Trumpet player Raynald Colom gives flamenco jazz a personal touch on his album ‘Evocación’

Guitarist Chicuelo and cantaora Rosario la Tremendita collaborate on the album, which includes a version of Paco de Lucía’s ‘Zyryab’

Flamenco-world.com, November 2009

Raynald Colom is one of those musicians who has reached flamenco while making music. The Barcelona-born jazz player has been playing for several years with Chicuelo, as well as sharing projects with cantaores like Rosario la Tremendita. But he has spent many more solo investigating Paco de Lucía’s falsetas. Both experiences converge on his album ‘Evocación’, whose flamenco lineup includes both the guitarist and the cantaora. And the maestro from Algeciras indirectly takes part, since the trumpet player dares to do a version of the emblematic piece ‘Zyryab’. The other way around, Wayne Shorter’s ‘Sanctuary’ becomes a seguiriya.

Raynald Colom (Photo Carlos Pericas)

Jazz flamenco continues to bear select fruit. And not just by the fathers of this hybrid genre, but by a new generation of musicians. Proof of it is the album ‘Evocación’ which has just been released by Raynald Colom. The Hispano-French trumpet player presents a record on which he offers “a real fusion of musicians the fruit of years of work in the world of jazz and flamenco”.

On the flamenco side, he establishes the dialogue above all with guitarist Chicuelo, who he has been working with for years both live and at the studio, as is captured on the album ‘Diapasión’. And the flamenco voice is contributed by Sevillian cantaora Rosario la Tremendita, as one of the special guests, with whom he also shares musical projects such as ‘Pinceladas’. They are joined by Aruán Ortiz on piano, Omer Avital on contrabass, Eric McPherson on drums and Roger Blavia on percussion, plus guests like Gabriel Amargant on sax, Isaac Vigueras on box drum and Marcelo Mercadante on bandoneon.

The encounters between all of these musicians jell into pieces such as the bulerías ‘Como el cielo, las estrellas’ and the martinete ‘Evocación 1’. There is a version of Paco de Lucía’s ‘Zyryab’ and, the other way around, Wayne Shorter’s ‘Sanctuary’ takes the shape of a seguiriya. ‘Toulouse’, ‘De ida’ and ‘Y vuelta’ are other songs which make up the repertoire of the album with which Colom seeks “a return to music as an experience”. It has been presented as such live at the 2009 Barcelona Grec Festival, the 2009 Vitoria-Gasteiz International Jazz Festival and the 2009 Montreal International Jazz Festival, among other forums.

Raynald Colom (Photo Carlos Pericas)

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