Flamenco Jazz

Spanish saxophonist Pedro Iturralde, under the influence of the Miles Davis/Gil Evans album Sketches of Spain, added a couple of flamenco melodies to his repertoire as he toured Europe. Thats why Joachim-Ernst Berendt sought him out to play at the 1967 Berlin Jazz Festival. With the festivals motto Jazz Meets the World, Berendt was looking for a jazz-flamenco combination to fit the bill. Since Berendt absolutely wanted a guitarist in the band, Iturralde came to Berlin with a 19 year old flamenco musician named Paco de Lucía, later an international star and one of the greatest flamenco musicians of our time who continued to be involved with jazz until his passing in February 2014. Paco de Lucías participation as a regular band member is what makes this MPS recording so appealing. Iturralde also brought Italian trombonist Dino Piana into the band for this recording as well as the Berlin Festival appearance.