Benavent

For the second time in two years, Chick Corea has assembled a band to give aural illustration to the fantasy writings of L. Ron Hubbard. For those who have trouble with Hubbard and his teachings, this may be a red flag to avoid the record altogether. The Ultimate Adventure is a tale that draws on characters from the Arabian Nights - there is an ad for the book in the back of the CD booklet. With that out of the way, one has to deal with the music entirely on its own terms. Corea has spent decades playing both electric and acoustic jazz. This is the first time since 1976's My Spanish Heart that he has woven his love of both so completely into a single album. There are more than a few echoes here that call upon the ghosts of the earliest Return to Forever band - primarily in the gorgeous flute playing of Hubert Laws and Jorge Pardo, in the saxophone artistry of Tim Garland, the drumming of Steve Gadd…

Jorge Pardo is an excellent saxophonist that has recorded often with percussionist Tino di Geraldo and Bass player Carles Benavent. Their fusion of spanish music and jazz is one of the best I've ever heard. The outstanding talent of the musicians he plays with makes of this record something really special. Mostly instrumental, this is a soft but powerful record.

Jazzpana II assembles an equally stellar ensemble, with a heavier emphasis on the flamenco contingent. This is led by performer/composers Gerardo Nunez (flamenco guitar) and Chano Dominguez (Grotrian Steinweg piano), and filled out with Esperanza Fernandez (vocals on one track), Jorge Pardo (soprano sax), Carles Benavent (electric bass), Renauld Garcia-Fons (five-string acoustic upright bass), Tino Di Geraldo (drums) and Cepillo (cajon). The Jazz counterpart is headlined by Michael Brecker (tenor sax) and Fareed Haque (electric guitar) and rounded out with Perico Sambeat (alto sax).

Saxophonist and flutist Jorge Pardo finds common ground between the romantic warmth of flamenco and the harmonic density of jazz on his fourth solo release. There's some synthesizer influence, but the electronics do not overwhelm either the Afro-Latin rhythmic foundation or the expressive playing displayed by Pardo, alto flutist Fernando Bravo, and guitarists Augustin Carbonell and Gerardo Nunez. Sometimes things get a bit lush, but Pardo and his comrades retain enough instrumental fire and energy to keep the date from becoming bogged down or overly sentimental.

The Paco de Lucía Sextet is a flamenco music sextet, formed by renowned guitarist Paco de Lucía and other musicians. The band has released three albums. In 1990 Paco de Lucia released Zyryab, an album made with his sextet and also featuring jazz pianist Chick Corea.

Chano Domínguez is one of the most celebrated of jazz pianists and composers. His singular work is defined by his flamenco origins. In more than 40 years of his career, he has dazzled all kinds of audiences, including other musicians spanning both worlds of jazz and flamenco. His interpretive talents are highly sought after for his authentic integration of both jazz and flamenco traditions, working with an extensive range of colleagues such as Paco de Lucía, Enrique Morente, Jorge Pardo, Carles Benavent, Martirio, Wynton Marsalis, Paquito d'Rivera, Jack DeJohnette, Herbie Hancock, Jerry Gonzalez, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Michel Camino, Chucho Valdés, Joe Lovano, and George Mraz, among others.