Post-bop jazz and flamenco are combined with enriching results on
10 de Paco, a session that Spanish saxophonist
Jorge Pardo co-led with pianist
Chano Dominguez. Recorded in Madrid in 1994,
10 de Paco is a tribute to the great flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia.
Pardo was known for his long association with de Lucia, and he brings a strong understanding of his music to interpretations of "Playa del Carmen," "Se Me Partio la Barrena," and other de Lucia compositions. The guitar, of course, is the principal instrument in flamenco -- in both the traditional flamenco and in the innovative nuevo flamenco that has been the rage among young Spanish audiences since the 1970s. Yet no guitarist is employed on
10 de Paco, and that makes for a de Lucia tribute that is unorthodox and risk-taking. Thankfully, those risks pay off in a major way, making 10 de Lucia a CD that both jazz and flamenco fans will find fascinating.