This group is pure magic. Whenever I'm behind the kit surrounded by these guapos I feel a profound sense of joy and purpose. It's like I should be there at that moment making music with them. It just feels right, always. I know it sounds awfully cliche but c'mon, what are the odds of 6 guys from 4 different countries coming together in one random Dutch city and realising that they sound like one weird, intricate yet particularly exciting identity when playing together? I'm just glad I encountered them in the music wilderness of Amsterdam. Antonio Moreno (trumpet player and leader of the group - the original guapo himself) is the mastermind behind most tunes. His compositions take me to where I didn't know I wanted to be. It's a free ticket to paradise.
The band already has a distinctive résumé full of multiple awards. Perhaps the most notorious ones are the Keep an Eye The Records 2024 and the 2nd place in the Keep an Eye International Jazz Award 2022. We also got 2nd place at the 7 Virtual Jazz Club International Contest (allowing us to play at Ferrara Jazz Club and consequently tour around Italy), the Denise Jannah Award in the Grachtenfestival Jazz Competition, 1st place in the Laren Jazz Competition and 3rd price at the Jazz in the Park International Competition, in Romania.
2024 was quite a year for the band. We launched our debut self-titled album “Nausyqa” on Wicked Wax, selling out the legendary venue Paradiso in Amsterdam for the release show. We got the chance to play on big stages like the Transition Festival in Utrecht, the InJazz Showcase in Rotterdam (you can watch the full concert here), the Fano Jazz Festival in Italy and Jazz in the Park in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. In the summer we recorded our upcoming album “PUNQ” which will be out next January through Zennez Records. So basically two album releases in less than 8 months. Not too bad, I reckoned. Couldn’t be more excited for 2025. We’ll be presenting our music all over Europe - be on the lookout for the dates here. Hope to see you there!
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PUNQ (2025)
