Flamenco Jazz Summit: El Mar Empieza Aqui

The double bass extraordinaire Piet Verbist is joined by some excellent company for these 8 Flamenco jazz tunes that aren't short on melody and energy.

"Al-Andablues" opens with thick plucking from Verbist, as Carmelo Muriel's bansuriney and Juan Sainz's lively drumming cultivate plenty of rhythm, and "Nuevo Alterado" welcomes Carlos Cortés' frisky percussion amid Tom Van Dyck's soaring sax prowess.

At the halfway point, "A Child Is Born" leads soft before building into a rich and emotive jazz climate, while "La Filosof'a Del Jamón" benefits much from the mature keys, intricate bass and soprano sax for the album's best.

Deeper still, "Y Allá Ella Está" emits a sublime intimacy via the Flamenco guitar courtesy of Cortés, and "Bull" exits with flowing keys and no lack of timeless energy for the dizzying and dynamic finish that's busy but controlled precisely.

A fusion experience that's impossible not to enjoy, Verbist and company inject Flamenco and worldly sensibilities into a cultured and memorable body of work.