Las pequeñas cosas (Universal Music Spain, 2011)
Josemi Carmona is one of the leading figures in the world of flamenco fusion. He is respected by flamenco fans and urban hipsters as well. Most music fans will recognize him as one of the founders of legendary nuevo flamenco band Ketama and a well known producer of pop and flamenco recordings. Although this may seem surprising, Las pequeñas cosas is Josemi’s debut solo album. His reputation is such that he was able to bring together a stellar cast of musicians from various music disciplines such as jazz, flamenco, and rock.
As Josemi himself said after the release of the album, Las pequeñas cosas is not exactly a flamenco album. It contains deep flamenco roots, but you will also find jazz elements, pop, hip hop and more.
Las pequeñas cosas opens with a fabulous instrumental titled ‘Tangroove.’ As the title of the album indicates, this piece is based on a flamenco tango groove. It’s a mix of infectious rhythms and outstanding solo work by Josemi on the guitar and mandola. The lineup here includes Quiqui Ferrer on drums, Alain Perez on bass, Adrián Schinoff on piano and keyboards, Israel Suárez ‘Piraña’ on percussion, Bugge Wesseltoft plays a tasteful synth solo, Sandra Carrasco and Antonio Montoya on backing vocals, and the palmas (handclap percussion) beat machine comprised of Bandolero, Juanito and José Antonio Carmona.
The second cut, ‘Cuenta’ is a ballad with top-40 pop radio in mind. It features Manuel Carrasco on vocals with Josemi on guitars, Borja Barrueta on drums, Antonio Ramos “Maka” on bass, Alfonso Pérez on piano, electric guitar and keyboards, and Juanito Carmona and Luis Dulzaidez on percussion.
The title track ‘Las pequeñas cosas’ is a solo guitar piece, without any accompaniment. It’s a short mesmerizing introspective composition that segues into ‘Dos Puñales,’ a brilliant track that begins with a short vocal introduction by José Antonio Carmona that paves the way to memorable guitar by special guest Paco de Lucia who provides dazzling interplay with Josemi and pianist Alfonso Pérez. The rest of the band includes Juanito Carmona on cajón, Borja Barrueta on drums, Antonio Ramos “Maka” on electric bass, Martin Leiton on acoustic bass, Adrián Schinoff on keyboards, and palmas performed by Bandolero, Juanito and Josemi.
‘Mi Gorda’ is an exquisite laid back flamenco-jazz instrumental with Josemi on guitar, mandola and palmas; Alfonso Pérez on piano; Antonio Ramos “Maka” on electric bass; and Juanito Carmona on percussion. If you want to listen to great breezy guitar music as you drive down California’s Pacific Coast Highway, forget Ottmar Liebert and Jesse Cook. Josemi is the real deal.
Flamenco and Cuban musicians have had a mutual fascination for each other’s music for many years. ‘Ni contigo ni sin ti’ presents Alex Cuba on vocals. This is a tasty flamenco rumba demonstrating the strong ties between Cuba and Spain. The rest of the lineup here includes Josemi on mandola and guitar, Antonio Ramos “Maka” on electric bass, Juanito Carmona on percussion, palmas played by Bandolero, Juanito and Josemi.
‘Tosca’ is another short solo guitar delight by Josemi. It gives way to the beautiful ‘Pasando por Huelva’ where another high profile guest makes an appearance. It’s celebrated jazz bassist Dave Holland. This is not his first flamenco collaboration. Hollland blends perfectly with Josemi’s guitar, Borja Barrueta’s drums, and Alfonso Pérez’s piano.
For some reason hip hop gets inserted in many world music recordings for no apparent reason other than pandering to the hip hop fans. “De viaje’ features Malian rapper Oxmo, along with a string ensemble. Thankfully, the rapping is kept to a minimum. The band here includes Josemi on guitar, Antonio Ramos “Maka” on electric bass, Adrián Schinoff on keyboards, Borja Barrueta on drums, Luis Dulzaides on percussion, Bugge Wesseltoft plays keyboards and made the string arrangements featuring Julio César Fernández on violin, Chika Izumi on violin, Sergio Fernández Ruiz on viola and Eduardo del Rio Robles on cello.
‘Tres almas’ features Josemi and Carlitos Carmona on guitars and Juanito Carmona on percussion.
The unmistakable vocals of Uruguayan singer-songwriter Jorge Drexler join Josemi’s guitar on ‘Un par de dias antes de ti’, a delightful song accompanied by piano, bass and drums.
The album ends with ‘Gran Torino’, a captivating flamenco adaption of Kyle Eastwood’s composition.
Las pequeñas cosas is a first rate debut album by one of the essential musicians in the Spanish music scene.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
