MUSIC REVIEW BY Ferdinand Dupuis-Panther, Jazz'halo (Belgium)
The label writes the following lines about the album: "Forceful and mystic, with a beauty and intensity that reminded him of his first hearings of Miles, Mingus, or Monk, Belgian bassist & composer Piet Verbist was pulled into his deep study of Flamenco culture several years ago through a grant from the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp. After a dozen immersive trips to Andalusia to study, perform, and develop a repertoire, Piet presented concerts in Belgium and Málaga with his joint Spanish/Belgian ensemble, recording this album live in Antwerp at the end of 2023. Featuring Carmelo Muriel on the Bansuriney (a Muriel-designed wooden flute), Carlos Cortés on percussion and flamenco guitar, and Juan Sainz on drums, with Belgians Tom Van Dyck on saxophones, and Verbist's son, Milan Verbist on piano, the Flamenco Jazz Summit paints a sonic portrait both exotic and popular at first sight, but the dual cultural melting-pot conceived traditions of jazz and flamenco actually combine to prove deep and inimitable."
Manitas de Plata, Paco de Lucia, Tomatito or Pata Negra, i.e. Raimundo and Rafael Amador - these are certainly references related to classical flamenco. Piet Verbist is not the first bass player to turn to flamenco, the French double bass player Renaud Garcia-Fons has also succumbed to the "temptation" to include flamenco in his repertoire.
"Al-Andablues" in its title ties in with the time when the Moors ruled the south of the Iberian Peninsula, when tolerance of religions was a commandment, before all this was destroyed with the Reconquista and the Inquisition. This piece opens with a bass solo. Piet Verbist sometimes seems to imitate the touch that flamenco guitarists cultivate. On the other hand, one thinks that the bass captures the heavy steps of the flamenco dancers before the entire ensemble can be heard. The flute and saxophone parts are outstanding. The melody line makes you think you are listening to music of the Orient paired with bop, especially in the saxophone solo by Tom Van Dyck. At the same time, you experience the fiery dance swings of flamenco and also have to think of the film adaptation of "Carmen". A special treat is also the flute solo, in which the lightness of the melody is celebrated. Pianist and drummer, on the other hand, let us experience the clicking and stomping dance steps on the floorboards. This is even more present when the percussionist lays down a solo, wipes skins and probably also plays darbuka or frame drum, with hard beat after beat sequences.
The pianist Milan Verbist opens "El Mar Empieza Aqui", setting strong accentuations. And then follows the flutist Carmelo Muriel, who makes his instrument sound as if a flamenco singer were making her voice heard. Milan Verbist is once again present as a soloist in the following, recording what Muriel has sung. The following saxophone passage is softly drawn, which we can enjoy in the course. Yes, and then the saxophonist also shows us a bit of bop and more; raising his voice above that of the harmony instrument. In contrast, there is the almost fragile-sounding flute part, which can be made out again and again.
The play "La Filoso'a Del Jamón" is dedicated to Carmelo Muriel. Brass noise and keyboard cascades unite. You can also hear castanets clacking. Above all, however, the sound hatching of the flutist and the saxophonist determine the piece. Both seem to shout to us: "Baila, baila!" And this continues in the sonorous saxophone solo. You can imagine the clacking of heels and the steps with gathered long dresses, right? However, when the flutist leads the musical scepter, then what is heard also sounds a little melancholy and like unrealized longings.
"Asylum" commemorates the refugees of this world, whose number is constantly growing because of the wars on the globe. The musical staging is designed with a grand gesture. There are also oriental melody lines mixed with a recurring "bass pattern" of the pianist. Sometimes you get the impression that you are experiencing an evening at the market in Marrakech with snake charmers, musicians and jugglers, as if the souk of the Middle East were closer than the Mezquita of Cordoba or the Alhambra of Granada. And with "Bull", a buleria, the album ends. By the way, a buleria is one of the most popular and versatile variants of flamenco. The mood is usually cheerfully exuberant; the rhythm is fast.
