Bechegas on Bechegas
On the instruments I am playing: After more than ten years of soprano and altosax playing I picked up the flute which I play ever since. I have three flutes: little piccolo, the alto and the C-soprano. The latter is the one I play most often. Regarding the electronic set-up, I use two sound processors, one or two synthesizers, depending on the musical situation, which I control by the acoustic flute sound impulse (pitch to midi, analogue signal to midi converter). All electronic sound material depends on the flute action, and consequently on the acoustic narrative. It´s my central and objective esthetic musical concept, that the flute is always the main voice. The live-electronics are a mere extension of the flute sound, its digital soul so to say, mould by foot-controler, changing presets, volumes

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Carlos Bechegas, flutiste, improviser and composer, born in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1957.
After Art School studies he began teaching Visual Education in 1975.
Started his artistic activities in 1977 on various fields of expression. He, playing also sax (soprano and alto) for more then ten years, performed in a jazz-rock group and in a Swing Orchestra, formed in 1980 his own bebop quartet and played also in a contemporary jazz sextet. Between 1983/87 he participated in the Carlos Zingaro trio ´Plexus´ and took part in two Portugueses singers projects.
After finishing his studies at the Lisbon Conservatory Classic Music (flute and composition) he participated in Jazz and Improvised Music workshops with Steve Potts, John Tchicai, Kent Carter, Oliver Johnson, Takashi Kako, Carlos Zingaro, Maggie Nichols, Steve Lacy, Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Richard Teitelbaum, Peter Kowald and studied contemporary classic composition with Emmanuel Nunes; flute extended technics with Pierre Ives Artaud; theatre and multimedia, taking part also in performances with Italian double bass player Fernando Grillo; worked with the English theater ensemble ´Welfare State International´ and with the German music performer Frank Kollges.

In 1987, he initiated his flute solo concept with electronics (real-time control by pitch to midi converter), which he is continuously developing and presenting on stage (solo concerts/performances, acoustic - extended technics; electronics real-time control; improvisation with quadrophonic tape; musical theatre pieces).

Between 1989/93 he created and produced three multimedia-performances which he was invited to perform with the ´Welfare State International´ group for the ´International Theatre and Dance Lisbon Festival´.
He composes also music for multimedia-performances and architecture television programs, choreographies and dance-videos.

Having worked for four years in Music and Drama therapy with handicapped children he organized in 1993/95 two Improvised Music Meetings and held workshops on Improvisation and Composition with new technologies. Recently he began to curate photographic exhibitions and created the ´forward.rec´ label on which he released now ´Open Secrets´ (duo with Peter Kowald).

He participated in concerts and festivals in Portugal and abroad, namely in duo with Carlos Zingaro in Moscow; performance with the mimic Teresa Ricó in Venezuela; at the ´International Macau New Music Festiva´l; played solo and with his trio ´IK*Zs ( 3 )´ in P. Humbria Spain Festival; III Instant Chavirés Improvised Music Meeting; member of the ´Global Jungle Orchestra´ with Hamid Drake, John Stublefield, Grahm Haynes and C. Zingaro; solo participation in the main solo Fonotecafile Lisbon with D. Bailey, S. Lacy, E. Parker, C. Zingaro, H. Reichel.
Since 1998 he played duo concerts with doublebass player Peter Kowald (´Ó da Guarda Improvised Music Festival´), with Derek Bailey (Porto´s ´Serralves Jazz Festival´, and in trio with Phil Minton and Han Bennink (´Co-Lab Improvised Music Meeting´). ´Open Secrets´ CD-release concert with Peter Kowald at Lisbon Goethe Institut.

Diskographie
1977 FLUTE SOLOS / MOVEMENT SOUNDS
1998 FLUTE LANDSCAPES
2001 OPEN SECRETS

In preparation:
duo record with Derek Bailey