"The blues every day teaches me to appreciate the little things, and do not forget free to play with your heart, to talk through the notes, and so I was making hundreds of friends in this beautiful way."

Eze Salgado: Blues From Patagonia

Eze Salgado, is regarded today as one of the most emerging musicians harmonica virtuosos of Argentina and slowly gets into the international market and one of the most important producers in the south region of Argentina. Currently also plays guitar in Trastablao Itinerant Flamenco (first show in the country of flamenco with harmonica) and with his Jazz & Blues Quartet. Born on October 1990 in General Roca, Rio Black, Patagonia in Argentina, this young talent has created a stir in the national harmonious environment. Self-taught since 2006 and one month after having played a harmonica for the first time in his life, and he was invited to join local bands. Then he began to study jazz music and began his college career. With less than 10 years playing his instrument, Eze could cross borders. He was one of the first musicians to the south, teaching on-line, having had students all over the country and other countries like Italy and France and one of the only musicians currently living art, blues and jazz in Southern World.

This amazing musician has 2 facets clearly defined, it is known for being one of the modern figures of Jazz Harmonica Blues in the country, and also to have the blues a very similar style to a guitar (like Jason Ricci, Carlos del Junco). He describes itself as a guitarist in Blues harmonica. In addition to this important work in harmony, I get a very interesting level as a guitarist, why their shows are very complete. He currently works with his subjects, and own versions of artists like SRV, Michael Jackson, Pappo, and others. Furthermore, development of Virtual Classes Harmonica, where I incorporate students Uruguay, Italy, USA, Colombia, and Argentina also undertook a project where up to his channel on Youtube week a video plays covers of the best harmonica players in the world. Eze traveled throughout the country and other countries such as Spain, Chile, Peru and Colombia. 

Interview by Michael Limnios

Photos by Eze Salgado's archive: Silvana Yaques, Camila Sidorkevich / All Rights Reseaverd

What do you learn about yourself from the blues and what the blues mean to you?

For me the Blues means my Lifestyle. Indeed, I met the blues at a very difficult moment was when my little brother Jeremiah died, just entering adolescence. I started playing blues and felt a direct connection still feel that even with a site that does not know where he is, where I talk and find answers. Then the blues every day teaches me to appreciate the little things, and do not forget free to play with your heart, to talk through the notes, and so I was making hundreds of friends in this beautiful way.

How do you describe and what characterize your music philosophy? What are the secrets of harmonica?

My music is characterized by dynamic, I'm a curious musician, I like to know about other genres, other roots, which is why shows get to participate in Hard Rock, Folk and Argentine Tango, Blues, Jazz, and even Flamenco. At the time of writing come to light many of these things, which makes me very happy, but always rooted in the blues is present. The secret is that the harmonica is a complete instrument in 3/8, and that once you manage to master, has no horizon. It's amazing what some musicians like Howard Levy can do with this little instrument.

"The best advice was something that influenced me; play with heart, feeling each of my notes. Sometimes being a musician is a difficult task, but it always has to win the music and friendship."

What meetings have been the most important experience for you? What is the best advice you ever gave you?

Join a tour instead of a Tail Dragger did in Argentina, in the cities of Allen and General Roca. He was accompanied by great musicians like Jose Luis Pardo, Quique Gomez, Netto Rockfeller. The issue for me, I live on the end of the world was seeing a piece of the Mississippi River in person. An authentic Chicago bluesman. And the best advice was something that influenced me; play with heart, feeling each of my notes. Sometimes being a musician is a difficult task, but it always has to win the music and friendship.

Are there any memories from gigs, jams, studio and festivals which you’d like to share with us?

Actually, there are many stories, playing in this part of the world is very cute, I stepped scenarios of large magnitudes front of thousands of people as I have played in bars 5 bluesmen, especially in beautiful places of Patagonia Argentina. I remember my best recital of blues and rock, with Luis Robinson the father of Argentina harmonica in my opinion, in a city easily accessible, located on the plateau of Somuncura in Rio Negro, gravel almost 2 hours then. The issue that a hostile climate, leaving doubt as would be that night. Then we started playing then share the stage with Braguetta Killers, and other bands, and nearly 200 people in this climate, in this situation, jumping and chanting topics of greatest Blues Argentine composer Norberto Pappo Napolitano. Luis Robinson was his harmonica. It will be an unforgettable experience for me, having been in that situation. Then I remember my first, big concert on the stage of the National Apple Festival, in front of about 2000 or 3000 people. When we were playing, there were not many people on the farm. And then we did some chords most people, and support our proposal by filling a globe with that many people.

If you could change one thing in the music world and would become a reality, what would it be?

I currently live art, I earn my salary playing, producing, teaching and doing a thousand things that have to do with it, but sometimes it's tough, others not so much. What I would like to change the musical world into reality, there would be a decent way to work in the music, which is not just a hobby. Being a musician is a hard task, requires many hours of practice, lots of money invested, many production costs, which sometimes are not recognized. Congratulations to those who can work to achieve this. Long live the music!

"The Blues means my Lifestyle." 

What is the most interesting period of the local scene? What are the lines that connect the legacy of blues rock from the US and the UK to Argentina?

I think the public has Argentina is very broad, very knowledgeable, very exquisite. In my humble opinion I think the same is formed by the seed that planted the first bands, the first musicians to make this music, and I talk about Vox Dei, Pappo, Almendra, The Blusera Memphis, the Mississippi. I think several of these musicians left a seed, a great material and is for them that Argentina still chooses rock and blues. Mainly Pappo, who played with BB King, on several occasions, and is perhaps one of the emblems of Argentina music, connect American and European music (Blues, hard rock, the rock n’ roll) with Argentina.

What has made you laugh lately and touched (emotionally) than from the local music circuits?

The last shows that we have taken with my band, duo and have been very rewarding, very good impact on media. We shot a couple recital even TV channel. This has touched me very closely, because I felt these effects in the neighborhood where I was born, where I am living very recently with my family, and see poor people, people of working farms and works, rejoice in my accomplishments (many of them saw me born and grow) is priceless, I felt it was like to share as a family. It's very cute happens after much struggle and dream. Still, I have many friends across the country, with which we share this feeling, and it is more beautiful than I have, music and the friends I've known her, which are many and in many places.

  There is one, the latest funny situation I touch us was last Saturday, we mentioned Bruno Calanni, one of the musicians playing with me that seemed the Blues Brothers in the movie. The issue was that I had two shows on the same day, and we walked all over town trying not to be late anywhere. Dressed vintage sunglasses, white shirts with ties, sound checks, a lot of blues, and the end of the night everyone dancing. The situation referred us to parts of the film.

Are there similarities between the blues and folk genres of local music and forms?

I think the blues and our popular music has little to do in their basic structure, is more, I have seen many cadences Zambas (Argentina Popular Music) very similar to American Jazz, and have tried with some musicians in my city move on to many classic Latin Jazz music from Argentina. As if I think they are similar, in the form of touch. For example, the tango is a feeling, it's a chat, to play it well you have to know it, feel it, like a blues.

"The harmonica is a complete instrument in 3/8, and that once you manage to master, has no horizon."

Let's take a trip with a time machine, so where and why you really want to go for a whole day ..?

If I could achieve this is real, I would be somewhere recital Robert Johnson to learn the great power of the blues and thank this legacy that I leave the entire planet.