Pep Rius

His approach to the blues runs parallel to his first musical steps: “It was almost the first thing I learned to play on the guitar. Then I started on the double bass, I went deeper into jazz, and since then I have been combining the two styles and the two instruments.” This versatility has made him an essential part of the African-American music scene since 1994, when he joined La Locomotora Negra, the historic Catalan jazz band, where he became a professional musician. In love with “the sound, the language, the feeling and even the iconography” of roots black music, this virtuoso of the strings has also developed an important educational side as a music teacher and illustrator of textbooks, over the course of a career in which he has worked with the most relevant national and international artists. Inspired by Ray Brown, Big Bill Broonzy, Brownie McGhee and Josh White, after a long professional journey, African-American roots music has left him with a personal mark: “The chance to meet very special people and to be able to play with them. Connecting through music.”