, agn�stica, atea, protestante, ind�gena, espiritista, shinto�sta, zoroastrista, neopaganista, rastafarianista, universalista o todas juntas).

No sabemos qu� religi�n profesa Emilio Teubal; pero s� que ha sacado, con La Balteuband, su segundo disco. Que lleva por t�tulo Un mont�n de notas. Y donde encontramos m�sicos de diversas naciones: Argentina, Jap�n, Cuba, Brasil, Israel y Estados Unidos.

Ping Pong abre el �lbum con una intimista intro de piano a cargo de Teubal. Como si se estuviera jugando un match, el tema va calentando en forma gradual, con las voces l�deres de Xavier P�rez y Felipe Salles en saxos soprano. La base, folcl�rica, a cargo del baterista Franco Pinna y el bajista Moto Fukushima permite, a pesar de su atractivo, degustar la sutil intervenci�n de Teubal en Fender Rhodes. El entramado arm�nico parece llevarnos a un callej�n sin salida pero es una falsa alarma. En gran parte por el muy buen aporte de Pinna.
Before the Outerspace coquetea con el vals. Ivan Barenboim en clarinete hace suponer un rumbo que, al ingresar el tenor de Xavier P�rez, no se concreta. La balada no aporta demasiado si bien incluye arreglos y detalles que mantienen nuestra atenci�n. El minuto final, comandado por Pinna y Teubal, levanta el sport.
X-cetera (after) es, desde su inicio, otra cosa. Un dueto de saxos tenores a cargo de Felipe Salles y Xavier P�rez, apuntalado exclusivamente por un preciso juego de tambores y platillos marca Pinna, obliga a levantarnos del asiento y a empezar a cabalgar. Le sucede una gran intervenci�n de Teubal, para que el dueto ahora sea de tenor y soprano (P�rez). La cuesti�n vira nuevamente a un tr�o pero esta vez de bater�a, bajo y piano. Con los l�mites r�tmicos y estil�sticos rompi�ndose una vez m�s hasta un notable grand finale en quinteto.

Un mont�n de notas es un tributo al genial m�sico y humorista uruguayo Leo Masl�ah. Y tranquilamente podr�a haber sido dedicado a Hermeto Pascoal. Aqu� Teubal decidi� cambiar los saxos por clarinetes (a cargo de Kobi Solomon e Ivan Barenboim), flauta y clarinete bajo (Felipe Salles) y cello (Greg Hefferman). Marcelo Woloski en percusi�n aporta ciertas coloraturas t�picas del samba brasile�o. Con cierto aire de forr�, Un mont�n de notas ofrece en realidad un mont�n de ideas y de sonidos atractivos que van mutando de ejecutante, aunque el aplaus�metro se incline, en este caso, por el gran trabajo de Hefferman. Importante tambi�n en el reflexivo pasaje previo al final, con un liricismo que tampoco sabe de estilos.
La sentida introducci�n de Teubal en El amanecido no presagia el deseo irrefrenable de hacer palmas, a caballo de un buen solo en soprano de Xavier P�rez. Otro buen pasaje de Teubal en piano sobre una s�lida base que se sostiene en la sobriedad de Fukushima y un Pinna que aqu� ha decidido priorizar el bombo leg�ero y acert� una vez m�s.

En Baguala se respira el aire norte�o, como si Leda Valladares estuviera ah�, fiscaliz�ndolo todo. Casi un requiem, Teubal ha realizado un arreglo para metales que P�rez y Barenboim ejecutan a la perfecci�n.
(T) La Arania '08, jazz de vanguardia con aires ciudadanos y de carnaval. Aqu� el l�der suma un acorde�n al tr�o de flauta, saxo soprano y clarinete. El bajista Moto Fukushima tiene su momento y no lo desaprovecha, al que le sucede un interesante solo a cargo de Felipe Salles en flauta y, siempre, el clima festivo. A la pantalla A marca otro de esos cruces de estilos, sostenidos por el bombo leg�ero de Pinna y un solo de saxo tenor a cargo de Salles. Teubal vuelve a recurrir al Fender Rhodes y los arreglos son nuevamente muy cuidados. Aunque la sensaci�n es que un par de minutos menos no hubieses venido mal.
El final es con Coda, una breve pieza camar�stica de singular belleza.

Emilio Teubal & La Balteuband demuestra en Un mont�n de cosas que, ce�irse a estilos predeterminados, es tener la imaginaci�n en stand-by. El grupo comandado por el pianista ha dejado en claro que los l�mites son una valla que necesariamente debe ser saltada.
Eso s�... se necesita talento, trabajo, ideas y compromiso.
Y aqu�, hay de sobra. - El Intruso (Argentina): by Marcelo Morales

La Balteuband is the musical enterprise of pianist/composer/producer Emilio Teubal, an Argentinean musician who moved to New York City in 1999 to pursue his ambitions as a jazz artist. Rounding out his band La Balteuband are drummer Franco Pinna, clarinet and soprano saxophonist Kobi Salomon, electric bass guitarist Moto Fukushima, and tenor and soprano saxophonist Felipe Salles. Their self-titled debut album, produced by Emilio Teubal, supports avant garde music structures and baroque-jazz displays. The music notes are spontaneously splayed and extemporaneously spliced. Each song is a musical vignette that when strung together creates a whole composition of moving pictures demonstrating independent movements that fluctuate between being uncoordinated and acting in accordance with each other.

The music mimics the activity going on a city street as people are bustling about with their own routine independent of each other. Everything that is happening on a stretch of block is being represented in the movements of these musical vignettes. Instrument parts are strewn autonomous of each other as their librettos vary and their tempos are diverse with some slow and other hurried. The songs are a hotchpotch of expressions and musical ideas with the horns often operating the dominant chords and the piano laments cabling the undercurrents. The music has a free spirit as notes are plotted with spontaneity and emotive impulses coursing streaks and stipples across the melodic folds.

Each instrument sequence has their own unique accents guided by their own capricious instincts and idyllic hyperboles. The instrument parts usually do not act in accordance with each other but rather follow their own independent ardor. The horns can be fervent and some times competitive while the drums will be sedate or frilly depending on their temper. Each instrument makes their own melodic blueprint and inebriated bliss so when these lines are layered, they cause the songs to pull the listener in different directions. There is not one conceivable melody to follow but several meshed into one song. Independently of one another, the artistry of each instrument is bedazzling but when put together the melodies battle for the listener�s attention which gives the songs intense complexity.

The members of La Balteuband are all award winning musicians and avid students of jazz music. Their vast complexity is reminiscent of John Coltrane and their liberty with music notes recalls Gil Evans. The music is dependent on the instruments variables which take on a different facile, accents, and trundling mechanisms similarly to the way people on a city street move around each other autonomous of one another. It�s orderly chaos as independent schemes are spliced to make a musical bouquets representative of personal tastes. The music is personalized to La Balteuband and in that way impossible to duplicate.
- Jazz Review.com: by Susan Frances