Eloi Pascual
Eloi Pascual
Debut album ‘Amarea’ by drummer Eloi Pascual
“Playing music is like therapy to me”
As far as he can remember, whilst being a toddler he was already banging on everything, pots and pans included, says Eloi Pascual (29). For obvious reasons his parents (mama playing flute and papa piano) got him a set of toy drums at the age of 4, which eventually got destroyed by banging it too hard. Now he releases his 1st album Amarea in a co-release with ZenneZ Records (NL) and Berthold Records (GE).
Why did he choose drumming anyway? “In the very beginning it just felt natural to me. I somehow understood the mechanics. I could listen to something and repeat it quickly. Also, you never miss a musical note, ha ha!”
Eloi started music education at the age of 6 and turning 13, he owned an electronic drumkit. By that time he was really into metal rock, listening a lot to bands like In Flames or Dream Theater, playing drums almost obsessively every day and starting out in his first bands. Education still was mostly classical music oriented, but he admits that it taught him the rudiments and basic techniques that did lay a strong fundament under his future ventures. “However, at that time and age, playing metal really was my thing.”
He was about 19, 20 when he developed a deeper interest in jazz music. “My father used to play Bill Evans records at home, so I was not unfamiliar with the genre. I started meeting people who were into jazz, we went to see some sessions and although it made me curious, I could not quite get it. Somehow I felt I was missing out on stuff that I found interesting. I felt that there was more to discover and my knowledge of music would remain shallow if I would not start playing other music than metal alone.”
So Eloi picked up private lessons to develop his vocabulary, studied jazz ensemble playing and started participating in jam sessions. He smiles: “I am not playing metal anymore but it is still part of my system, in the way I move around the drums.”
What jazz drummers he considers inspirational? “Oh, as many as possible. My biggest influences also in a personal context are Jorge Rossy and Iago Fernández. From the older generation the likes of Paul Motian, Jack DeJohnette, Roy Haynes, Billy Hart and Jimmy Cobb. Also Jeff Ballard and RJ Miller. He also speaks of his teachers at the Amsterdam Conservatory – Martijn Vink, Marcel Serierse, Yoran Vroom and Mark Schilders – as big influences.
Jack DeJohnette was a drummer and also a composer. What can Eloi share with us about his method of composing? “DeJohnette was a pianist too. When I was younger, I used to play a bit at home because my father is a pianist. During the pandemic I had nowhere to go and I played drums for six to ten hours a day. At a certain point I got totally fed up with doing that so I switched to the piano eventually. I had experienced some classes about voicing and harmonies at the Conservatory, so I started transcribing and working on some ideas and eventually they turned into compositions.”
Enter Chaerin Im and Matteo Mazzù. Eloi became friends with the pianist from South Korea and the electric bass player from Belgium the very first week they all attended the Amsterdam Conservatory. “The three of us always used to hang out together, sharing ideas and then playing for a while. At first everyone brought ideas and compositions to the table, but then we started to focus on my stuff more and more and decided that it would be my trio. From that point on I started to write even more dedicated with the individual qualities of Chaerin and Matteo in mind.”
How would you define the musical energy of this trio? “I think we are deeply patient people when it comes to playing music. I mean, the three of us can stay together in one place for a long time and totally enjoying it. We all have sensitive ears, so every little detail matters and has impact, a certain effect that allows each of us to be creative in our own way.”
The seven compositions that are on ‘Amarea’ are not so much conceptually related but can be described as delicate, subtle jazz piano trio music influenced by French impressionism, Radiohead, Ahmad Jamal and Brad Mehldau. “Playing music is like therapy to me. It deeply affects me and makes me want to reach out to emotional places; to my heart basically. Throughout the years I learned to play more and more minimalistic, try to be relaxed and in the moment, let everything come from the music itself while playing. To me that is essential to the tune.”
“Before we went into the studio (the album was recorded at Wedgeview by Udo Pannekeet), I had planned a three day residency at POM, Eindhoven. As I said, we are close friends and I had faith that we would accomplish what we wanted in the studio, but I also wanted us to bond even more with each other and the music by creating this atmosphere in which we could spend time together privately. Talk and eat and just enjoy each other’s company whilst playing the tunes that we were about to record. This three day getaway really contributed to our performances in the studio.”
