Born in Barcelona, he studies, among other subjects, piano, harmony and counterpoint at the Conservatori Superior Municipal de Música. At the same time he starts a deep self knowledgement of jazz language that will bring him to the creation of the quartet Catalònia in 1977, together with the bass player Rafael Escoté, the sax player Antonio Peral and the drummer Ángel Pereira. With the last one he also founded a duet based on percussion and piano.

From 1982 he starts to play with his own trio. The esthetic proposal of the trio has been quite diverse during the years, conditioned either by the esthetic interests of the pianist than by the different personalities of the double bass and drums players that have taken part on that trio. It has been the rythmic session of musics like: David Liebmann, John Abercombie, Kenny Wheeler, Mark Feldman and Gerard Presencer among others, apart from symphonic orchestras and chamber bands. Nowadays, the trio is composed by the drummer David Xirgu and the double bass player David Mengual and its repertory consist of original compositions and very deep interpretations from typical catalan songs.

In 1983 he founded the Onix band, together with the portuguese double bass player Zè Eduardo, the northamerican trumpetist Michael Kaupa (later stood in for the guitarist Josep Albert Cubero) and the catalan drummer Jorge Rossy, with whom he developed a very deep activity.

In 1987 he creates the Ictus band, together with Mario and Jorge Rossy and Perico Sambeat.

From 1979 he starts his docent activity by teaching piano and combo at the Aula de Musica Moderna i Jazz of Barcelona and after at the Taller de Músics, in Barcelona as well, where he assumed the task of musical director from 91-92 to 93-94 years.

He takes part, as a professor of the Taller de Músics, in four editions of the international seminaires carried out by the International Association of Jazz Academies (ISAJ) in Dublin (1991), Siena (1992), Graz (1993), and New York (1994).

He has done master class about his musical work in several seminaires carried out by the Taller de Músics in Barcelona.

He has designed the didactic material of the 1991 combo programme of the Taller de Músics together with J.L. Gámez and he is also the author of the combo programmes Bill Evans and Contemporanian Jazz.

During the 2001-2002 year the Escola Superior de Musica de Catalunya (ESMUC) is founded and he joined up to the teaching group as a piano jazz professor.

In 1985 he creates the Orquestra de Cambra Teatre Lliure, together with Josep Pons and Jaume Cortadellas, destined to the interpretation of music of the 20th century. He has taken part in the most important festivals in Spain and Europe with this Orchestra and has recorded, as a solist, the “Concerto para clave y cinco instrumentos” original from Manuel de Falla and the “Concert de Cambra” from Josep Soler.

He was the artistic director of the orchestra and is carrying out an intense activity as a director, arranger and composer in a programme including jazz and/or scenic music. It can be detailed the next productions from his director task:

O.C.T.LL.(1995) Lluís Vidal trio featuring Dave Liebmann. Music by Lluís Vidal
Company (1997) by Stephen Sondheim, scenic direction by Calixto Bieito
Porgy and Bess (1998) by G.Gershwin.
Tribute to Ellington (1999)
Sondheim (2000)
El Tercer Policía (2000) by Django Bates, scenic direction by Pep Anton Gómez
Jumps Satar/Jazz: 6 syncopated movements (2001) by W. Marsalis, with the IT Dansa company and the choreography by Toni Mira.
The three pennies opera (2002) by Kurt Weill, escenic direction by Calixto Bieito.

In 1995, with the arrival to Spain of the Argentin bandoneon player Pablo Mainetti, and together with Horacio Fumero (double bass) and Pere Bardagí (violin), he composed Araca, a tango band that play a contemporary tangos repertory.

He has developed an intense activity as a composer and arranger on the most diverse fields and bands. During the last years his creative task has been noted for the research of an own language by the utilization of unusual instrumental and esthetical mixures along with colors and musical languages coming from different bases such as jazz, contemporary music or popular inspiration. He has composed a great number of works ordered either by solists and chamber bands than by orchestras, festivals and institutions. It can be detailed some like:
Suite Potugalia, for wind octet and jazz trio - ordered by Gulbenkian Foundation (1994)
Nueva York en un poeta, for solist trio and symphonic orchestra - ordered by the Orchestra Ciudad de Granada (1997)
Polaritats, for chamber band – ordered by the Associació Catalana de Compositors and by the Associació de Musics de Jazz de Catalunya (1999)
Per un camí comú, for jazz trio and tenora - ordered by the XXI International Music Festival in Granollers in honor to Josep Maria Ruera (2000)
Brassiana, for metal quintet and jazz trio - ordered by than band Luur Metalls (2000)
Vermeer, for instrumental ensemble- ordered by Plaza festival (2001)

He has received great number of national and international awards such as: Jazz Themes Compositions in Monaco, National Music Award of the Generalitat de Catalunya, another one from the Catalonia Jazz Music Assotiation (Associació de Músics de Jazz de Catalunya) and the Latin Jazz composition from the Societat General d’Autors Espanyola (SGAE).

He has collaborated with jazz musicians like Wynton Marsalis, John Abercrombie, David Liebmann, Kenny Wheeler, Vince Mendoza, Mark Feldman, Iain Ballamy, Claudio Pontiggia, Al Cohn, Jimmy Owens, Jerome Richardson, Dave Schinitter, Alvin Queen, Guy Lafitte, Gerard Presencer, Adrianne West, Sean Levitt, Tim Garland and Heinrich von Kalnein among others. He has also collaborated with classical musicians like Josep Pons, Jerzy Artysz, Walter Boeykens, Antoni Ros Marbà, H.K. Gruber, Dolors Aldea and with tango musicians like Rodolfo Mederos, Elba Picó, Horacio Ferrer, Pablo Mainetti and Marcelo Mercadante.

He has also taken part in the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, with the Big Band of the Belgium Radio Television, with the Ciudad de Granada Orchestra and the Beethoven Academie of Belgium, with the Orquestra Nacional de Cambra of Andorra, with the Orquesta de Cámara Andrés Segovia and with several chamber bands.

He has recorded a great number of programmes for radio and television and has taken part in the most important festivals in Spain, Portugal, France, U.K. , Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Bulgary, Israel, U.S., China and Argentina.

 

resumed biography