De professió, music, compositor i especialista en noves tecnologies.


Lo mes recent i mes important degut al nivell de divulgació internacional es la seva aparició en el recent llibre del editor nord-america John Engel 'Uncommon Sound', el llibre definitiu sobre els guitarristes esquerrans que van camviar l'historia, el seu nom apareix junt a consagrades figures com ara: Albert King, Jimi Hendrix, y Paul McCartney, Atahualpa Yupanki, etc...,
http: // www.uncommon-sound.com/


2. Dades acadèmiques.

Estudis sobre solfeig, piano, guitarra, banjo, baix elèctric, harmonia, historia de la música, contrapunt, formes, instrumentació, harmonia del segle XX, arranjaments de jazz, composició, anàlisis d'obres, etc...
sempre de forma autodidacta.

Alumne de Gabriel Breznic d'Harmonia Clàssica i Formes Musicals, a l'Escola Zeleste, Barcelona, l'any 1981.




BREU CURRICULUM

A partir del 90 es trasllada a la ciutat d'Amsterdam on durant dos anys participa en nombroses actuacions arreu de l'estat (Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Utrecht, Zwolle, Culemborg, etc) i diversos Festivals com ara el de St. Johann del Tirol (Austria), Festival de Jazz d'Amsterdam, Festival de Jazz de Zwolle, Festival de Jazz Contemporani d'Eindhoven, etc.
Durant aquest temps coneix el pianista americà Bill Gerhardt (recent premi Down Beat de composició i piano) decidint junts formar l'explosiva banda Pere Soto and Bill Gerhardt Quartet amb John Engels a la bateria i Arjen Gorter al contrabaix. La primavera del 92 enregistren a Hilversum (Holanda) el CD Metanoic, escollit un dels dotze discs de l'any per JAZZ SOUTH ART FEDERATION (USA), que va sortir a mes de 140 emissores dels Estats Units de Nordamerica.
El febrer del 1994 enregistra a la ciutat de New York, Particular Vernacular el segon CD del grup. Aquesta vegada els músics son tots del país; Jeff Ballard a la bateria, Ben Allison al contrabaix, Dave Douglas a la trompeta, Dave Liebman al saxo soprà, Bill Gerhardt al piano i Pere Soto a la guitarra.
Durant la primavera del 94 empren una serie de concerts pels estats de Carolina del Nord i Carolina del Sud (USA) i d'una una Master-class a la WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY de la ciutat de Winston-Salem.

Durant l'any 2000 viatja a Mèxic invitat l'estrena del seu Quartet de Corda nº 2 .

A partir d'ara sol visitar sovint el país actuant i impartint classes i seminaris arreu del pais mexicà.

Durant l'any 2001 enregistra als estudis de St. Cugat 'Embassaments acústics' el disc Nuages, Prisoners of Love i Bolero para Arely del seu grup Django's Castle. (grup homenatje constant a la figura de Django Reinhardt)



Ha tocat amb músics com ara:
• John Engels • Arjen Gorter • Han Beninck • Dave Douglas • Tom Cora • Niko Langenhuisen • Paul Stocker • Evan Tate • Lou Donaldson • MikeClark • Jordi Rossy• Mario Rossy • Perico Sambeat • Sean Bergin • Ron Brendel • Jeff Ballard • Marc Miralta • Ben Allison • Bill Gerhardt • Joe Malinga • Tom Jones • Albert Bover • J.M. Farras • Lonnie Smith • Joe Gallivan • Marti Perramón • Fay Victor • Carme Canela • Carla Cook • Melva Houston • David Xirgu • Alex Coke • Martin Van Duijhoven • Tristan Honsingen • Clare Foster • Ray Appleton (ex John Coltrane) • Jasper Bloom • Clarence Becton • Jimmy Rosenberg • Vania Nazare • Jaco Abel • Marta Saenz, etc.



FESTIVALS i CONCERTS ARREU DEL MóN

Spain
-Jazz Festival Terrassa 82-84-86-92 'as headliners)'
-4 Mostra de Jazz Europeu (Barcelona)
-Jazz Festival La Garriga
-Jazz Festival Jaén (Roberto Lecaros quartet)-
-Jazz Festival Cartagena (Pere Soto trio) -
-Special TV concert (TV3) in the Ancient Monastery of St. Cugat
-Jazz Festival Benidorm (Pere Soto trio)
-Jazz Festival Jazz en la costa (Fay Victor & Bill Gerhardt & Pere Soto)
-Jazz Festival Palencia.95
-Jazz Festival Jaén (Pere Soto trio)
- Festival de Jazz Tàrrega (Djangos Castle)
- Menorca jazz 2001

Austria
-St Johan Tirol Jazz Festival (Joe Malinga Sudafrican band)

