Niño Josele – Galaxias (2022)
Niño Josele’s new album, “Galaxias,” released in late 2022, is a showcase of his musical passions. First and foremost, flamenco is the primary root. On the other hand, Niño Josele has been interested in jazz, Latin American rhythms and world music for many years, so he has added jazz elements and salsa to the mix.
One of the key pieces on the album, the title track Galaxias, is a collaboration with the late Chick Corea. Niño Josele and legendary American keyboardist and composer Chick Corea collaborated for many years. Sadly, this seems to be their final collaboration. Galaxias features Chick Corea playing his fabulous synthesizer lines intertwined with Niño Josele’s masterful guitar. It is jazz-flamenco-fusion at its best.
Another key collaboration is with Panamanian salsa vocalist, songwriter and actor Rubén Blades. While Niño Josele has been interested in salsa and other Latin American styles, Rubén Blades has show interest in flamenco, so the meeting of the two creative minds works perfectly. This is musical hybridization (or mestizaje in Spanish) at its best.
The rest of the album is equally superb, featuring prodigiously performed flamenco rooted guitar in a dazzling alchemy with jazz elements.
Lineup: Niño Josele on guitar; Chick Corea on Moog synthesizer; Rubén Blades on vocals; Rosario la Tremendita on vocals; José Heredia on keyboards; Daniel Noel on electric bass and baby bass; Julián Heredia on electric bass; Edmar Castaneda on harp; Jorge Pardo on flute; Miguel Lamas on drums; Luisito Quintero on Latin percussion; Ané Carrasco on percussion; Israel Katumba on percussion; and El Cometa, Remu and Antonio Heredia on palmas.
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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.