Different Heartbeats with Jose Gonzales

October 4, 2007 by Christina  Send to a Friend

Tack så jätte mycket Jose. If I was a Swedish nymph frolicking in the moonlight after José’s performance, that’s what I would have said. Unfortunately for me, I am neither Swedish nor a nymph but can still say, thank you for a great, great evening.

The tone of the night was set with this bulletin on the 930 club bathroom doors “Please respect the quiet and hushed nature of tonight’s performance”. Jose, a native of Göteborg (what we call Gothenburg), Sweden, is indeed hushed, quiet but also powerful and highly skilled. His mastery of the classical guitar is evident in the fact that he doesn’t require anything more to enhance his show, except perhaps the tapping of his foot.

Jose came on to the stage quietly and moved directly to his seat on stage, guitar in hand. Next to his foot was a small board with a microphone placed strategically to catch the tapping rhythm. The soft taps of his white canvas shoes kept the pace for the whole night. Alone, with one light on him, he began with a song from his new album , In our Nature, capturing the hold of the audience with his one man show. He follows with “Hints” a song from his first album Veneer. Even his solely instrumental song didn’t lack any vitality or emotion as his guitar playing is powerful enough on its on. A crowd favorite and remake of The Knifes (more Swedes) popular song “ Heartbeats” brought a tear to my eye, but just one as I was more happy than sad. This was also the point in the night when people started to get all cuddly.

After a few songs solo, he was joined by two more musicians for “Stay in the Shade”; a man who played the conga drums ( who I think may not have been wearing shoes) and a women who played a variety of small instruments including a cowbell. They both accompanied him on vocals. Their simple and relaxed nature meshed perfectly with José’s style yet adding another dynamic to the music. Soon, there was a rising intensity-A progression from soft and delicate to strong and determined. The additional harmonies, the extra thump of the conga beat created a musical cocktail that I wanted to drink in gulps. They stayed on for the rest of the show.

The first part of the show ended with a wonderfully powerful rendition of Massive Attacks “ Teardrops”. In my opinion, this is a superb song but Jose and friends gave it their own emotional twist, never taking away its original feel. The three musicians left the stage quickly but we knew there was definitely more.

After cheers and applause, the trio returns for four more songs. In their element and at ease with the audience, the “encore” felt more like part two after the short intermission. The night ended with flawless performance of “Crosses” an instant hit from Veneer, where his guitar talent shines.

Jose Gonzales and friends seem like the most down to earth, genuinely nice and extremely talented people. The perfect musical accompaniment on a Tuesday evening in DC. But truly, the perfect evening with Jose Gonzalez would involve sitting in Slottsskogen during Swedish summer, drinking Norrlands Guld and being serenaded by beautiful music.

NPR was present and recording. You can check out the live show here for your own musical pleasure:
here

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