I had to call for assistance for this week's selections. Special thanks to Luma Zuri, one of my friends from
Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir 3.0, for introducing us to the music of Bebo Valdes and Diego El Cigala.
Bebo Valdes is a Grammy winning Afro-Cuban pianist, composer and arranger.
Diego El Cigala is a Grammy-nominated cantaor (flamenco singer). Their music is a fussion of jazz and flamenco. Listen carefully to the rhythm section (piano, drums and bass).
Their grooves combine flamenco and Afro-Cuban rhythms. The harmonies are typical of music both flamenco and jazz (love those "blues" intervals). The piano and drum licks? Pure jazz.
This is "Lagrimas Negros" ("Black Tears"), which is one of Luma's faves. I just love that piano intro.
I don't know about you, but thanks to Luma, I need to add Valdes and El Cigala's music to my music collection. You can explore more of Bebo Valdes music here:
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