Interview with Victor Antón: The spirit of this music is about knowing the tradition in depth: Video

Interview with a frivolous person, as if guitarist, a master of deception, in fact a fool of fools Victor Antón. An interview by email in writing.

JazzBluesNews.com: – First, let’s start out with where you grew up, and what got you interested in music.  How exactly did your adventure take off? 

Victor Antón: – I started studying piano at the conservatory when I was 8 years old. Also, in my home has always listened to a lot of good music. When I was a teenager, I started playing guitar in rock cover bands.

JBN: – How has your sound evolved over time? What have you been doing to find and develop your own sound?

VA: – Later, I started to delve into jazz and improvisation and to listen to a lot more music. I guess it’s an accumulation of experiences to find the way you can express yourself through your instrument.

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JBN: – What routine practices or exercises have you developed to maintain and improve your current musical proficiency, in terms of both rhythm and harmony?

VA: – Routines change over time. It is true that teaching has also provided me with some very interesting routines in terms of control and vision of the guitar neck, such as visualization of arpeggios, scales and voice leading. I find it interesting to cultivate memory and improvised speech continuity and I practice quite a bit of time playing over different cadences. I also practice a lot with the metronome, used in different ways, to feel the tempo and the different subdivisions.

JBN: – Have you changed through the years? Any charges or overall evolution? And if so why?

VA: – Of course. Everyone changes over time. That is positive and means that you are on the move, evolving and looking for new things. Perhaps, I am more and more aware that the music is inside oneself, not in the instrument, but at the same time I am aware that it is necessary to master the instrument to be able to bring out the music that is inside you.

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JBN: – In your opinion, what’s the balance in music between intellect and soul?

VA: – It is difficult but it is always good to respect how you are. For me, there is a cerebral and routine component in the daily study but then I try to feel the music in an intuitive way when I play. I try to sing everything I play and that makes the connection more organic for me.

JBN: – There’s a two-way relationship between audience and artist; are you okay with delivering people the emotion they long for?

VA: – Yes, and I think that’s what music is all about, although I have to admit that it’s hard for me to think about the audience when I play. I think I play to satisfy myself and have a good time. When I achieve that, I think the audience receives it and enjoys it too.

JBN: – How can we get young people interested in jazz when most of standard tunes are half a century old?

VA: – It is true that standards are perhaps perceived as old-fashioned, but the spirit of this music is about knowing the tradition in depth, while at the same time seeking inspiration from the most contemporary. For me, playing standards is a balance between respecting tradition and offering a personal vision.

JBN: – John Coltrane once said that music was his spirit. How do you perceive the spirit and the meaning of life?

VA: – I believe that the meaning of life lies in finding coherence with oneself and investing time in what makes us happy. I don’t think it is much more complex.

JBN: – If you could change one single thing in the musical world and that would become reality, what would that be?

VA: – I think it’s a global problem but I would try to change the fact that everything is going too fast. To go deeper into music and find your own way, you have to take it slow.

JBN: – Whom do you find yourself listening to these days?

VA: – I love Jesse Van Ruller and these days I’m listening to some African music.

JBN: – Let’s take a trip with a time machine: where and why would you really want to go?

VA: – Maybe I would like to have lived through May ’68 in France or to have known the bebop era in New York, but I’m a man of my time, hehe.

Interview by Simon Sarg

Note: You can express your consent and join our association, which will give you the opportunity to perform at our Jazz and Blues festivals in Europe and Boston, naturally receiving an appropriate royalty. We cover all expenses. The objectives of the interview are: How to introduce yourself, your activities, thoughts and intellect, and make new discoveries for our US/EU Jazz & Blues Association, which organizes festivals, concerts and meetings in Boston and various European countries, why not for you too!! You can read more about the association here. https://jazzbluesnews.com/2022/11/19/us-eu-jba/