Gufo: L-R: Ruth Goller. Dave De Rose, Dario Rossetti Bonnelli

A band named after the Italian word for an owl, whose band-members all “love animals and great food.”  Bassist RUTH GOLLER explains the background and the concept behind the band who will be performing in one of London’s best little music rooms, the Green Note. Sebastian asked the questions:

LondonJazz News: Who is in Gufo?

Ruth Goller: Gufo is Dave De Rose on drums/vocals, myself on ukulele bass/vocals and Dario Rossetti Bonell on guitar and mandolin. Also for this gig we have a special guest – Ed Begley on vocals, who will hopefully join us for more collaborations as well.

LJN: Why the name?

RG: Gufo is the Italian word for owl – they are beautiful animals who make a great sound, which is what we aspire to doing too.

LJN: How did you get to know each other?

RG: We have known each other for years and loved playing in various projects together, such as Rokia Traore, Lonjon La Flecha, Thunder Dog and Vula Viel. It seems like a very natural development to set up a trio and see where it leads to.

LJN: What music do you play?

RG: Our main goal is to make good, honest music. We are relatively genre-free but of course inspired by many. About half of the tunes have vocals in them, but we try and keep the music very open and flowing. Some tunes might evolve completely from one rehearsal to the other and we embrace that very positively. We like good music of any style as long as it breathes and delivers feelings and the possibility of contemplation.

LJN: Is there a bandleader?

RG: No, we all write for the band and share responsibilities.

LJN: Do you have a connecting theme interest outside music?

RG: We love animals and great food. Political issues are in mind, as well as contemplation of the simple ways of life.

LJN: Are there any sound clips or videos?

RG:  Yes we have a Soundcloud page HERE

and there are some videos on YouTube.

LJN:  What is happening on 22 Jan?

RG: We will be playing a double bill with our friend Bex Birch from Vula Viel at the Green Note in Camden, and we are specifically excited about it because our friend and amazing vocalist Ed Begley will be joining us on quite a few tunes. We love playing the Green Note as it is such a special intimate venue that puts on all sorts of different types of music.

LINK: Goller/Burch/Gaya – greennote.co.uk