Jimena Sarno + Axel Krygier
taracatá trabaja

SSB001
July 2021, 10-inch vinyl (bone)
English, 10 x 10 inches, 17 double-sided prints, b/w
Edition of 275

With text by Gelare Khoshgozaran

Jimena Sarno + Axel Krygier's taracatá trabaja uses the traditional Argentinian folk song, Malambo del Hornerito, as a point of departure. It is an ode to the Argentinian national bird—the serially procreating, monogamous, and hard working hornero who builds his home from spit and dirt. Created through long-distance collaboration with Axel Krygier, the musical composition of taracatá trabaja is derived from the two onomatopoeias in the folk song: taracatá, characterizing the sound of laborious work (i.e. fields being plowed and nails being hammered) and chapalea, a verb evolving from the sound of squelching in mud. In taracatá trabaja, the hand drawn hornero rests on the porcelain surface along the music score, reminding one of the complexities of making a home, and of labor and its imbued ideas of meritocracy, while reclaiming pleasure, well being and dignity.

Track Listing

SIDE A

“Taracatá” (5:44) 

Conceptualized by Jimena Sarno. Composed by Axel Krygier. Performed by Gemma Castro, Molly Pease (soprano), Vera Lugo, and Rosalie Rodriguez (alto). Recorded by Jake Viator at Stones Throw Studios, Los Angeles, CA. Mixed by Manuel Schaller and Axel Krygier in Buenos Aires, Argentina. © 2020, Jimena Sarno.

SIDE B

“Taracatá remix” (4:38)

Composed by Axel Krygier. Performed by Axel Krygier (keyboards, saxophone, clarinet, and flute). Originally performed by Gemma Castro, Molly Pease (soprano), Vera Lugo, and Rosalie Rodriguez (alto). Produced by Axel Krygier. Mixed by Manuel Schaller. © 2020, Axel Krygier.

Jimena Sarno is a multidisciplinary artist and educator from Buenos Aires, Argentina. With a focus on spatial and sonic experience she works across a range of media including installation, sound, video, text and sculpture. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions at MASS MoCA, 18th Street Arts Center, LACE, Visitor Welcome Center, Grand Central Art Center, The Museum of Latin American Art, The Mistake Room, Human Resources, PØST, UCI Contemporary Art Center, Control Room, San Diego Art Institute, The Luminary, Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea de Santiago De Compostela, Fellows of Contemporary Art, Calico Gallery and Small Editions among others. A recipient of the 2015 California Community Foundation Fellowship for Visual Artists, the 2017 Foundation for Contemporary Art Emergency Grant and the 2019 Rema Hort Mann ACE Grant, Jimena Sarno is a 2019-2022 Lucas Artist Fellow in Visual Arts at Montalvo Art Center.

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Axel Krygier was born in Buenos Aires in 1969, where he cut his teeth playing saxophone alongside Kevin Johansen with the group Instruccion Civica. Though sax was his first instrument, Axel attained proficiency on many instruments, including piano and flute. He demonstrated this facility when at age 18 he bought his first multi-track recorder. For the first time Axel was able to record his own compositions, and without depending on anyone else, because he played all the instruments himself. From the early to mid-'90s Axel played with the group La Portuaria, though he dedicated himself to writing and creating original repertoire throughout that time. He wrapped up his time with La Portuaria in 1996 and dedicated himself full-time to the development of his solo career. That work paid off in 1999 when he released his debut as a solo artist, entitled Echale Semilla on the Los Anos Luz label, making its way to European audiences via HiTop Records. The project was showered with praise, being called "revelation of the year" by several publications. Axel had composed soundtracks for films and created backing music for dance companies for many years, but had not released those works in album format before the 2003 release of Secreto y Malibú. Having spent several years in Europe, Axel returned to his native Buenos Aires in 2003, where he formed Sexteto Irreal with longtime friends Fernando Sanalea, Alejandro Terán, and Manuel Schaller, a jazz-argentino improvisational group who went on to earn much acclaim throughout Latin America and Europe. Krygier revitalized his solo career in 2007 with his third original release, Zorzal. Recorded for Los Anos Luz, the disc was once again licensed and distributed throughout Europe by HiTop Records. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez, Rovi