Hollanda
-Jazz Festival Eindhoven 90 (Tom Cora-Niko Langenhuisen-Pere Soto)
-Jazz Festival Amsterdam 91 (Pere Soto trio) -
-Jazz Festival Zwolle (Tom Jones Blues band)
-Bim Huis februari'93 (Pere Soto & Bill Gerhardt quartet)
CD Metanoic appears on Nationaal Jazz archiev Nr°6 december 1992 (Holland)
North Sea Jazz Festival 1999 (with Big John patton)

Belgium
The Botanic cultural center april 96

Luxemburg
Den Atelier Jazzclubluxembourg

Anglaterra
Birmingham Jazz Festival 2001,2002,2003


Andorra
SupervocalMeeting a l'auditori,
concert especial pel President del pais



USA
-Jazz Festival Charlotte
-Pride Jazz, Charlotte 95 NC
-Doe Run Resort 95 (Virginia)
-Jazz Club Visiones august 95 (N. York)
-Pearl's Jazz Club, (San Francisco)
-The Ramp, (San Francisco)
- CREATIVE GROVTH CENTER (San Francisco)
- The Mouskoni Center (San Francisco)
- San Francisco DjangoFest 2008 (benefit)
- Los Angeles Djangofest 2008

MEXICO
- june 2000. 1º performing of string quartet nº2 of Pere Soto
- Concierto aniversario para la RADIO UNAM 2000 (radio universidad de Ciudad de México)
- Master Class de composición en Bellas artes de México DF.
- Concierto Master class de guitarra a l'escola de música de Bellas artes de Oaxaca 2001.
- Juliol 2003.
Doble concert a la feria de Huajuapan de León amb Marta Saenz I Pere Soto solo guitar



Discografia


DISCOGRAFÍA COMO LIDER
- Pere Soto Jazz Group (DLR 713-C La Raiz prd.)
- Pere Soto Grup 'Coincidencias' (1989 - LP BM-002 Berman Int.)
- Pere Soto & Bill Gerhardt Quartet 'Metanoic' ( 1992 - CD 85012-2 Riff)
- Pere Soto & Bill Gerhardt Quartet 'Particular Venacular' (Planet X New York)
- Django's Castle 'Nuages' (2001 - Satchmo)
- Django's Castle 'Prisoners of Love' (2002 - Imagen)
- Django's Castle 'Blue Drag' (Goofy Records 2004)
- Django's Castle 'El Caliqueño del Califa' (Taller de músics 2004)
- Pere Soto & Django's castle ' Swing Gitane' (Blau records) 2007
- Pere Soto & David Valdez 'Oasis' (Diatic records)

DISCOGRAFÍA COM A FREE-LANCE
Vania Nazaré 'Brasileira-mente' (1996 - CD 001 Sabam)
Fay Victor 'In My Own Room' (1998 Timeless Records CD SJP446)
- Alex Coke, 'Wake Up Dead Man' (2004)
- Django Festival 3, Hot Club Records 2004 (HCRCD109)



PRENSA

WARWICK FESTIVAL 2004...England
this catalan group is certainly the dream team among bands in the Hot club of France tradition...

BIRMINGHAM POST AUTUMN 2002, England
Django's castle is, paradoxically, both one of the most authentic and one of the most original of the numerous Django-inspired bands, featuring the repertoire of the Hot Club of France and Pere Soto originals in the Django tradition as well as standards. Soto is steeped in Djangology, but his own compositions are anything but derivative. He virtuoso guitar playing lies at the heart of the group, and he is so immersed in the Django tradition that he even adopts the great man's fingering /two fingers short) for the classic Nuages.
‘... a long-awaited return appearance from Django's Castle, those magnificent crusading Reinhardt obsessives from Barcelona. Pere Soto leads his fellow guitarists in a glorious cascade of dancing notes ...'


BIRMINGHAM EVENING MAIL - JULY 2002, England
Pere Soto's group's distinctive brand of gypsy jazz demanded attention with its compelling rhythms and quirkily unexpected melodies.


THE JAZZ RAG (England)
' Pere Soto's distinctive brand of gypsy jazz commands attention
with its compelling rhythms and quirkily unexpected melodies.'


WILLIAM JAMES, BIRMINGHAM EVENING MAIL - JULY 2002

DJANGO'S CASTLE Birmingham International Jazz Festival

The big hit of last year's festival, but still comparatively little known in this country, the Catalan quintet, Django's Castle, has returned for four days of joyful and intensive music making. Even performing for the afternoon shoppers in the Pallasades, Pere Soto's group's distinctive brand of gypsy jazz demanded attention with its compelling rhythms and quirkily unexpected melodies. Soto's virtuoso guitar playing lies at the heart of the group, so steeped in the Django traditon that he even adopts the great man's fingering (i.e. two fingers short) for the classic Nuages. Pere brings the dynamism to Django's Castle. An expert in flamenco music, he is anything but a Reinhardt clone, duetting whimsically with bassist Joan Marti or engaging in hell-for-leather pursuits with his other two guitarists. As well as the repertoire of the Hot Club of France, notably the hauntingly beautiful melody from which they derive their name,Django's Castle feature Pere Soto originals in the Django tradition and roar through standards like Sweet Georgia Brown, powered by the rhythm guitars of Joan Ramon Punti and Josep Traver.

