In the 2010s, Spanish pianist Chano Dominguez has investigated the music of Miles Davis, as he did on 2012's large ensemble album Sketches of Miles, and paired with like-minded guitarist Niño Josele on 2014's Chano & Josele. Both of those albums showcased his adept gift for bridging the gap between traditional flamenco music and jazz. On 2017's Over the Rainbow, Dominguez continues this approach, moving to a solo piano format and focusing on a set of some of his most-beloved cover songs and strongly identified original compositions. Hoping to achieve the drama and energy of a live performance, Dominguez chose to forgo a studio setting and instead record at Barcelona's Palau Falguera. Captured in October 2012 and culled from both pre-show and in-concert performances, Over the Rainbow is a sophisticated, intimate, and deeply felt album. Beginning with John Lewis' elegant "Django," Dominguez steadily works his way into the song, leading the listener through the melody with a ballroom dancer's assured grace before launching into spiral of virtuosic improvisational swirls. He applies a similarly dance-like technique throughout the album, evincing a fractured, tap-dancing kineticism on Thelonious Monk's "Evidence," a sweeping balletic intensity on Violeta Parra's "Gracias a la Vida," and a modern dancer's yearning, muscular grace on Marta Valdes' ballad "Hacia Donde." Elsewhere, he delivers a kinetically ornate version of his own "Mantreria," and moves from spare, heavy-browed balladry to swinging, sprightly Fred Astaire twirls on his "Marcel." Ultimately, Dominguez brings all of his dancer-esque skills to bear on the title track, a gorgeous, poignantly rendered version of the Harold Arlen classic.
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