Maite Arregi & Eva Catala | Artistic Portfolio
Culture Moves Europe
Call September 2024
About Maite.
Maite Arregi Díaz is a pianist and composer from Bilbao, Spain. She started studying classical music; however, she decided to pursue her music career after discovering jazz. Other genres such as soul, gospel and hip-hop have also played a big part in her development as a musician. She specialized in jazz piano and graduated from the Conservatory of the Basque Country (Musikene) in 2022, after four college years in San Sebastián and a five-month period of Erasmus at the Saint Louis College of Music in Rome, Italy.
Some of her teachers throughout this academic period include pianists such as Iñaki Salvador, Roger Mas, Roberto Tarenzi and Ramberto Ciammarughi. She has also attended masterclasses by internationally-acclaimed musicians including David Kikoski, Jorge Rossy, Immanuel Wilkins, Mark Lettieri and Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Currently, the Basque pianist lives in Madrid, where she's working on her music and collaborating in other projects with musicians from the scene, as well as working as a piano teacher.
Original Projects.
MARMOL
MARMOL is a band created in 2020, while studying her Jazz Piano studies in the conservatory of San Sebastián. This septet is her first project as a leader, composer and arranger. Artists like Moonchild, D'Angelo and Kiefer are some of the influences of this band, which mainly focuses on genres such as hip-hop, jazz, R&B and soul.
JAZZ BIZZIES
Jazz Bizzies is a new project created by drummer Nico The Chef, where friends and long time colleagues Jesus Bastias, Pablo Torti and Maite Arregi Díaz work together. The idea consists in a mixed boiler room, with a DJ set and live music by the Jazz Bizzies band. The DJ sets and the live music take turns, creating a party where the music never stops. The band offers a variety of hip-hop, jazz, R&B and soul songs, combining instrumental arrangements and covers of the classic hits by using the original acapellas.
Maite AD
In 2023, after finishing her Bachelor studies, Maite Arregi Díaz starts working in a trio project, with bassist Jesus Bastias and drummer Nico The Chef. The trio presents new compositions that keep exploring the sounds of Black Music. In november of 2023, the pianist releases a series of 5 songs recorded in Madrid, with the collaboration of Nico Alvear (guitar) and Pablo Torti (alto sax).
Collaborations.
Escandaloso Xpósito band
Since 2024, keyboardist of the band of Hugo Astudillo (aka Escandaloso Xpósito); “acclaimed jazz saxophonist and MC recognized for being one of the founding members of the group Kase.O Jazz Magnetism. He is considered one of the pioneers in the fusion of hip-hop and jazz in Spain.”.
Daniel Vallejo: "Nubes de cúrcuma" Album recording in 2021
First explorations around Balkan First explorations around Balkan music and jazz fusion. and jazz fusion.
Eva Català Group
The quintet led by young drummer and percussionist Eva Català emerges from a continuous exploration of her artistic identity. Focused on contemporary jazz as its central axis, this project seeks to integrate new ideas inspired by her recent move to Madrid with the diversity of prior influences that shape her musical language. The proposal not only reflects Eva's personal evolution but also becomes a space for the development of new sonic territories, intertwining the diverse musical universes of the group members. The music is approached with an emotional focus, creating a language that connects people in a shared space of introspection and collective expression.
Eva Català: drums
Maite Arregi: piano & keyboards
Brian Aching: electric guitar
Julio Marín: tenor saxophone & clarinet
Miquel Àlvarez: double bass
Zuaraz
Pianist of the band Zuaraz. “Zuaraz is a band of three friends. Xoán was born in Santiago de Compostela, Bacho and Santi in Mexico City. Their music has elements of bolero, trova, pop and son jarocho.”.
Bob Sands Big Band
Official pianist of the big band since 2024. “The Bob Sands Big Band is one of the most impressive groups on the jazz scene in this country. Under the direction of veteran New York saxophonist Bob Sands, the band has achieved a quality that is rare for this type of formation in Spain and now, after Bob's death in the summer of 2021, the band continues his legacy and his teachings, keeping his name alive on stages around the world.”.
About Eva.
Drummer, percussionist, vibraphonist, marimbist and composer, Eva Català Sánchez is considered one of the most promising emerging voices of the Spanish jazz and world music scene. Born in València (Spain) in 1998, Eva soon started collaborating with numerous national and international projects, with which she has participated in multiple world-renowed festivals, including Jazzaldia (Spain), Festival Jazz Plaza (Cuba), Festival Eurovenezolano de Jazz (Venezuela), JazzMadrid (Spain), La Rochelle Jazz Festival (France), JazzInitiative Dinslaken (Germany) and the World Minimal Music Festival in Amsterdam (The Netherlands), among others. Through these opportunities, Eva has shared the stage with many greats of the jazz community in Spain including but not limited to Perico Sambeat, Juan Munguía, Alex Conde, Carlos Sarduy, David Pastor, Yoel Páez, and Sole Giménez. Since 2024 Eva is also endorser artist of the renowed percussion brandt Meinl Percussion.
