"Since I was 17, I've been in music groups; it's what I'm most passionate about, and since then, I've been part of 33 different formations. And, more than playing live, what I really like is playing with colleagues, making music with my friends," explains musician and composer Pablo Jiménez.
He says this while sipping a Bitter Kas at the bar and enjoying Odessey and Oracle, by his beloved The Zombies, playing in the background and filling the space of the Bar at sunset.
For him, it all started one morning in his childhood at the Sears department store on Buenos Aires Street, in 1971, "that was the day the Beatles captivated me." It was the first watering of the seed of an obsession that would accompany him all his life, pop and its derivatives, which have never ceased to be present. "I chose to play bass because Paul was my favorite Beatle, and my first band was The Beatdreams, heavily influenced by the Fab Four, which I formed with colleagues from Ausiàs March high school." It was 1979 and, along with the musical loves of the 60s, new ones were appearing, a new wave that would complete Pablo's sonic circle: "Squeeze, The Jam, Elvis Costello and, later, Nacha Pop."
"I chose to play bass because Paul was my favorite Beatle, and my first band was The Beatdreams, heavily influenced by the Fab Four"Un unredeemed night owl, and a regular on the city streets on his impeccable Lambretta 175 TV, a great turning point for the musician's career was meeting Brighton 64, "which allowed me to enter a cultural environment that I really liked, mod, into which I gradually got involved and for which I have a lot of affection."
Pablo would end up being part of the Gil brothers' band, both as Brighton 64 and when they changed their name to Brigatones, and is considered a prime mover of the Barcelona modernist scene.
A trace of affection
It's hard to find classic or vintage pop bands and musical projects in Barcelona that Pablo Jiménez hasn't been involved with at one time or another. From the great classics like the aforementioned Brighton 64 or Los Negativos, to Los Soberanos, a mythical group dedicated to reviving ye-yé culture; Les Très Bien Ensemble, dedicated to sixties French pop; El Instante, with Daniel Cros and unjustly relegated to oblivion, and countless more: Piggies, Canary Sect, Manzanas, Pulpops, Jorba y Preciados, Los Cavernas. The list goes on and on of groups that you surely, at some point, intentionally or by pure chance, saw in some club in the city.
He even could have been a bassist in Los Flechazos, with whom he auditioned in 1991: "I fit them, but to play with them I would have had to move to León and at the time I didn't see it clearly. Sometimes I regret not having done it, because no one like Los Flechazos so perfectly reflected what, musically and aesthetically, I liked."
It's hard to find classic or vintage pop bands and musical projects in Barcelona that Pablo hasn't been involved with at one time or anotherCurrently, Pablo Jiménez plays in Los Baches: "I had never been so excited to be in a group as in this one. We are recording our first album with our own songs and very worked vocal harmonies." In parallel, he leads a cover band of Los Brincos called Brincosis and, together with his wife and eternal accomplice, Ana, they have a small record label, Discos Sélak. Their latest release is the album by Los Popov, another of Pablo's countless projects and, at the same time, the last and posthumous recording of singer Inés Bayo, who prematurely passed away in August 2019.
But, beyond the musical restlessness of the parishioner and his appetite for continuing "making music among friends", all this activity also reflects an affable character, a capacity that this native of Les Corts, "deeply religious and, at the same time, with very social values", has had to gather friends and musical travel companions, always willing to count on him, if it is about making good timeless pop. This trace of affection is what is usually noticed and shines when third parties in the Barcelona musical scene talk about him, always with great affection.
Friendly city
"In general, I have always liked the education of people in the environments I have moved in Barcelona," explains Pablo. And the fact of having been a member of more than thirty bands in the last four decades gives an idea of the variety and diversity of environments he has been able to move through. "My relationship with this city is one of absolute love, although I don't like the bike lanes, the current dirtiness, and that there are so many guiris," he clarifies.
"My relationship with this city is one of absolute love, although I don't like the bike lanes, the current dirtiness, and that there are so many guiris"He sips his soda and remembers when and how he discovered what has been his go-to bar, the place where he has spent so many nights bringing bands together, playing, spinning records, making friends, reaffirming his eternal love for pop, soul, R&B, punk rock. "I discovered Barbara Ann by chance, walking with an ex-girlfriend on Taquígraf Garriga street. From outside I could hear Nacha Pop. We went in. They had just opened it three days before." It was 1988 and it's still easy to find him at the bar of Les Corts' oldest music venue.
--- This is not the Barbara Ann, but instead we have a good culinary offer, in case you want to stay for dinner. We have everything: tapas, pinchos, menu, combo plates, à la carte, sandwiches...
In the background, the last bars of Friends of mine by The Zombies give way to Time of the season and Pablo Jiménez prepares to go out for a Ducado cigarette, a brand he has remained faithful to for 45 years. A quick glance at the food allows him to make a precise decision:
--- I hate combo plates and Ana and I are more into tapas.
And just as he mentions her, as if by a spell, Ana, his wife, arrives at the Bar, greets, orders her drink, and rewards the crowd with her wide, addictive smile.
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