Amarea
The trio was founded by drummer and composer Eloi Pascual in 2021, during his senior year at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. The three musicians had been collaborating in various projects since moving to Amsterdam in 2017, building a deep sense of affinity and trust.
During the pandemic, he began meeting regularly with pianist Chaerin Im and electric bassist Matteo Mazzù to explore Eloi’s compositions, which were later premiered at his final recital. The goal of these compositions, characterized by carefully crafted melodies and delicate musical landscapes, was to create frameworks that were both strong and open, allowing each musician the freedom to develop their individual voice and interplay skills within the structure of the song.
Another reason for the urge to make this music is that before venturing into jazz, Eloi spent many years playing Death Metal almost exclusively. This experience prompted him to seek out the opposite end of the musical spectrum, emphasizing space and subtlety, where sound nuances of acoustic playing could be carefully addressed.
Since then, the trio has been active in the Dutch music scene under the name Amarea, which also became the title of their debut album, released in August 2024 under ZenneZ/Berthold Records.
