Biel Ballester

Biel Ballester
Biel Ballester (2016)
Background information
Born	1974 (age 50–51) Mallorca, Spain
Genres	Gypsy jazz
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Guitar

Biel Ballester (born 1974) is a gypsy jazz guitarist from Mallorca, Spain. He contributed music to the Woody Allen film Vicky Cristina Barcelona .

Biography

Biel Ballester is from Mallorca in Spain. ^[1] He studied classical guitar under Àlex Garrobé at the Escola D'Arts Musicals Luthier in Barcelona. He discovered the music of Django Reinhardt at age 18, and his music is a fusion of gypsy jazz and Spanish music. ^{[1] [2]} With Leo Hipaucha (rhythm guitar) and Oriol González (double bass) he formed the Biel Ballester trio. He was introduced to Woody Allen during the filming of Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Allen, a jazz clarinet player, played frequently with Ballester during this time and included two of his tracks on the soundtrack of the film. ^{[1] [3]}

Discography

As leader

• Echoes from Mallorca (Refined, 2005)
• Live in London (Le Q, 2006)
• Bistro de Barcelona (Refined, 2008)
• Jazz a l'Estudi (TVC Disc, 2011)
• Avanti! (Hot Club, 2011)
• Melodium Melodynamic (La Cupula Music, 2015)
• The Lowdown (Hot Club, 2015)

As sideman

• Jon Larsen, Short Stories from Catalonia, (Hot Club, 2013)

References

1. "Interview with Biel Ballester & Dave Mitchell Trio", Jazzkaar, 21 March 2015, retrieved 6 September 2015
2. "Our Man in Barcelona: Biel Ballester", Gypsy Jazz Guitar Secrets, vol. 6, 28 November 2014
3. "Sé que es un disco muy bueno y he querido gestionarlo todo", UH Noticias, 7 February 2016, retrieved 11 November 2016