Jordi Farres and Jordi Bonell, Musica Cordis

Before Spanish guitarist Jordi Bonell died in November of 2024, he recorded a guitar duet album entitled musica cordis with fellow Spanish guitarist Jordi Farres.

JGT contributor Joe Barth chatted with Jordi Farres about recording this new record.

JB:  We are saddened that Spanish jazz guitarist Jordi Bonell died in November of 2024. I know he studied in New York with Jim Hall and John Abercrombie.  Can you tell us a little about his background and career?

JF:  Jordi Bonell is, for many of us, the father of modern electric guitar in our country. His musicianship is unbelievable, and his melodic capabilities when improvising are untouchable. He was really a unique artistic personality with a sensitivity that my words cannot explain. He was always in all kinds of projects we could imagine, in all styles and genres, having played with every musician for half a century. I met him thirty years ago in Barcelona, and we’ve been close friends since then.  He was a humble and very kind human being, very friendly. A true friend and mentor to me. 

JB:  How often did the two of you play as a duo, and can you share any memorable performances that the two of you did? 

JF:  We have always been playing on and off when possible, and there was a chance to do it, some concerts or just at home. I remember our first gigs together; I was very young with lots of energy, Jordi was twenty years older than me and much quieter, with that serenity of his. I will always remember when he was really focused on the music, I mean really deep when playing together and while listening to him, I sometimes felt the need to stop playing and let him play alone and enjoy and be mesmerized by his pure magic. I can say he has been the very best accompanist I’ve played with in my life, everything you play sounds much better with his comping. What listening capabilities he had. His commitment to music was unalterable. 

JB:  To you, what are a couple of influential jazz guitar duet albums that you look up to and why? 

JF:  From George Barnes or Tony Mottola with Carl Kress to Jim Hall with Pat Metheny and everything in between, like Joe Pass or Ted Greene with John Pisano or Bireli Lagrene with Sylvain Luc. I don’t know where to begin talking about their influences on my playing. There are so many things. The clarity in Barnes and Mottola, the comping sound of Kress, the interaction and depth in Hall and Metheny, the inventiveness of Luc, the vocabulary in Pass language, Pisano’s rhythm, Ted’s harmony and feel… far too many things. 

JB:  You composed every song on the album except one. Did you write these songs for the two of you to do as a duet? 

JF:  Absolutely, I wrote all the music for us, especially for this project. We both felt that we have a special sound when we play together, with no boundaries or labels, an ambient is created, a voice, so I focused on that, trying to imagine a complete story that allows us to develop ideas. As he used to tell me these last years, “timeless music from the heart”. From the beginning, we just only wanted to spend some great time together, doing what we love to do and trying to play the very best we can. We are also very thankful for the amazing feedback we are receiving about the recording. 

JB:  You choose not to have a rhythm section of bass and drums. Can you tell us why? 

JF:  We love guitars like children while at the same time, we enjoy the intimacy, space and deepness that this setting offers, that kind of closeness between the musicians and with the audience too. Just like a conversation between close friends works. An intense experience, a trip. 

JB:  I especially enjoy the song “Federicu” with its ostinato bass line. Can you tell us about the composition of this piece? 

JF:  Thanks, Joe, this tune is one of the last I wrote for the record. It’s just a “habanera”, a typical sort of Mediterranean song related to our Cuban links, a more popular thing. Jordi and I love the great Catalan classical composer Frederic Mompou who wrote some great music with this idea, and “Federicu” is like a familiar diminutive of his name. And I also have a young cat called Federica… Big G major key with long chords and a very simple melody, and G minor on the bridge just like this kind of popular songs of the coast, where Jordi has lived for a long time.

JB:  Will you be performing these songs with another guitarist in the future to promote this recording? 

I’d really love to do that in the near future, but at this moment, it’s not possible for me. When I listen to this music, to these very special songs, deep feelings come back to me, all our memories together, I feel I cannot play. I’m sad now, even a bit lost, but absolutely grateful and happy for the chance of being true friends with Jordi. I’m sure all this music will be played and enjoyed again soon, and we will keep celebrating life and remembering my great friend. Fortunately, we all have a lot of amazing work to do! 

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