COMPOSERS: Habichuela,Holland
LABELS: Emarcy
PERFORMER: Dave Holland (bass), Pepe Habichuela (guitar), and other musicians
CATALOGUE NO: 273 8853
Jazz has long had a symbiotic relationship with both latin and also gypsy music. But this collaboration between double bass maestro Dave Holland and renowned flamenco guitarist Pepe Habichuela takes things to a new and more profound level.
The pair first performed together in Seville in 2007 and both found the experience so rewarding they maintained contact, playing concerts in Terrassa and Jerez. A studio date was inevitable and the result is simply bewitching.
Holland took time to absorb the subtleties of flamenco music, slowly adapting his playing (and writing) to find a place between guitars and cajón, the Spanish drum box. That meant understanding the rhythmic patterns for the different gypsy song forms (or palos) such as fandangos, bulerias, tangos and cabals all captured here in original compositions.
The result is a deep and turbulent sound with dancing guitars to the fore and Holland’s voluptuous tone and timing giving the performance a sensual undertow. Garry Booth