Twanguero will perform selections from “Carreteras, Secundarias Vol. II” Sunday at SOhO in Santa Barbara.
Twanguero discovered a symphony of nature’s sounds when he walked with his guitar and computer laptop into a Costa Rican jungle.
He played his guitar there and recorded tracks for his album in the jungle.
“I was practicing every morning when the symphony of the jungle was at its highest point. It was 5 a.m. to 6 a.m.,” the Valencia, Spain, native told the News-Press by phone from his Marina del Rey home. “I started listening to what I thought was the key of the jungle. I was surrounded by birds singing in D major.
“There were birds and monkeys — monkeys who howl like King Kong was coming. Those monkeys were the size of cats,” he said.
Twanguero discovered that if he played louder, the animals in the jungle would become softer.
“I don’t think I tried to emulate the animals. I tried to communicate with them. I tried to be a part of the jungle symphony,” said Twanguero, who will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at SOhO Restaurant and Music Club in Santa Barbara.
Considered to be one of the best guitarists in Spain, Twanguero is known for his fusion of classical Spanish guitar, flamenco, Latin rhythms, country, rockabilly, jazz and surf music.
And his latest album “Carreteras, Secundarias” (“Back Roads”), Volume II, involved the music he played and recorded in the jungle. He’ll play selections from it at SOhO.
The album was inspired by Twanguero’s experience of being among the trees and hearing the birds, howler monkeys, jaguars, cicadas and other animals. He said he wanted to express the symphony of the jungle, where he rented a cabin and lived for three months.
“It’s a solo record. I usually do records with my band,” Twanguero said. “It was recorded in the jungle, live in the jungle. I did some production (in the studio) afterward.”
He found that as he recorded in the jungle during the day, the animals would disappear. So he put a couple microphones in the jungle at night and recorded the animals for ambience to add to the tracks.
Twangero said he hasn’t heard of a guitarist recording an album in the jungle. “Maybe I’m the first.”
He said he has long loved the guitar. “For me, after the voice, the guitar is the most perfect instrument, in my opinion. You have to be born with the voice (for a singer). I was born with my sensitive hands.
“The first thing I do in the morning is to grab my guitar and play it for an hour, then go out into the world,” Twanguero said. “For me, this is the sweetest time of the day, when I’m with my guitar.
“When I’m thinking about music, I don’t think in terms of styles. For me, I think more in terms of emotions,” Twanguero said. “I’m like a detective. I’m always investigating ways of playing the guitar.
“I went to a conservatory, and I learned a lot of things from the Spanish guitar tradition,” he said. “But they never taught me the blues. They never taught me to play bluegrass music.
“I’m not a purist. I’m a composer,” he said, noting his appreciation for rock guitarists such as Eric Clapton and Keith Richards.
He noted “Back Roads, Volume I” focused on the North American guitar and that Volume II is more concerned with the South American guitar.
“I’ve been traveling a lot,” Twangero said. “I’ve seen how the guitar is played in Memphis, how the guitar is played in Cuba. I’ve studied that for many years.
“This is like a mission, understanding the human being through the guitar.”
email; dmason@newspress.com
FYI
Spanish guitarist Twanguero will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at SOhO Restaurant and Music Club, 1221 State St., suite 205, Santa Barbara.
Tickets cost $25 for general admission and $67 for a dinner reservation and priority seating. To purchase, go to www.sohosb.com.