The album lives from the harmonious interplay of the ensemble, especially through the percussionist, the flutist and the saxophonist. Even though Piet Verbist draws the name for the album, the bass voice is less formative apart from the opening track and the piece "A child is born", isn't it? It's just a good thing that the ensemble has dispensed with a flamenco guitarist with one exception, so that the album is provided with a completely independent timbre. The folkloric moment and the cliché of flamenco are not present - and that's a good thing. Finally, the following: "Y Allá Ella Está" is the only piece on which Carlos Cortés touches the strings of the flamenco guitar!
Translated from German
Manitas de Plata, Paco de Lucia, Tomatito or Pata Negra, i.e. Raimundo and Rafael Amador - these are certainly references related to classical flamenco. Piet Verbist is not the first bass player to turn to flamenco, the French double bass player Renaud Garcia-Fons has also succumbed to the "temptation" to include flamenco in his repertoire.
"Al-Andablues" in its title ties in with the time when the Moors ruled the south of the Iberian Peninsula, when tolerance of religions was a commandment, before all this was destroyed with the Reconquista and the Inquisition. This piece opens with a bass solo. Piet Verbist sometimes seems to imitate the touch that flamenco guitarists cultivate. On the other hand, one thinks that the bass captures the heavy steps of the flamenco dancers before the entire ensemble can be heard. The flute and saxophone parts are outstanding. The melody line makes you think you are listening to music of the Orient paired with bop, especially in the saxophone solo by Tom Van Dyck. At the same time, you experience the fiery dance swings of flamenco and also have to think of the film adaptation of "Carmen". A special treat is also the flute solo, in which the lightness of the melody is celebrated. Pianist and drummer, on the other hand, let us experience the clicking and stomping dance steps on the floorboards. This is even more present when the percussionist lays down a solo, wipes skins and probably also plays darbuka or frame drum, with hard beat after beat sequences.
The pianist Milan Verbist opens "El Mar Empieza Aqui", setting strong accentuations. And then follows the flutist Carmelo Muriel, who makes his instrument sound as if a flamenco singer were making her voice heard. Milan Verbist is once again present as a soloist in the following, recording what Muriel has sung. The following saxophone passage is softly drawn, which we can enjoy in the course. Yes, and then the saxophonist also shows us a bit of bop and more; raising his voice above that of the harmony instrument. In contrast, there is the almost fragile-sounding flute part, which can be made out again and again.
The play "La Filoso'a Del Jamón" is dedicated to Carmelo Muriel. Brass noise and keyboard cascades unite. You can also hear castanets clacking. Above all, however, the sound hatching of the flutist and the saxophonist determine the piece. Both seem to shout to us: "Baila, baila!" And this continues in the sonorous saxophone solo. You can imagine the clacking of heels and the steps with gathered long dresses, right? However, when the flutist leads the musical scepter, then what is heard also sounds a little melancholy and like unrealized longings.
"Asylum" commemorates the refugees of this world, whose number is constantly growing because of the wars on the globe. The musical staging is designed with a grand gesture. There are also oriental melody lines mixed with a recurring "bass pattern" of the pianist. Sometimes you get the impression that you are experiencing an evening at the market in Marrakech with snake charmers, musicians and jugglers, as if the souk of the Middle East were closer than the Mezquita of Cordoba or the Alhambra of Granada. And with "Bull", a buleria, the album ends. By the way, a buleria is one of the most popular and versatile variants of flamenco. The mood is usually cheerfully exuberant; the rhythm is fast.
The album lives from the harmonious interplay of the ensemble, especially through the percussionist, the flutist and the saxophonist. Even though Piet Verbist draws the name for the album, the bass voice is less formative apart from the opening track and the piece "A child is born", isn't it? It's just a good thing that the ensemble has dispensed with a flamenco guitarist with one exception, so that the album is provided with a completely independent timbre. The folkloric moment and the cliché of flamenco are not present - and that's a good thing. Finally, the following: "Y Allá Ella Está" is the only piece on which Carlos Cortés touches the strings of the flamenco guitar!
Translated from German
Soundclips
Other Reviews of
"Flamenco Jazz Summit: El Mar Empieza Aqui":
Jazz, es Ruido (Spain) by Félix Amador
Jazz Weekly by George W Harris
Adult Music Podcast by Russ Hubert