Biel Ballester
Biel Ballester (2016)
Background information
Born	1974 (age 49–50) Mallorca, Spain
Genres	Gypsy jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instrument(s)	Guitar

Biel Ballester (born 1974) is a gypsy jazz guitarist from Mallorca, Spain. He contributed music to the Woody Allen film Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Biography

Biel Ballester is from Mallorca in Spain. ^[1] He studied classical guitar under Àlex Garrobé at the Escola D'Arts Musicals Luthier in Barcelona. He discovered the music of Django Reinhardt at age 18, and his music is a fusion of gypsy jazz and Spanish music. ^{[1] [2]} With Leo Hipaucha (rhythm guitar) and Oriol González (double bass) he formed the Biel Ballester trio. He was introduced to Woody Allen during the filming of Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Allen, a jazz clarinet player, played frequently with Ballester during this time and included two of his tracks on the soundtrack of the film. ^{[1] [3]}

Discography

As leader

• Echoes from Mallorca (Refined, 2005)
• Live in London (Le Q, 2006)
• Bistro de Barcelona (Refined, 2008)
• Jazz a l'Estudi (TVC Disc, 2011)
• Avanti! ( Hot Club, 2011)
• Melodium Melodynamic (La Cupula Music, 2015)
• The Lowdown (Hot Club, 2015)

As sideman

• Jon Larsen, Short Stories from Catalonia, (Hot Club, 2013)

References