Aside from her prolific resume as a performer, Eva has also been awarded a variety of grants and scholarships to collaborate with revered institutions, such as the Berklee College of Music, from which she graduated with a master´s degree in 2022. Before specializing in modern music and production at Berklee, she graduated with the Premio Extraordinario for her undergraduate studies in classical & contemporary percussion at the Music Conservatory of Valencia (Spain) in 2020. Eva also spent time studying at the famed Codarts University of Performing Arts in Rotterdam (Netherlands) thanks to the Erasmus + Scholarship program. Among other awards, Eva has won the 2023 Jazz Artistic Residency of Centro Condeduque (Madrid), finalist in the Focus Year program auditions 2023 in Basel (Switzerland), she has also been the recipient of the prestigious AIE Scholarship, and placed 1st in the 2020 MP Music Foundation International Competition. She's also part of Sedajazz Colectivo de Músicos, which is the oldest institution in Spain that promotes jazz music and where she also started learning this music.
Original Projects.
Eva Català Group
The quintet led by young drummer and percussionist Eva Català emerges from a continuous exploration of her artistic identity. Focused on contemporary jazz as its central axis, this project seeks to integrate new ideas inspired by her recent move to Madrid with the diversity of prior influences that shape her musical language. The proposal not only reflects Eva's personal evolution but also becomes a space for the development of new sonic territories, intertwining the diverse musical universes of the group members. The music is approached with an emotional focus, creating a language that connects people in a shared space of introspection and collective expression.
Eva Català: drums
Maite Arregi: piano & keyboards
Brian Aching: electric guitar
Julio Marín: tenor saxophone & clarinet
Miquel Àlvarez: double bass
Manos Stratis Trio
Manos Stratis Trio, is a musical collective based in Valencia, Spain. Their original compositions are inspired from Western Jazz musical structures and improvisation, amalgamated with Middle Eastern modes and rhythms.
Eva Català: vibraphone
Manos Stratis: double bass
Victor Goldsmidt: drums
Eva Català Afro-Cuban 6tet
Contempoary Latin-jazz.
Eva Català: drums & percussion
Yoel Páez: drums & percussion
Julio Marín: tenor saxophone & clarinet
Dariel Peniazek: electric guitar & tres
Arnau Torné: electric bass
Simone Delgado: voice
Collaborations.
Juan Munguía 5tet
Latin Jazz quintet lead by the famous cuban trumpet player Juan Munguía.
Eva Català: drums & percussion
Juan Munguía: trumpet
Lolo García: tenor sax, soprano sax & flute
Santiago Bertel: piano
Amadeu Adell: upright bass, electric bass
Aldapeko Basque Latin Jazz
Project lead by arranger, pianist and trombonist Imanol Iribarren, consists of the Folkloric music from the Basque Country through the languages of Jazz and Latin-American music.
Eva Català: percussion
Imanol Iribarren: piano & arrangements
Nahia Valle: voice
Manu Pinzón: drums
Patricia Mancheño/Harkaitz Bastarrika: electric bass
Peio Irigoien: txistu & trumpet
Asier Ardaiz: lead trumpet
Álvaro Jarauta: trombone
Íñigo Corao: trombone
Carraixet: "Carraixet 50 anys" Album recording in 2022.
Founded in 1972, is the oldest active band of the Valencian Community (Spain). Their repertoire consists of the connection of the valencian folklore with the rest of the Mediterranean region.
"Empatía": Kontxi Lorente & Latino Blanco feat. Eva Català
Repertoire full of original songs and covers of precious standards. The unique sound of this duo is surrounded by the percussions of the very young and talented Eva Català. This project has recently toured Venezuela, invited by the Spanish Embassy and the European Union.
Karlos Nao: "Aire y compás"
Project lead by flutist Karlos Nao. Combining traditional Flamenco lyrics and original music, this octet is focused in the featuring of the captivating personality of Karlos' flute in this language.
Zuaraz
Percussionist of the band Zuaraz. "Zuaraz is a band of three friends. Xoán was born in Santiago de Compostela, Bacho and Santi in Mexico City. Their music has elements of bolero, trova, pop and son jarocho".
Previous collaborations with Mirza Redzepagic.
"Cycles" Tour 2024
First collaboration with Mirza Redzepagic. Tour of several concerts in Bosnia & Herzegovina playing Mirza's original music during the promotion of the release of his last album 'Cycles'.
Mirza Redzepagic: spanish guitar & electric guitar.
Maite Arregi: piano & synth.
Eva Català: drumset.
Imam Hamdani: electric guitar.
Maite Arregi & Eva Català
Artistic Portfolio
Culture moves Europe 2024