Santiago Pombo

This reinterpretation of Corea’s standard “Spain” is nothing short of genius. I find it particularly interesting because it highlights the linguistic  and interactional aspects of music.

You might have heard artists or pseudo artist refer to music as a language more so than an art. I think this duet illustrates the metaphor pretty well . It’s basically a six minute musical conversation between  two pianists engaged in a “call and response” game, where one presents an idea (rhythm pattern,  melody or riff)  and the other counters with either “complements”, “parallelisms” or “objections”.

I find this type of musical “play” really stimulating to our brains because it mimics a fundamental human process: communication. It’s for sure one of the best ways to engage crowds, so the next time you play a show, jam with your friends, play for your roommates or dj at some crappy party,  try including your audience and your peers in the “conversation”, I bet you will have more fun!

Who’ s never been to a concert where the singer hums a melody and asks the crowd to repeat it? 

The following days I will be uploading some of the best “conversations” I’ve found on you tube. Stay tuned!