METRO LIFE, England
'... a long-awaited return appearance from Django's Castle, those magnificent crusading Reinhardt obsessives from Barcelona. Pere Soto leads his fellow guitarists in a glorious cascade of dancing notes ...'

Lechodescuillere 2002 (FRANCE)

Ce groupe ibérique en est à sa deuxième (auto) production. Le guitariste Pere Soto, leader de la formation, y exprime encore son admiration pour le génial manouche. Mais Pere, s'il connaît parfaitement la musique de Django, est aussi influencé par d'autres musiques (guitaristes ?) et cela s'entend principalement dans son phrasé : l'ombre de Larry Corryell (le fameux disque 'Young Django'
avec Stéphane Grappelli et Philippe Catherine) ou même de Robert Johnson (quelques bends sauvages). Sur le disque précédent notre homme jouait sur une ovation folk et nous le regrettions un peu (le son un peu ...) mais cette fois-ci, Pere manoeuvre sur un modèle réglementaire bouche en D, ce qui ne l'empêche pas de faire à sa façon. Les reprises sont arrangées maison (Minor swing, Djangology, Douce ambiance, Body and soul) et donnent ce qu'on peut attendre d'un bon quartet à trois guitares (un seul soliste) et une contrebasse. Ne nous étendons pas sur l'intérprétation vocale de 'There will never be another you', à moins qu'il faille l'écouter au second degré, ni sur la mise en place assez maladroite de 'Place de Brouckère'. En revanche, la version de 'Body and soul' est une surprise : après une intro-solo de guitare un peu moderno-complexe, vient subitement s'imposer une rythmique et un son digne du QHCF, avec un joli chorus et les craquements du gramophone, chouette clin d'oeil. Il faut retenir également les jolies compositions du leader, le swinguant 'Menor-K' avec la voix de Pere à l'unisson, la délicieuse 'Hele Guify' ou la fière 'rumba 2001', la version de 'Jitterburg waltz' peuutilisée en swing à cordes. L'album conclut sur une impro solo très nostalgique intitulée 'Citlaly'. Pere Soto nous laisse espérer unesuite heureuse à l'aventure 'Django's Castle', un des rares groupes de ce style en Espagne.

Daniel Meyer, Jazz in Time N° 28, Belgium
'...Pere Soto en connaît un bout, croyez-moi, et il a même eu le temps de se créer, à partir de cette 'base' un langage personnel et tout à fait réjouissant.'

Carles Armengol, El Punt, 13 de novembre del 1995, Spain
'...Amb el jazz modern de Pere Soto i els seus inseparables músics n'hi ha prou per omplir una hora i mitja de bon concert,'

Carles Torra, La Vanguardia, 11 d'abril del 1992, Spain
'...A Pere Soto puede aplicársele el tópico de que nadie es profeta en su tierra, pues desconocido por estos predios, goza de enorme consideración en los Paises Bajos.

Amsterdam, World Music/Jazz 1993, Holland
'...the spanish born, self-taught guitarist, composer and arranger Soto is recognised as a leader in his native musical sound.'

David Dupont, Cadence (jazz & Blues: creative improvised music) New York, February 1993, USA
'...Quartet plays tightly riveted ensembles. Within this framework, both leaders play long, clean lyrically turned solos.
...is replete with small virtues and sense of craftsmanship.

Mingus B. Formentor, La Vanguardia, 4 febrero 1993, Spain
'...pláceme recalcar a todo neón que uno de esos brillantísimos jazzmen se ha criado entre Terrassa y Badalona.'

Miquel Jurado, El Pais 1 de febrero de 1993, Spain
...Música marcada por la libertad estética y las ansias de ir cada vez más lejos en una búsqueda que no parece tener final.
...El Free Jazz perfectamente asimilado y puesto al dia con una contundencia nada desdeñable.

jazziz july 85 (international jazz magazine)
We're witnessing a golden age of improvisors. The number of knowledgeable, technically proficient musicians around is scary. Six appear on this CD: guitarrist Soto,pianist Gerhardt,soprano saxophonist Dave Liebman,bassist Ben Allison, drummer Jeff Ballard and trumpeter Dave Douglas... Soto varies his tone quite a bit; sometimes it's concentrated and penetrating, on other occasions, he produces a broader sound sound reminiscent of John Scofield. At times, he uses distortion effectively.

