Jazz is Cool, Ass is Cul

Sonidos imaginarios de un culo viajero
Cul is cool, taburete en forma de culo creado por Ramón Úbeda y Otto Canalda, se pasea por el mundo atrayendo sonidos.
Cul is Cool nació en Barcelona en 2007 al son de Asstrio, grupo creado en la misma ciudad y cuyo explícito título Ass –culo en inglés- hace referencia en realidad a las iniciales de sus tres componentes: Arecio Smith, teclados, Santi Careta, guitarra y Santi Serratosa, batería, creadores de un sonido mezcla de nu-jazz, funk y rock que los ha llevado a mostrar su impresionante directo a festivales como el Sonar.
De Barcelona, Cul is Cool voló a Nueva York para estrenarse como muestra fotográfica en mayo de 2010, y de allí a Los Ángeles, donde se encontró con los aromas del “Cool jazz”, estilo de jazz nacido en los años 50 que precisamente se desarrolló en ambas costas estadounidenses. Músicos como Miles Davis y su Birth of the cool -álbum-fetiche de ese periodo-, Gil Evans, Lennie Tristano, Gerry Mulligan, The Modern Jazz Quartet, Lee Konitz, Art Pepper, Stan Getz, Dave Brubeck o Chet Baker propusieron una visión reflexiva y lírica del jazz, alejada de la improvisación total y de los frenéticos ritmos del bebop, con un sonido influenciado por la música clásica europea. Los críticos dieron a esta música el nombre de cool, tomado de la expresión to be cool, es decir, ser calmado, imperturbable.
Además, Cul is Cool, a su paso por USA, tuvo tiempo de codearse con estrellas del rock que utilizaron COOL en sus títulos, como The Velvet Underground y su Cool it down, The beach boys y su Cool, cool water, Prince y su Melody Cool, Boston y su Cool the engines, The dandy warhols y su Cool Scene o Wanda Jackson y su Cool Love.
Ahora Cul is Cool llega a Hat Gallery, Valencia, así que los visitantes tendremos la oportunidad de seguir poniéndole música a esta muestra fotográfica. Abrimos la chistera una vez más para potenciar el diálogo y debate entre disciplinas artísticas.

“Jazz is cool, Ass is cul”
Imaginary sounds of a travelling butt
Cul is cool, a buttock-shaped seat designed by Ramón Úbeda and Otto Canalda, is travelling around the world attracting sounds.
Cul is Cool was born in Barcelona in 2007 to the sound of Asstrio, a band created in the same city and whose explicit title, Ass (Cul in Catalan), actually refers to the initials of its three members: Arecio Smith (keyboards), Santi Careta (guitar), and Santi Serratosa (drums). This band’s music is a mix of nu-jazz, funk and rock, a sound that has led them to show their impressive live performance in festivals such as Sonar.
Cul is Cool flew from Barcelona to New York, where it had its premiere as a photography exhibition in May 2010, and from there it travelled to Los Angeles, where it met the scents of “Cool jazz”, a jazz style that emerged in the 50s, precisely in both coasts of the country. Musicians such as Miles Davis, with his Birth of the Cool–a fetish album from this period-, Gil Evans, Lennie Tristano, Gerry Mulligan, The Modern Jazz Quartet, Lee Konitz, Art Pepper, Stan Getz, Dave Brubeck, or Chet Baker, proposed a reflexive, lyric vision of Jazz that was far from the total improvisation and the frantic rhythms of bebop, and whose sound was influenced by European classical music. Critics named this music “cool”, from the expression “to be cool”, that is, to be calm and unruffled.
While touring through the States, Cul is Cool had time to rub shoulders with rock stars that used Cool in their titles, such as The Velvet Underground with their Cool it down, The beach boys and their Cool, cool water, Prince and his Melody Cool, Boston and their Cool the engines, The dandy warhols and their Cool Scene or Wanda Jackson and her Cool Love.
Now Cul is Cool arrives to Hat Gallery, Valencia. Visitors will have the opportunity to continue putting this photographic exhibition to music. Once more, we pull something out of our hat to strengthen the dialogue and debate between art disciplines.