The long-held wish of Iñaki Garmendia Laja (Azkoitia, 1944-2019), a trikitilari, was to offer romerías in the town square surrounded by people, making them dance and see them happy. However, before taking them to the plaza, he would spend hours in his farmhouse cellar, alone, creating new songs. He had a tendency to record the pieces he created during this process, and now, this legacy, which remained hidden for years, has seen the light thanks to the double album Ordu txikitako saioak, released by Elkar.

This morning, the legacy left by the master of the trikitixa was presented at Elkar's headquarters by his son, Jose Luis Garmendia Laja, music expert Anjel Valdes, and member of the Trikigiro group, Ibon Errazu. According to Laja's son, his father began recording all his attempts in the 1970s, encouraged by his musical partner Landakanda. As a result, they have found over 600 pieces on the musician's cassettes, of which 40 have been selected for the newly released album.

Those involved in the process used various criteria to select the pieces, and some had to be discarded due to finding "rusted" material on the old cassettes. Nevertheless, they have overcome the obstacles and have digitized and retouched the album's tracks in the studio to "adapt them to current listening habits." Garmendia emphasized that with this work, he has fulfilled "a dream," feeling that he has settled "at least half of the debt" with his father.

The son recalled that his father was always recording his music to not forget his immediate creations. Even while the musician was alive, he told his father several times that those songs should be shared, but he never felt encouraged to do so. Garmendia stated that there is still "a lot of material" from Laja stored away, and an effort must be made to disseminate it. In fact, they have announced that the Euskal Herriko Trikitixa Elkartea (Basque Country Trikitixa Association) will release about 30 more pieces next year, as they consider many of the found pieces to be "exemplary," not only for accordionists but also for those learning the instrument.

Anjel Valdes also expressed his joy that a project started "some time ago" has finally seen the light. This double album features only the accordion, and essentially, the public will receive a "subtle romería." "These are tunes for solo or partnered dancing, just as Laja enjoyed playing in the plaza, because seeing people happy and dancing at the romerías was his greatest reward," explained Valdes. He added that the new work aligns with the musician's "cheerful, local, and sentimental" character.

Valdes highlighted that Laja's talent did not come from nowhere but was the result of hard work, with hours captured on dozens of cassettes. "Struggles and challenges arise when you are alone, and that is clearly evident in these cassettes," he said, noting that the musician would hesitate and change the rhythm until he found the right one. Furthermore, he stated that Laja built a bridge between two eras: "the old mentality and the modern world."

Ibon Errazu, a representative of the Trikigiro association, thanked everyone involved in the project for making "a treasure" public. Tomorrow, in Azkoitia itself, at Portaleburu, the official presentation of the album Ordu txikitako saioak will take place as part of the Trikiti Eguna, at 7:00 PM.