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UNDER THE PRETEXT OF TALKING ABOUT THE ‘MOSTRA DE JAZZ’
WE REMEMBER THE ‘ARTECA’…
(Famous Jazz bar in Ibiza, now, unfortunately, closed)
(Famous Jazz bar in Ibiza, now, unfortunately, closed)
…originality is unrepeatable, and can’t be copied…but it does make space for new originality, for adaptations and renovations and the creation of new inventions…the unforgivable stance is letting it be a mere philosophy which leads nowhere, to repeat the same tired old adage…”Things were better in the good old days”…
With the up-coming Jazz festival as a pretext, we feel the need to write about Maurici Cuesta and his Arteca, his Cultural Association and Jazz Bar which disappeared when he left his place behind the bar.
For those who don’t know what we’re talking about, suffice it to say that Mauri was a very important character for music in Ibiza.
He invented the Arteca, the ideal refuge and stage for the majority of musicians who passed through hoping for an opportunity to play, to get on stage and be accepted and approved by Mauri’s sharp critique, which would always forgive inexperience but never a lack of attention or interest in improvement, nor a lack of prudence or humility to know when to and when not to get up and play.
Mauri Cuesta was hard on himself and hard on others, he channelled his life single-mindedly in one clear direction; culture and Jazz.
He was obstinate and proud, he had a stubborn ego which allowed him to maintain a straight back at seventy-odd years of age. His steady gaze and lucid mind decided what was allowed in his bar, what he considered correct. (Some say he always chose the ‘incorrect’).
Surrounded and visited by greats and novices alike, he was implacable with customers, friends and anyone who didn’t respect his music or his bar.
He built his Arteca in his own way, with furniture made with his own hands, a stage made of building pallets, which when stepped on would sound like the notes of a badly tuned piano. It was decorated with old movie posters and collages of photos of friends and musicians of all periods.
He sound-proofed the bar like old recording studios, with cardboard egg boxes, he filled shelves with books, magazines, his massive music collection, movies and videos…he even set up a computer in those days when internet was still a novelty in Ibiza, he also played the part of chef, with his rolls and sauces from invented recipes which came from God knows where…but delicious, as was his conversation and his mischievous sense of humour, full of irony.
Vicente Tur, the leader of the EIVISSA JAZZ ENSEMBLE, answered our question “Does Ibiza need an Arteca?” saying “Of course we need another Arteca!”…
He wore his white hair with a wide range of hats which always gave him that artistic air, as original as he himself, like his caricatures hidden in dark corners and his paintings hanging at the end of the bar.
Ignoring all the norms and formalities the Arteca existed, (with a long history), it was a kind of decadent canteen and New Orleans Jazz bar, with layers of dust and unreachable utopias and a full scale model of Marilyn as receptionist to the antechamber to the toilets…
We all criticised the state of the Arteca, but we all ended up meeting there, piled in together, opening up a channel through the eternal smoke of the thousands of cigars that Mauri smoked, all gathering around him (taking care of what we said, not to put our foot in it…if you didn’t know about music on this level it was better to listen and learn), the musicians and Mauri would exchange opinions, it was a classroom come to life, it was real, and it missed by all the great musicians in Ibiza, if you don’t believe us, just ask the:
EIVISSA JAZZ ENSEMBLE which will play on Thursday 6th September in the Baluarte de Santa Lucía in Ibiza, at 22:00 hrs.
EIVISSA JAZZ ENSEMBLE which will play on Thursday 6th September in the Baluarte de Santa Lucía in Ibiza, at 22:00 hrs.
…and as we listen from the corridors of the Patronato de Música to the rehearsals of the Big Band de Eivissa, we remember how those same tunes used to fill the air in the Arteca.
Maybe you’re tired of this story that sounds like a legend of the past, but it was not long ago and to date nobody has been able to recapture the magic of that place.
Vicente Tur, the leader of the EIVISSA JAZZ ENSEMBLE, answered our question “Does Ibiza need an Arteca?” saying “Of course we need another Arteca!”…
GUIDE TO LOSE YOURSELF IN
THE ARTISTIC LIFE OF IBIZA.
PS: See you in the Baluarte de Santa Lucia, we attach the programme of the ‘Mostra’, which, as always, allows us to enjoy great Jazz!!!
THE ARTISTIC LIFE OF IBIZA.
PS: See you in the Baluarte de Santa Lucia, we attach the programme of the ‘Mostra’, which, as always, allows us to enjoy great Jazz!!!
