release date: Fri 25th March 2022 (LP/ CD / DL) on Ubuntu Music
Scribbling features the explorative music of British & Portuguese guitar duo Harry Christelis & Pedro Velasco. Released on the influential Jazz and New Music label, Ubuntu, Scribbling is Christelis & Velasco’s debut release.
Created using only their guitars and pedalboard hardware, the eleven immersive tracks of thoughtprovoking compositions and improvisations on Scribbling range from melancholic tonal jazz ballads and exquisite folk melodies to distorted drones, sustained ambient textures, and dissonant bleeps. Scribbling suggests an introspective, deep, human blues alongside an imaginary response to the NASA Voyager’s Golden Record beamed back to Earth, from a land far, far away.
Scribbling was recorded in December 2020, shortly prior to a further period of social isolation in lockdown as part of the UK’s response to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Showcasing a mastery of intention and a deep understanding of one another’s individual voices, this is music of connectivity, of friendship, and one that delivers deeply personal and expertly paced performances, in contrast with the stark periods of socialisolation that have reoccurred over the past 20+ months. Recorded “as it happened”, with no additional overdubs or editing in post-production, and with an introspective focus, a shared patience and commitment to musical space and unfurling forms, Scribbling is the culmination of the duo’s past 5 years of musical development and a snapshot of the duo’s current creative approach.
“In a world that rushes to excite and distract, we want to make music that focuses on taking time to develop and create space in phrase, feel and sonority. As such, we place just as much emphasis on the notes that are not played, as the ones that are! The music on this album has come together through years of individual self-discovery, and the subsequent exploration of the endless possibilities that emerge from playing as a duo. Our shared musical values, influences, and also our differing life experiences have brought aboutthis harmonious musical relationship based on interaction, listening, space and freedom. We feel so happy for how we’ve been able to capture this on our debut album Scribbling, and we hope that others will make their own discoveries when listening.”
Whilst there are reminders of the shimmering blues of Blues Dream-era Bill Frisell, the caustic textures from Marc Ribot’s Scelsi Morning, the post-rock of Talk Talk’s Laughing Stock, the bleak futurism of Vangelis’ Blade Runner OST contrasting the blissful ambience of Eno’s Thursday Afternoon, Christelis and Velasco have developed their own musical language. With Scribbling they invite us into their intimate sound world and encourage us to be present to their unassumingly beautiful and enduring conversation.
*** BIOs ***
Harry Christelis & Pedro Velasco – Biographies
The international guitar duo of Harry Christelis and Pedro Velasco was born out of a mutual love for freeflowing and interactive improvised music. Christelis (UK) and Velasco (Portugal) came together for a concert in 2016, and have since been developing their collection of original compositions as vehicles to exploresound worlds relating to jazz, folk and electronic music traditions. Both are active artists in their own right, recording and performing with many of the UK’s finest musicians and bands, such as Teotima, Kit Downes, Ruth Goller, The Magic Lantern, and many more.
Harry Christelis
Born and raised in London, Harry Christelis (b. 1988) has become an established name on the UK jazz and improvised music scene. With a delicate and understated approach and drawing on influences such as Jakob Bro, Bill Frisell, Connan Mockasin, and Talk Talk, to name but a few, Christelis sculpts a sound and musical language that extend the role of the guitar in jazz, folk, rock, and electronic traditions. Alongside his duo with Velasco, Christelis can be heard in his Rubber Walrus Trio (J. Costi, Y. Ahmed), as part of Jamie Doe’s critically-acclaimed The Magic Lantern, as well as with his own Moostak Trio (D. Storey, A. Di Biase). Moostak Trio’s debut album was released in April 2020 and met with critical acclaim.
“This extremely accomplished debut from young guitarist Christelis matches him with two simpatico talents for some meditative introspection” – Jazz Views
“Christelis stretches out in an unhurried fashion, with his solos unfolding organically” – The Jazz Mann
Pedro Velasco
Pedro Velasco (b. 1979) is a London-based guitarist who specialises in improvised music. Born in Lisbon, Portugal, he began playing piano at age nine and – inspired by the Brazilian music he was surrounded by at home – he picked up a guitar at the age of 12. Under the tutelage of renowned Portuguese guitarist Mario Delgado, he began turning to jazz and improvised music. He moved to London in 2003 to study at Middlesex University with Nicki Isles, Chris Batchelor and Stuart Hall, and in 2007 he graduated with a firstclass honors degree in Music (Jazz Performance). Velasco performs regularly in the UK and has also toured Europe with the free-improv group, Splatter. In addition to his duo with Christelis, Velasco leads a number of ensembles, including the Pedro Velasco Trio, Akimbo, and Machimbombo.
“The guitar sounds ever more distant, captured within some far-off memory where music that might once have been is the music of the future.” – All About Jazz
“The guitar fills every corner of the album with a filigree ambience that superficially appears understated, but is truly assertive.” – Jazz (PT)
Artist:
Title: Harry Christelis & Pedro Velasco – Scribbling
Label: Ubuntu
Release date: Friday 25th March 2022
Format: LP / CD / DL
Cat No: UBU0095LP / UBU0095CD
Tracklist:
01 Paul’s Closet
02 Time
03 Charlie’s Dreamtime
04 Scribbling
05 Gin
06 Wool
07 Nos Entretantos do Silencio
08 Wild Coast
09 Flash
10 Valsa Destes Tempos
11 LD13
Credits:
Harry Christelis: electric guitar
Pedro Velasco: electric guitar
Tracks 1, 2, 3, 7 and 10 composed by Pedro Velasco
Tracks 5, 8 and 11 composed by Harry Christelis
Tracks 4, 6 and 9 composed by Harry Christelis and Pedro Velasco
Recorded and mixed by David Holmes
Soup Studio, London, December 2020
Produced by Harry Christelis and Pedro Velasco
Executive producer Martin Hummel
Mastered by Alex Bonney
Design and layout by Pedro Velasco
Artwork by Carlos Velasco
Photograph by Nell Greco
© 2021 Christelis & Velasco
Ubuntu Music
Ubuntu Music is a recorded music label that is committed to bringing quality, accessible jazz and related music genres to increasingly wider audiences. Ubuntu’s approach is to collaborate with a diverse array of performing artists who have a passion for their music. Ubuntu Music has an increasingly large roster of recording artists and is highly diversified in terms of gender, race, creed, colour and nationality – which reflects the multi-faceted nature of jazz itself.
https://www.weareubuntumusic.com
https://harrychristelispedrovelasco.bandcamp.com/
https://pedrovelasco.com
https://www.harrychristelis.com
# # #