Dani Nel·lo: Because destiny is not a badly drawn rabbit

"A coffee. Black, without milk or sugar." The saxophonist and composer, Dani Nel·lo, appears at the Bar very early, enjoying those first hours of the morning "solitary, very calm and in which you can see what awaits you for the day with a certain perspective."

Musician, composer, producer, communicator and, as he defines himself, organizer of scenic events, this Barcelona native assures that he moves "between rock & roll, rhythm & blues, soul and some jazz," and lives immersed in a permanent artistic mission, "like the Enterprise ship from Star Trek." He has been like this since he was 16, "when I told my parents that I wanted to dedicate myself to music and not follow the established path of high school, university, work. It depressed me to think that destiny was already outlined, that it was like those children's 'connect the dots' pastimes where, in the end, you get a badly drawn rabbit."

A year later, in 1985, he debuted on the stage of the mythical Studio 54 of Paral·lel with Los Rebeldes. "With them I was eleven years and I learned what it was to live from music, tour this country, record albums and enjoy a certain popularity." In parallel, little by little the sweet poisons of blues, R&B and swing were getting into his bloodstream, which led him to lead two long-running projects such as Tandoori LeNoir and Nel·lo y la Banda del Zoco.

--- At that time, in addition to playing sax and guitar, you also sang, right?

--- Yes, but I never quite felt comfortable. The voice I identify with is that of my saxophone. After Zoco and Tandoori, subsequent projects have been instrumental. I have been building my vocabulary with the sax, a direct language with which I am comfortable. I can communicate with people through it and make the audience feel good, something I am proud of.

Since 2009, the parishioner leads the hilarious Mambo Jambo: "We started by evoking the sound of the 50s honkers bringing it to the present and we have been developing our own language. I am very happy not to have stopped with a project that, in principle, did not have much of a future. We have traveled to countries like Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Serbia or France and, being an instrumental band, we have connected with everyone, since our language is music itself," smiles Dani, with fiery red hair and piercing blue sniper eyes, before adding: "I also release solo albums. The last two, Los Saxofonistas Salvajes vol.1 y 2, combine reinterpretations of saxophonists who changed the history of popular music and planted the seeds of rock & roll."

A metallic vibration that is still there

The musician sips his coffee and directs his gaze to an imprecise point on the wall, searching in space for access to remote memories until he lands on the moment he grabbed and blew a sax for the first time: "The vibration of the sound, of the metal in my hands, impressed me a lot and immediately I wanted to continue having that sensation, which has never abandoned me." A reminiscence that connects with another great moment in his life. "When I recorded in the Kiva studios in Memphis with Los Rebeldes. There we collaborated with people like Steve Cropper, Brian Setzer and Lee Rocker, and with the Memphis Horns. For me, all legends of music, of my music. Cropper had composed anthems for Stax with Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Eddie Floyd or Booker T & The MG's. And at that moment we were playing together! With Setzer and Rocker, from the Stray Cats, the same. The Memphis Horns had recorded with Elvis, with Aretha and now, I, a kid from the Magòria neighborhood, was blowing alongside them. It was very special."

In his more than thirty-year musical career, Dani Nel·lo has had the luck and talent to collaborate with musicians such as Los Lobos, Nick Curran, Mike Sanchez, Jackson Browne, Bunbury or Barrence Whitfield. At the same time, he produces bands like Koko Jean & The Tonics, Rambalaya or Sick Boys and, for five seasons now, he directs his own radio show, Jazz Watusi, on iCat FM. "I started with some uncertainty, but immediately felt that it is a fantastic medium to share music. I'm hooked on this radio experience!"

--- And what are you up to now?

--- Currently I am touring with Mambo Jambo presenting our latest album, Exotic Rendezvous, and shortly I will present a new single under my name.

A Barcelona that captivates with its past

"Like many people of my generation, I have witnessed different rises and falls of the city. I knew it pre-Olympic, Olympic, and now. I would like to say that this one captivates me, but it's not like that. Although I will tell you that, traveling through large European capitals, you have the same feeling of depersonalization, of invasion by franchises, of homogenization of urban centers. We have built a model based on obtaining maximum profit without caring about anything else. In that scenario, daily life, neighborhood life, the charm of local life takes a back seat," reasons Dani who, again, when looking for those things that captivated him about the city, delves into the currents of memory.

"As a child, all of Montjuïc seemed amazing to me. My family lived just below the mountain. The Teatre Grec, the equestrian center, the Foixarda rugby field, that Olympic Stadium before its reconstruction, which we used to sneak into and get scared. When my father worked at the Teatro Romea, of which he was a theater director among other things, I loved visiting it empty and walking among those ghostly backdrops. The Gothic Quarter of my childhood was incredible. A Saturday morning stroll through the area was magical. The sunlight entering through the small streets, going down from the Cathedral to the Ciutadella. There was silence and the freshly watered streets gave a feeling of well-being. I also fell in love with the Breakwater before the renovation. Many days I would go to eat there among the concrete blocks, with my bicycle and a sandwich."

--- Speaking of sandwiches, here there are bocatas, menus, combined dishes… would you like to eat something?

A crooked smile appears on Dani Nel·lo's face, who finishes the last drops of his coffee before replying, with the clairvoyance of a regular seasoned in a thousand bars:

--- Combined dish or menu, if I'm going to be seated. Portion, if I'm going to remain standing.