Una grabación inédita: el ensayo de Tete Montoliu para las pruebas de selección de la International Youth Band (1958)

Abstract

In February 1958, the Catalan pianist Tete Montoliu traveled to Madrid to participate in an audition before George Wein, director of the Newport Jazz Festival, who was touring several European capitals with the aim of selecting the best soloists for an ambitious
project: the European Youth Band. Several Madrid-based musicians also joined this audition, with whom Montoliu met beforehand to rehearse and plan the session. A tape recording of that rehearsal, recently discovered, has been preserved. The purpose of this article is to contextualize this previously unknown audio document within the history of European and Spanish jazz, and, in particular, within the biographical framework of Tete Montoliu. Furthermore, the content of the recording will be studied, with special attention to the blues improvised by the Catalan pianist, analyzing his language and highlighting the signifi cance of this piece within his musical career.