Marci Miller, Asheville Newspaper Rapid River, USA
A self-taught musician, Soto das his unique originality to every kind of music he plays, whether it's the 'gipsy jazz' (in the tradition od Django Reinhardt) he's most famous for, or the take-offs on Jimy Hendrix, blues, be-bop, and rock that he loves to throw in whenever he can, As a composer there's problably no one else like him.

http://www.allmusic.com by Dave Nathan
In my Own Room CD, Fay Victor, (Timeless Records)
There's seven minutes of Antonio Carlos Jobim's 'Wave' where numerous interpretative avenues are explored by a twisting, turning, probing Victor vocal excursion. Much credit has to go to Pere Soto's guitar who matches the intensity of Victor's in-depth probe of the Jobim tune. For that matter, Soto's exciting, intensive guitar playing, with its occasional soirees into the flamenco, is a major attraction of this album. Since there is only one cut with a piano, his guitar is the principal backing for Victor.

Casa Valdez Studios
The amazing Pere Soto! by Dave Valdez
I ran first into Pere Soto at a jam session at Clyde's Prime Rib here in Portland. He
was in town for a few weeks before going back home to Barcelona. He blew me away.
Besides having massive chops he was astoundingly creative. Pere would sound bluesy one second then boppish, then he World sound like he was playing contemporary classical. His Brazilian playing was even happening! The were no boundaries for Pere Soto, it was all improvisation. When I browsed his web site I found that he does a Django project in Europe called Django's Castle. He has some interesting digital art
on his site too. I sometimes feel trapped out on the west coast. It seems like all anyone wants to play is very inside traditional Bop. Then there is the other extreme here with the totally free players. I like both, but miss the more modern eclectic approach of the East Coast and Europe. Pere is back in town for a little while and is a refreshing addition to the PDX Jazz scene. Let's hope he decides to stay. His site has some great videos that will blow the minds of Django fans. He even does the two finger Django
thing on a few of the videos.

Oasis Pere Soto (with David Valdez) – (Diatic Records)
Guitarist Pere Soto teams up with saxman David Valdez on this 11-song project for a sweetly and lightly arranged Andalusian spin. Released on Portland, Oregon's Diatic Records, Soto and Valdez open the recording with two Soto-penned tunes, 'Armonica' and 'Sheila' that feature the gilding of harmonica ace Damien Mastersen. Both are fresh and lilting Spanish themes.
Soto's guitar is understated throughout, while Valdez's sax, in all its breathy, reedy wonder, permeates. On Gordon Jenkins' 'Goodbye,' Valdez cops the strong melody at the top of the piece and then floats a lengthy but picturesque solo to the end, buoyed by Portlander Randy Porter's deft piano.
Soto's biggest contribution here may be his compositional and arranging skills. He's credited with 'virtual B3 programming' which, in the case of the Soto tune 'Indian,' may be a hair heavy-handed, along with the persistent tom-tom thud of Salvador Toscano (and that's not necessarily a slam on Toscano).
Soto's playful 'Incognito' features the chunk of his Flamenco-flourished nylon-string guitar. His Gypsy style is a welcome counterpoint to Valdez's sax, reinforcing the Spanish sound. His chops deep dive to the heart of the melody with fire, before the sax returns to reprise the melody.
There are a few left turns, like the wah-wah guitar-driven 'If I Knew Where You Were' and the throw-away pop of 'Point of Truth,' but Soto delivers on the tasty title ballad 'Oasis,' 'Bon Viatje,' the Brazilian street parade of 'Mr. 88,' and 'When I Come Home.'
By Don Campbell

Oasis, David Carlos Valdez and Pere Soto.
Portland alto sax player Valdez teams up with Spanish guitarist Soto for this melodic and mellow Latin-jazz album. We hear influences from all over the Latin world, from lyrical bossa novas to subtle sambas, rumbas, ballads and Afro-Cuban stylings, all led by Valdez's rich, emotive tone. The chords and harmonics are updated and progressive, especially as played by pianists Randy Porter and Dan Gaynor, and the rhythms are all apt and never overbearing, as played by Salvador Toscano. But it is Soto who brings an extra element with his nearly Metheny-like electric guitar and Spanish-style acoustic. I'd love to call out some highlights, like Dan Robbins's bass solo on a wonderfully lush ballad, but my advanced media copy didn't come with a song list. Suffice it to say, this is a wonderful album, with Valdez and Soto sharing the melody lines, with Soto going for a rhythmic approach when things go acoustic. Valdez lets the melodies lead the way and doesn't go for flash, but there is still a palpable energy here, even when the tempos are slower and the music soft. Valdez and Soto are a great match, and with such a strong supporting cast, this is one of the finest locally-produced albums in a while.
2008, Diatic Records, 70:24.
By Kyle O'Brien