Eric Vaarzon Morel joins his talented young guests to explore the Spanish sounds in the music of Miles Davis, one of the greatest and most influential jazz musicians of all times.
Specifically, the albums Kind of Blue and Sketches of Spain, which Miles made together with Gil Evans as pianist/arranger. Kind of Blue (1959) is one of the most popular jazz albums of all time and contains, for instance, besides Blue in Green and All Blues, the song Flamenco Sketches. After all, what were the motivations of these two to incorporate those so specifically Spanish sounds and melody lines in their so successful albums? A search for Miles' famous blue notes in jazz, but in Spanish, in the flamenco way with the tonos negros (dark black sounds) of flamenco. Sketches of Spain (1960) is even closer to Eric's flamenco; the Saeta and Soleá are borrowed straight from old flamenco forms. And the Concierto de Aranjuez is simply the most famous Spanish guitar melody of all time. Flamenco is sometimes compared to the blues. Duende, blues, the magic of Spanish soul splashes from it.
Just as Miles Davis, also called the Picasso of jazz, introduced the exotic-passionate Spanish sounds to the jazz world 60 years ago, Eric is now doing so in his very own way with his young talents in the theatre. A flamenco guitar, a trumpet, an electric guitar, vocals, effects and drums/percussion combine to form a flamenco/jazz ensemble full of passion and virtuosity.
We may never find out why Miles Davis and Gil Evans sought out that Spanish soul... What we do know is that Eric Vaarzon Morel and his young virtuosos are going to boost that transatlantic soul! Flamenco blues sin fronteras (without borders), oh yeah and olé....