XAVI CASELLAS | VOCALESE VOYAGE

Information

Xavier Casellas is a Catalan jazz singer and creator based in Barcelona, whose career has become firmly established within contemporary vocal jazz through a personal and narrative approach. Self-taught by training, he developed his vocal language through deep listening to the great classic voices of jazz and through the study of 20th-century orchestral and vocal repertoire, building an artistic identity centered on text, musicality, and storytelling. Throughout his career, he has led his own projects and collaborated with leading musicians from the jazz scene such as Emilio Solla, Ben Monder, and Romero Lubambo, naturally combining tradition and contemporary expression. His recorded work has been released by internationally renowned labels such as Fresh Sound Records, receiving strong recognition from the specialized press and consolidating his presence beyond the local scene. “Vocalese Voyage” is Xavier Casellas’s new recording project and represents a mature synthesis of his artistic universe. The album is built around the concept of Vocalese and a contemporary reinterpretation of vocal jazz, with a strong emphasis on storytelling, words, and interaction with the group. The project is presented in a quintet format, featuring a stable lineup comprising pianist Jaume Vilaseca, Dani Pérez on guitar, Matías Míguez on bass, and Josep Cordobéson drums, accompanying Casellas in a repertoire where the voice engages organically with the instrumentation. On “Vocalese Voyage”, Casellas takes on the role of lyricist, adding words to music originally conceived as instrumental and thus expanding the expressive possibilities of vocal jazz. The album is conceived as an artistic journey into the future, connecting tradition and the present, and marking a decisive step in his most recent creative development. Xavi Casellas - voice and lyrics Jaume Vilaseca - piano and keyboards Dani Pérez - guitar Matías Míguez - bass Josep Cordobés - drums