From his Mexican roots to Chicago's jazz scene, Cortiñas explains how he builds "bold, urgent conversations" on his album 'The Crisis Knows No Borders,’ addressing climate change through the language of improvised music.
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The Spotlight shines On drummer and composer Gustavo Cortiñas
Gustavo's latest album, The Crisis Knows No Borders, tackles climate change head-on through music that's both urgent and beautiful. Working with guitarist Dave Miller, saxophonist Jon Irabagon, and violinist Mark Feldman, he's created compositions that explore how global warming sparks conflicts, drives migration, and connects us all, whether we like it or not.
The Chicago-based artist has built a career using jazz as a medium for social commentary, and this new project feels especially timely as we face a world where environmental challenges refuse to respect any boundaries.
(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Gustavo Cortiñas’s album The Crisis Knows No Borders)
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[00:01:29] - How the 2024 election changed the album's context
[00:02:08] - Why the project was "already low on hope"
[00:04:47] - The broken incentives behind environmental choices
[00:06:47] - Subsidies, tax policy, and moral priorities
[00:08:28] - When public morality leads political structures
[00:09:03] - Infrastructure as aesthetic beauty vs. practical necessity
[00:11:39] - Choosing musicians and instruments for the album
[00:15:03] - Growing up in an intellectual household
[00:17:43] - His father's philosophy: "science with a conscience"
[00:18:49] - Musical influences from Mexican folk to classical
[00:24:16] - How geography shaped his musical development
[00:25:53] - Learning from New Orleans' community-based music culture
[00:30:37] - Chicago's cosmopolitan influence and multicultural collaborations
[00:31:35] - Balancing message with aesthetic in program music
[00:35:04] - Translating themes into sound: "Oil and Water Don't Mix"
[00:40:22] - Navigating multiple roles as composer and bandleader
[00:42:28] - What defines program music in contemporary context
[00:45:02] - Current listening habits: punk revisits and friend recommendations
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Visit Gustavo Cortiñas at https://www.gustavocortinasmusic.com
and follow him on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/gustavocortinasmusic
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gustavo-Corti%C3%B1as-Music/160448470728546
and YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/user/gcortinasfouilloux/videos?view=0&flow=grid
Purchase The Crisis Knows No Borders from [Bandcamp → https://desafiocandenterecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-crisis-knows-no-borders
or Qobuz → https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/the-crisis-knows-no-borders-gustavo-cortinas/a6e1z3fx3npma
and listen on your streaming platform of choice → https://album.link/i/1793282681
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