How did it all begin?

THE ORIGINS
Noel Schajris was born on July 19, 1974, in the Flores neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Leonel García was born on January 27, 1975, in Mexico City. Their relationship with music was organic from childhood, and they recognized their inclination toward this art form at a young age. Noel recalls: “Singing was always natural for me, it was like breathing. My parents tell me I was ‘a radio on legs,’ and according to them, I was in tune. At thirteen, I made the conscious decision to dedicate myself to music. That's when my grandmother gave me my first piano. She had to make a huge effort to buy it. I have a vivid memory of going to pick it up on Callao Avenue in Buenos Aires. That event shaped my life.”

For his part, Leonel comments: “There was always singing in my house. My parents sang duets. They liked to pick songs from whatever they were listening to at the time, in Spanish or English. On weekend afternoons, we had family gatherings. My brother and I would sing with our parents. For me, music always represents family; it was like the element that united us, despite our fiery tempers. I started singing in school and realized I fit in with groups and had a natural talent for it. You start performing in small, school-like venues and begin to feel this excitement and connection with certain people. Later, in high school, they held a competition, I entered, and I was fortunate enough to win in that theater, where I received my first endorsement from strangers. That's when I realized this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”

INFLUENCES

One of the fundamental elements of identification between the two artists, which led them to form Sin Bandera, was their respective musical tastes and influences, which have constituted their most important background and shaped their songwriting from the beginning. On one occasion when they met to compose at Noel's house, they realized that much of their musical heritage coincided with each other's, and their connection solidified.

“Jazz, R&B, as reflected by Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker,” Noel says, adding: “Obviously accompanied by Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Al Jarreau, Brian McKnight, Babyface back in the day, Pharrell. The Beatles, Argentine rock and pop, and everything that's happened in R&B and hip-hop, plus Brazil, with Caetano Veloso and João Gilberto. I listened to Elis Regina and Ney Matogrosso. I'll never forget that night at the Teatro Ópera in Buenos Aires, when Keith Jarrett performed with Jack DeJohnette and Gary Peacock, in '94. It was a magical moment.”

For his part, Leonel recalls: “When I was in high school, it was—as Joshua Redman said—'what came through the window,' meaning what my parents listened to: Barbra Streisand, Donna Summer, Diana Ross, the Carpenters, on my mom's side, and on my dad's side, the Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, the Animals, and everything he was into back in his day, since he was a drummer in a band. As a kid, I was influenced by what I heard on the radio, like Hombres G, Luis Miguel, Bosé, Mecano. When I was 14, I met a friend who was pivotal for me in music: Jazzamoart, the son of a painter, who has a collection of two thousand jazz records. So it was a revelation to go into his studio and hear things that were foreign and very strange to us at the time: Pat Metheny, Patitucci, Petrucciani, Joshua Redman, James Carter. Hearing them for the first time was quite an experience.” And he adds: “That’s where it all started. Listening to Bobby McFerrin sing in a jazz context, who for me remains my main guide when it comes to singing, and to Take 6. All of this led me toward R&B, and that’s where we began to connect, to have a tremendous affinity.”

THE ENCOUNTER

Chance meets determination and destiny, bringing together two individual pursuits and forging the musical unity that the world would come to know as Sin Bandera. Leonel first encountered Noel through his work: “I was recording some demos in Los Angeles, California, when a record came into my hands by a guy who sang something similar to what I did, with a strong Rhythm & Blues influence, and my first thought was, ‘Someone else is also doing R&B in Spanish!’”

Regarding this, Noel says: “Martín Delgado—with whom I made the album “Cita en las nubes” (1999)—had already shown me a demo of Leonel singing “A primera vista,” which would later become a song in our repertoire.”

Noel was immersed in the beginning of his solo career while Leonel was working with producers, creating background tracks, directing vocals for albums, and performing other tasks inherent to that line of work, when he received a call from Paul Forat, then artistic director of Sony Music, saying: “I’m interested in talking with you to see if I can produce an album for you, but in the meantime, I want to introduce you to…”