JAVIER BOU MATEU (Valencia, Spain), percussionist, drummer.

· Degree in Psychology from the University of Valencia in 2013.
He studied elementary and professional degree of percussion at the Conservatory of Music José Manuel Izquierdo (Catarroja, Valencia), from 8 to 14 years. Later, he continued studying music unofficially, both percussion and guitar.

· During the last years at university, and thenceforth he became interested in jazz. He studied combo and harmony subjects, under the teaching of Francisco Blanco 'Latino' and Josvi Muñoz at Sedajazz (Sedavid, Valencia). He also attended to several drum clinics by professionals as Felip Santandreu, Felipe Cucciardi, Juanjo Garcera or Ralph Peterson, among others.

· Currently, he is studying at l'Aula de Jazz (Valencia) and the Asociación de Baterias y Percusionistas de Valencia (ABP) with Jeff Jerolamon. He has played in several blues, rhythm & blues, rock, jazz and soul-jazz bands, - like The Great Travelin 'Band, The Wanderers, A Capella Trio, Stateroom Three and The Black Cats Big Band. Furthermore, he has also participated in numerous artistic projects, such as, the Festival de Cortos y Medios Metrajes la Cabina, where he was in charge of the musical production and performance, or the jam sessions cycle organized within the arts festival Rusafart.

· Currently, he forms parts of The Great Travelin 'Band (with whom he has recorded an album), The Black Cats Big Band and A Capella Trio, and he’s also accompanying the singer-songwriter Mari Luz Gutierrez on percussions. In addition, today he combines his musical studies with teaching, doing extracurricular activities for kids at schools as a music instructor, and he also gives private lessons for kids to drums, guitar and modern music.

· His love for music was already developed in childhood, partly because of family tradition since it comes from a musician family and also by the extensive culture and musical tradition of his place of birth. Specifically, due to the research and interest for other non-classical music, such as blues, big band swing and classic jazz, etc; the passion for jazz was born. Feeding himself to the influence of great fathers of jazz as Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones, Albert 'Tootie' Heath, Art Taylor, Elvin Jones; as well as current spokespersons of this music such as Brian Blade, Bill Stuart, Lee Pearson, etc.

· In addition, he is also interested in the relationship between psychology and music: the study of cognitive and emotional processes in musical performance, more specifically, about jamming, learning processes of musical language and the development of absolute and relative hearing.