n inscription in one of the many posters – the one given to him by Don and Georgie Collins – that hang on the wall in this crowded room where he, on his piano and computer composes endlessly his music, reads, “I don’t know what a Regolí is but this one is usually called maestro”. No more introduction needed, undoubtedly Regolí is one of the best percussionists in Spain, he is also a vivid memory of a living legend of my youth when I humbly astonished entered the free generous world of jazz, Regolí is also a wonderful person.

Those were the days when the former Bourbon Street Club, closed its premises at the Villamagna Hotel, and became Whiskey Jazz Club at Diego de León Street [1] which was packed every night, and where you could cut the dense smoke of cigarettes with a knife, the days in which jazz, cradled the generous dreams of my first youth.

Now all those memories seem to take life again, as Regolí shows me numerous photographs of the sixties and seventies carefully kept in a folder where he appears wearing long sideburns playing the drums with different musicians at the Wkiskey Jazz Club, such as the sax players Pedro Iturralde and Gerry Mulligan, this one showed up surprisingly one evening in the middle of a concert; anecdotes photographs and more photographs. Regolí speaks firmly and

fast as the sticks he so marvelously used. He tells me “I’ll have nothing to drink I’ve just had something”. 

REGOLÍ: We were as usual playing one night at Whiskey Jazz on Marqués de Villamagna Street, it was past midnight when a tall blond fellow shows up and Iturralde tells me: “Hey, Who do you think that guy looks like? And I tell him: “I think he is Gerry Mulligan”. We kept on playing and the mentioned guy comes to us and asks “Do you speak English?, Iturralde  says yes and then the man asks: “If I bring my instrument will you let  me play for a while? I have it at my hotel just next to the club”. Yes of course, was our answer. It was Gerry indeed, and then he told us he was staying in town for three or four days. Later we mounted a jam session at the Studio Club located at Argüelles Street, he came and we played with him, the group included Joe Moro and Salvador Font aka Butter. Mulligan was a nice guy. 

At this moment I produce a Mulligan record (no more no less than Take Five recorded live in 1973) and then I ask Regolí about Alan Dawson. 

REGOLÍ: I met him by chance through an acquaintance of mine Larry Monroe, a sax player who once lived at the American base [2] and used to come to Whiskey Jazz, He was also the director of Berkley Co. He introduced me to Alan Dawson who was teaching there.When I tell Regolí that it seemed to me that when I began listening to jazz in Spain, that kind of music was avoided or forbidden, Enrique shakes his head as he answers: