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Chano Dominguez
Though the association of flamenco music and an instrument is primarily the guitar, Chano Dominguez has been steadily taking his jazz approach on the piano head on into the genre with brilliant results.
"In jazz you improvise with a structure in the background and in flamenco [the improvisation] is part of the form. In flamenco, in a soleá, or in a bulera, the guitarist doesn't know what the cantaor is doing until the moment comes, and the cantaor doesn't know the falseta (variation, or melodic phrase, interspersed between successions of chords) that the guitarist is going to play for him."
Chano Dominguez is one of the jazz musicians that have been "recruited" by flamenco, although, at least in this instance, Chano had already had flamenco training, as the guitar was the first instrument that he learned to play, by ear. He also ventured into rock, but at that time he was playing keyboard. Before he descended fully onto the flamenco scene with his Chano Dominguez Trio, he had already worked with artists like Pepe de Lucia, Potito and Juan Manuel Canizares, on a few occasions.
Chano Dominguez has achieved an unusual integration between the rhythms and languages of jazz and flamenco. On his piano, he has played tangos, tanguillos, alegras, compas de buleras, fandangos, soleas, but he has tackled them using a traditional jazz structure. He even accompanied the bailador Blas de Cordoba on the piano, rather than the guitar, in the Sabadell Flamenco Festival, as he danced to different palos (forms). At present, Chano Dominguez is one of the musicians who is most in demand on the entire Spanish music scene, regardless of the musical genres. The list of persons he has worked with continues to grow in Spain and abroad. He has also appeared with Wynton Marsalis as a guest at the Jazz at the Lincoln Center performances.
Chano started his recordings as leader back in '93 with En Directo, and has built up a nice resume since. His Hecho a Mano, in 2002 has received much acclaim, and he has kept the momentum going with Iman, and Oye Como Viene, (also on DVD) in 2003, these were on the Sunnyside label. He jumped to the Karonte label with Chano, (2005) Con Alma, and Acercate Mas, both in 2006 and was part of the compilation project of Flamenco Jazz, on the Fremeux label in 2007.
His recent work with the Spanish chanteuse Martirio, Acoplados, has expanded his international appeal, and has crossed him well into the romantic bolero genre, with great success.
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Play Petrucciani: A Special Tribute for a Special Musician
by Phillip Woolever
Watching a good band at a small club is often one of the most enjoyable ways to experience jazz. Proper ambiance can conjure lasting sounds and images, as the relatively intimate space makes for optimal acoustics and definitive visual close-ups. That's what it was like for those fortunate or discerning enough to attend the first editions of an exceptional Play Petrucciani" program by Spanish pianist Chano Dominguez and Italian trumpeter Flavio Boltro, with a powerful rhythmic assist from Martin Leiton ...
read moreChano Dominguez: Over the Rainbow
by Paul Rauch
Jazz music is an interpretive art form, it is in fact, the quintessential American art form. This is an undeniable attribute to the genre, which over the past century has impacted musical culture internationally, sharing it's compositional and improvisational commonalities and absorbing the unique musical identities of neighboring musical movements. Certainly this is the case with the musical forms of Latin America, with notably strong contributions emanating from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and perhaps most prominently, the Afro-Cuban rhythms ...
read moreChano Dominguez: Piano Ibérico
by Josep Pedro
Spanish pianist Chano Dominguez keeps on with his unique blending of flamenco and jazz with Piano Ibérico (> (Iberian Piano), an exquisite homage to some of Spain's most influential composers, including Isaac Albéniz, Manuel de Falla, Enrique Granados, and Frederic Mompou. Along with three new compositions of his own, Dominguez creates his own interpretations of these four piano composers. They are the inspirers of this work and, to me, the first flamenco pianists because they were able to take the ...
read moreChano Dominguez Quinteto Flamenco at Jazz Standard
by Ned Sublette
Chano DominguezThe Flamenco Side of Kind of Blue" Jazz StandardNew York, NYDecember 3, 2009 I have a confession to make.
I've never listened to Kind of Blue.
Oh, I've heard the tunes over the years. You can't escape them. And I have lots of Miles Davis albums. ESP is my favorite. Jack Johnson. Various Prestige sides, which I bought as cutouts when I was a teenager. I never managed to buy Kind ...
read moreChano Dominguez: Piano with 'Duende'
by Guillem Vidal
The meeting between Chano Domínguez and All About Jazz took place hours after the opening ceremony of the 41st Barcelona International Vol-Damm Jazz Festival, starring Wayne Shorter. Chano's enthusiasm is contagious: Wayne Shorter's quartet is a fully fledged group with very clear objectives and led by one of the greatest living jazz legends," says Chano, who even though he was completing his next record with his flamenco quartet, did not miss the chimerical evening featuring the saxophonist, pianist Danilo Pérez, ...
read moreChano Domínguez: piano con duende
by Guillem Vidal
El encuentro entre Chano Domínguez y All About Jazz se produce horas después del concierto inaugural del 41 Voll-Damm Festival Internacional de Jazz de Barcelona, protagonizado por el cuarteto de Wayne Shorter. Su entusiasmo es notorio. El de Wayne Shorter es un grupo hecho y derecho, con unos objetivos muy claros y una dirección bien marcada por uno de los grandes maestros que nos quedan vivos de la historia del jazz," valora Chano, que no falló a la quimérica velada ...
read moreChano Dominguez Trio: Con Alma
by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
This is a rather different Chano from the one who first enthralled me with Hecho a Mano (Hand-made), his blazing flamenco/jazz mix recorded in Madrid in 1996 and released on Sunnyside a few years ago. On Con Alma he's replaced the handclaps and multilayered percussion with a traditional jazz trio, bringing on world-class band mates George Mraz and Jeff Ballard. But his roots are still very much in evidence from the first track, a dynamic take on a traditional song--my ...
read moreChano Dominguez Flamenco Quintet: "The Flamenco Side of Kind of Blue" at Jazz Standard (NYC)
Source:
Michael Ricci
December 4-6, 2009 Chano Dominguez - piano Mario Rossy - bass Blas Cordoba - cantaor Israel Pirana" Suarez - cajon Tomasito - dance and palmas
Jazz Standard 116 East 27th Street (Between Park / Lexington) New York, NY 10016 212-576-2232 And now (as the saying goes) for something completely different: A stunning new interpretation of the 1959 Miles Davis classic Kind of Blue, as ...
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Pianist Chano Dominguez Interviewed at AAJ
Source:
All About Jazz
The meeting between Chano Domínguez and All About Jazz took place hours after the opening ceremony of the 41st Barcelona International Vol-Damm Jazz Festival, starring Wayne Shorter. Chano's enthusiasm is contagious: Wayne Shorter's quartet is a fully fledged group with very clear objectives and led by one of the greatest living jazz legends," says Chano, who even though he was completing his next record with his flamenco quartet, did not miss the chimerical evening featuring the saxophonist, pianist Danilo Perez, ...
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Jazz Phrasing Here, Flamenco Flair There
Source:
Michael Ricci
Chano Dominguez, the Spanish pianist, came to the Jazz Standard on Saturday with an unusual quartet for a jazz club. From left, there was Mr. Domnguez on piano; Israel Surez, known as Pirana, on a percussion setup designed around the wood box called the cajon; the flamenco singer Blas Cordoba; and Tomas Moreno Romero, known as Tomasito, who deserves his own paragraph. Tomasito is a palmero, with the flamenco-tradition job of clapping through the music’s variously accented 12-beat cycles. He ...
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