Kendji Girac un Dos Tres

Carles Benavent was born in 1954 in the Poblé Sec neighborhood in Barcelona. A totally self taught jazz bassist, he founded the group, "Música Urbana" with whom he recorded two albums. He came to create a new form of playing the electric bass "Flamenco style", using the pick to create a special type of alzapúa (style of plucking the strings with the finger and pick). He is one of the priveleged geniuses that is sought out by a long list of artists such as Chick Corea, Miles Davis and Paco de Lucía (to name a few), and with the ladder he recorded "Paco de Lucía interperpreta a Manuel de Falla". Since then the interaction between the two musicians has been consistent and fruitful.

Carles Benavent was born in 1954 in the Poblé Sec neighborhood in Barcelona. A totally self taught jazz bassist, he founded the group, "Música Urbana" with whom he recorded two albums. He came to create a new form of playing the electric bass "Flamenco style", using the pick to create a special type of alzapúa (style of plucking the strings with the finger and pick). He is one of the priveleged geniuses that is sought out by a long list of artists such as Chick Corea, Miles Davis and Paco de Lucía (to name a few), and with the ladder he recorded "Paco de Lucía interperpreta a Manuel de Falla". Since then the interaction between the two musicians has been consistent and fruitful.

Best known as the winner of the third season of France's The Voice: La Plus Belle Voix, Kendji Girac is a passionate singer known for his genre-bending mix of Latin-infused pop, dance music, and contemporary flamenco. Born in Bergerac, France in 1996, Girac was accepted for The Voice with his performance of Maître Gims' song "Bella." Competing as a member of singer (and The Voice coach) Mika's team, Girac became a fan favorite, eventually winning first place in January of 2014 with 51-percent of the public vote…

Best known as the winner of the third season of France's The Voice: La Plus Belle Voix, Kendji Girac is a passionate singer known for his genre-bending mix of Latin-infused pop, dance music, and contemporary flamenco. Born in Bergerac, France in 1996, Girac was accepted for The Voice with his performance of Maître Gims' song "Bella." Competing as a member of singer (and The Voice coach) Mika's team, Girac became a fan favorite, eventually winning first place in January of 2014 with 51-percent of the public vote. After his win, Girac released his eponymous debut EP. In August of 2014, Girac returned with his full-length album debut, Kendji, featuring the singles "Color Gitano," "Andalouse," "Elle M'a Aimé," "Cool," and "Je M'abandonne." It spent ten weeks at number one in France during late 2014 and early 2015.

Willie Bobo's 1965 LP, Spanish Grease, has been combined with his Uno Dos Tres 1-2-3 LP from 1966 on one CD reissue. One pass through the title cut of Spanish Grease and you know that Carlos Santana was listening. The easy R&B/Latin jazz shuffle on this Bobo original, with its mix of Spanish and English vocals, is an obvious touchstone to cuts like "Evil Ways" on Santana's first two albums. What a shame, then, that the rest of the record is primarily comprised of covers of pop hits of the day like "It's Not Unusual" (a vocal and an instrumental version!) and "Our Day Will Come." The timbales player and his band lay down respectable grooves, but "Spanish Grease" is the only original on the album, and by far the most rewarding number. Similarly, the toughest and most memorable track on Uno Dos Tres 1-2-3 is the one Bobo original, "Fried Neck Bones and Some Home Fries." Its creeping Latin soul groove was, like "Spanish Grease," an obvious inspiration for Carlos Santana. But on most of the rest of the recording, Bobo coasts through interpretations of period hits like "Michelle," "Goin' Out of My Head," and Jay & the Americans' (!) "Come a Little Bit Closer," with some jazz and pop standards as well.