Juan Dhas

“Deeper Spirit” from the “Catharsis” Album

If you love jazz and instrumental music, have a particular fondness for ECM catalog, are always on the lookout for emerging artists with new and original voices, look no further than this new album from Juan Dhas!

Juan is a guitarist and composer from Bogotà, Colombia, who studied in Berklee, and has since produced two outstanding albums. The “Catharsis” here, being his second opus, showcases not only Juan’s exceptional guitar chops but his adventurous compositional abilities. With a style that evokes early Pat Metheny at times, but also Alan Holdsworth at others, his intricate playing never sacrifices musicality for technique displays, and it’s a joy to discover such a talent whose ego is not overwhelming the musical quality of his output.

Accompanied here by a solid rhythm section of seasoned musicians (Kike Harker on bass, and Ramón Berrocal on Drums), the album leaves space for everyone to shine, like on this “Deeper Spirit” with a cool drums solo over a great ostinato theme. But of course, the guitar leads the way on all these tunes, and with such a flair and panache that you cannot help but keep being captivated by the sophisticated landscape Juan is painting all along this album.