The young Basque composer and musician from Argentina, Juan Iñaki (Cordoba, 1986) has an “unpronounceable” last name in his country: Berecibar. His artistic name is a testament to his Basque roots but hardly any of his fans attending his concert in Arrasate, a few days ago, knew that his last name comes from the farm of Salturri in Mietzerreka, in Arrasate-Mondragon. The Berezibars (Basque spelling), celebrated a reunion for Juan Iñaki’s visit and his father Raul. The article was published in last Saturday’s El Diario Vasco.
Kepa Oliden/Arrasate-Mondragon. The young Basque musician and composer from Argentina Juan Iñaki (Cordoba, 1986) has an “unpronounceable” last name in his country: Berecibar. His artistic name is a testament to his Basque roots, but hardly anyone at this concert last Saturday (May 9), in Arrasate, knew that his last name comes from the Salturri baserri in Mietzerreka.
Juan Iñaki Berecibar came to present his fifth and latest work entitled, De siesta y Monte, published a month ago. But he also came to his great grandfather’s hometown to meet his family in Mondragon. A family meal was celebrated on Sunday at the Arteaga restaurant crowded with the Berezibar clan.
On the next day, Juan Iñaki, accompanied by his father Raul Eduardo and musicians Marco Cordero (creole and acoustic guitar) and Sadun Gossen (percussion), left for Paris where they will perform a second concert on Saturday the 16, following that played on May 14.
Juan Iñaki’s third European tour will continue to other capitals. The Argentine musician started the tour in Bilbao, as part of the Iber-American Exhibition celebrated at the beginning of May. He wanted to take advantage of his stay in the Basque Country to visit the hometown of his ancestors and the Salturri baserri. “I feel purely Argentinean,” the young musician said, adding that he also has aboriginal blood from his maternal grandfather. But I am also proud of my Basque roots. “It makes me proud to know where my blood comes from,” he says.
The Berezibar last name is one of an infinity of Basque last names that inhabit Argentina. But it is also let identifiable as such. That is why Juan Iñaki explains that “for many Argentineans it is hard to pronounce and they think that it is of Creole origin,” that is to say of Native American roots. He did indeed inherit that from his great-grandfather and it permeates his music. A music that drinks from Argentine folklore and that the composer from Cordoba enriches with afro, jazz, tango or Brazilian rhythms.
His vocation to sing also comes from his maternal grandfather that was cultivated through academic training on lyric singing that began when he was 13. In addition, Juan Iñaki plays various percussion instruments, some from pre-Colombian origin.
Great-Grandfather Jose Mari
The Argentinean musician is the great-grandson of Jose Mari Berezibar, son of the Salturri baserri who immigrated to South America in the 20s. He was a butcher in the city of Cordoba and married Lidia Cenci, of Italian descent. Of his four children, Oscar Eduardo, Raul’s father and Juan Iñaki’s grandfather, was the first to visit the family baserri, Salturri. His father Jose Mari died without returning to Mondragon.
His brother Daniel stayed at Salturri and married Emilia Ibabe. Of this union were born, Dorotea, who married Alfonso Garai “Miraballes,” also a butcher and established in Elgoibar; Juanito, married to Francisca Zigorraga and residing in the baserri, and Maria Teresa who married Fabian Etxebarria from the neighboring baserri Montxon.
(published on 05-16-2015 in El Diario Vasco)
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