Innervisions - Joxan Goikoetxea

Joxan Goikoetxea has found the way; the way to communicate. That small side street, with a dark and apparently inhospitable entrance that waits for us can be seen as a metaphor for the inner road - and not an easy one – that the artist follows to reveal his music to us listeners; and hence the title “Innervisions”.

The sound of his instrument is like that of the pipe organ and the images it creates are often those of a place of reflection and meditation.

Often in this powerful CD – almost 76 minutes of music – this happens in solitude, Joxan Goikoetxea and his accordion alone, there, creating spaces in time.

When they interact with guest basque musicians such as the guitarist Suso Saiz, the clarinetists J.M.Beltram and A. Griffin, the flautist J. Paxarino or the marvelous singer Maria Moramarco ( from the group Uaragniaun, a group from Puglia deidcated to the musical roots of that region) everything remains consequential and the pieces fit together in perfect syntony.

There are many aspects in “Innervisions”; often ones attention is drawn to the traditional basque tunes - and Goikoetxea is not scared of of exploring new ways of expresion, even the use of electronics - but even on new pieces such as Preludio and Aria di Schenderev or the arrangement of popular film scores, a strong poetic vein remains evident throughout. In addition to the 76 minutes of music the Cd includes a booklet which provides a useful introduction to the musical world of Joxan Goikoetxea.

Reviewed by Renato Belardinelli, April 2008