Beyond Sketches of Spain

Abstract No musician did more to shape Iberian jazz than pianist Vicenç Montoliu i Massana (1933–1997), who was known simply as “Tete.” Reflecting his fascination with the modernist aesthetics of mid-century jazz, Tete Montoliu was known for his quick fingering, his carefully crafted mix of lyricism and dissonance, his penchant for discordant crashes, and his development of highly original compositions. He boasted some 100 recordings spanning Denmark, Germany, Holland, Spain, and the United States, and performed with the most notable jazz luminaries, including Lionel Hampton, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Dexter Gordon, and Archie Shepp. Acknowledging and drawing musical inspiration from the Black American jazz form, Tete fashioned an adjacent critical space shaped by his experiences as a Catalan and a person with congenital visual impairment living under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. Beyond Sketches of Spain: Tete Montoliu and the Construction of Iberian Jazz explores the artist’s life, musical production, and international reception within a cultural studies framework. This book moves beyond mere sketches of Spanish nationhood to challenge conventional scholarly narratives and recover links between the United States, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, and Europe in the investigation of an impressive and often overlooked transnational modern jazz legacy. Eschewing Theodore Adorno’s denigration of Black American jazz, a more compelling model is found in Fumi Okiji’s notion of gathering in difference. In this work, Benjamin Fraser deftly mixes musical biography with urban history, spatial theory, and disability studies, fashioning a highly readable text for readers from all disciplines.