He started a career in folk music with the band La MUSGAÑA. That was in Madrid, in the 1980s. Today in 2015, he has published a new CD ‘Mirando Nubes’ (Watching Clouds). Jose CLIMENT is a key figure in the local folk scene, whose career helps to understand the past, the present, and probably also the future of this style of music in Madrid.
The CDs section in this issue of FolkWorld contains a short review about Jose Climent’s solo album ‘Mirando Nubes’ (Watching Clouds). Although nowadays, Climent’s involvement in folk music is no longer linked to the band La MUSGAÑA, he continues teaching bagpipes playing in the Casa de Zamora in Madrid. In fact, the traditional bagpipes from the province of Zamora (Castilla y León, Central North Spain), was an instrument that he researched in depth, during the early fieldwork performed with La MUSGAÑA. That was with the great support provided by Alberto JAMBRINA.
La MUSGAÑA is one of the most significant folk music bands since the 1980s in Madrid. The band started with Enrique (Quique) ALMENDROS, Rafa MARTÍN and José CLIMENT, then joined by Jaime MUÑOZ and Carlos BECEIRO. Most of them started playing ‘Celtic’ music (from Ireland, French Brittany, Scotland,..) with the inspiration and support from Irish musicians such as Marcas O Murchu or Matt Early. Although La MUSGAÑA loved playing Irish music, they also decided to research the folk music traditions from central Spain, mostly from the region known as Castilla y León.
They put a lot of dedication on learning and incorporating in their music, not just new rhythms and melodies but also traditional instruments from those areas such as: bagpipes, three holed flute and tabor, hurdy-gurdy, frame drums,… Those instruments were added to their existing collection of: fiddle, accordion, lute, mandolin, traverse flute, whistle, clarinet, guitar, bass guitar,….
During the late 1980s and early 90s, La MUSGAÑA travelled and played a lot throughout French Brittany, England, Hungary, Portugal, Spain,… In those tours they had the chance to meet and play with artists such as: BLEIZI RUZ, Alistair ANDERSON, Kathrin TYCKELL, BLOWZABELLA,…
Due to his professional career in engineering, José CLIMENT left the band in 1991. La MUSGAÑA continued mostly as a trio throughout the 1990s with: Quique ALMEDROS, Jaime MUÑOZ and Carlos BECEIRO. After a number of circumstances, today in 2015 La MUSGAÑA is basically the duo of Jaime and Carlos.
José CLIMENT has also collaborated in concerts and recordings with other Spanish folk artists such as Javier BERGIA and Xosé-Manuel BUDIÑO. Since 2013, José organizes folk music sessions in the town of Aravaca (Madrid), where he is joined by his former band members from La MUSGAÑA, and also a number of musicians that used to play in Madrid’s Irish pub La TABERNA ELISA.
Photo Credits:
(1) José María CLIMENT (unknown).
