Sergi Felipe: Sailing Musical Seas

"First of all, I would say that I am a musician and, as such, I have been lucky enough to navigate different sonic seas: from folk to R&B, flamenco, soul and, of course, jazz," reflects saxophonist, composer and producer Sergi Felipe at the bar, savoring a glass of white wine while the notes of Elmo Hope's trio's Hua accompany the dusk.

With four albums as a leader ---the fifth with his trio already in preparation--- and an extensive production of 120 albums recorded and published in the last decade for his label UnderPool Records (and subsidiary labels), the artist estimates that, adding the recordings made for his own label with those he has made for other labels, the figure stands at around 400 albums. Including two sessions with his admired Bill McHenry, which for Sergi represented a very special milestone in his rich career.

"I've been playing in various bands since I was 15. I got into this through friends and by getting on stage. At first, I never thought I would end up studying at a conservatory, but then, at 21, I entered the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya and that completely changed my mindset. I had to reconstruct and rethink what had been my learning until then."

A few years later, after completing his studies at the conservatories of Rotterdam and Groningen, he had the possibility of staying in Holland to develop his career there. "But I preferred to come back. I realized how Barcelonian I am and how little we often value what we have here culturally and musically."

From Encarnació street to the bottom of a pool

From 28 to 33, the parishioner shared a house located on Encarnació street in Gràcia, with musicians Dani Comas and Marc Cuevas. "That was a very special moment in my life, very good years. In the basement of that house we organized concerts where practically the entire Barcelona jazz scene passed through, and a good handful of musicians from outside who were passing through the city. In parallel, I recorded and edited my trio's first album." That was the seed of what would become UnderPool. "In fact, creating the label was a kind of incentive for me so that it wouldn't hurt so much to have to leave that house and end that stage."

A space was needed to make the project a reality, and the musician found it in the basement adjacent to his parents' house pool, in Collserola: "Hence the name, UnderPool."

Since then, ten intense years have passed producing ---for the label itself or others like Fresh Sound or Mosquito Records--- for a huge number of musicians: Ester Quevedo, Gorka Benítez, Roger Mas, Félix Rossy, Toni Saigí, Clara Lai, Txema Riera, Santi de la Rubia, Fernando Brox or Pol Omedes. In this sense, UnderPool represents "an alternative for many Barcelona musicians to record their work".

--- And now, in addition to your incipient fifth album as a leader, what do you highlight about your activity?

"I am making a series of totally analog recordings with several musicians from the city, under the name of On tape. For now, I am releasing them in digital format, but when there are enough tracks, I will release it on vinyl," explains the musician who finds time from under rocks to organize concerts here and there and to run a parallel business of commissioned music for audiovisuals.

A map that keeps growing

"I am very Barcelonian, very much from here," asserts the local, for whom the city "is a map of memories and sensations associated with corners, some that are still there and others that are no longer there and that now only live in memory. Furthermore, that map keeps growing, adding new experiences every day." At this point, he cannot help but express the strong bond he had with the club 23 Robadors, on the street of the same name, for all the music and vibrations experienced there; his memories of Gràcia or all the immense number of points in the center and Barceloneta that, for one reason or another, for one memory or another, touch his soul.

"Barcelona is a map of memories and sensations associated with corners, some that are still there and others that are no longer there and that now only live in memory"

--- And we have plenty of musical talent… And navigating very different sonic seas!

--- Absolutely, and I love being able to record so many of them.

Mo's bluff by the Elmo Hope Trio leads to a brief interruption of the conversation, which Sergi Felipe uses to finish his glass of white wine and roll a cigarette.

--- After smoking, will you want to eat something? We have a menu, set menu, sandwiches, or combo plates.

The musician, composer, and producer doesn't hesitate:

--- Set menu! It's something we are very lucky to have. And I love it!

--- Well, don't let the opportunity go to waste!