Bar Dos Gardenias,  20th December 2009

After a warm day in the Santiago sun atop St Christopher hill – and following a pretty mean barbecue in the woods – we set upon dismounting. To check out what in blazes was going on  and to keep the night alive – it was Rich’s birthday, after all – we popped in for a few cheeky rums in Cuban-styled drinkery Bar Dos Gardenias. It turned out that folks boys Martín Pescador had come to town again, bringing with them blues and bossa nova crooner Jose Miguel Norambuena Bretti.


Clear from the get-go, Martín Pescador’s Ariel Acosta and Gonzalo Quezada have obviously grown far tighter since the last time that Gobshout had the pleasure of seeing them. You could hear the sheen of fine-tuning come off them as they cracked out each acoustic gut-wrencher, topped off with Acosta’s continual sweet waling. The power in his voice made the whole room expand making you forget you were in a poky Cuban bar. As the main band of the night, Martín Pescador capped everything off nicely, but it was worth having been there beforehand to get a taste of opening act Norambuena.


Hailing from Santiago city, Norambuena plays a delightful blend of folk, bossa nova and blues. With just his guitar in hand, he kicked off wildly and knocked the chatty bar crowd into a captivated stupor. On from a couple of his bossa nova medleys, Norambuena continued to wow the punters with tracks Sueño Canción and Los Caminos Del Azar. The Santiaguino steered clear of much picking, instead preferring to throw in dark chord after dark chord and leaving his brilliantly raw voice to grab you by the heart strings and pull you in.


Having a little chit-chat over a pint with the bossa nova bluesman later, he was more than happy to open up to Gobshout. Now a slightly older man than he once was, Norambuena has been playing live for over twelve years. Always in rock bands before, it’s only recently that he has decided to go solo, gigging around the city and anywhere else that will have him. Inspired by Dylan, Victor Jara, B.B. King and a real love for the blues, Norambuena takes a lot his ideas from personal situations, throwing his heart out on the table for all to see.


When asked about his favourite places to play, he cites Bar Dos Gardenias as a prime example: small, personal and brimming with atmosphere. It’s clear that Norambuena thrives on the intimacy of a folk gig, but neither is he opposed to working up to the larger circuit of places. At the end of this month, he’s going round the corner of the university to play a much bigger venue. Anyone in Santiago around then? Check this lad out!

Posted In Live Reviews, Dec 25 2009. Words - Rich