El Cigala - Lágrimas negras

Diego "El Cigala"

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Diego El Cigala is one of the of the foremost current artists in flamenco music in Spain. Essentially it is the full spectrum of flamenco but with a mix of tradition and contemporary flavors. Take for example the buleria "Gitanos de la cava" where the jazz trumpet and bass lines create a nuevo flamenco sound that mixes perfectly with "El Cigalas" mournful vocals. The beautiful and lively guajira "Senor del aire" features Cuban pianist Bebo Valdes playing a prominent part of the song on the ivory keys for a great song dedicated to Juan Valderrama.

That's pianist Bebo Valdes, one of Cuba's great jam session players of the 1950s (and still a potent force on the music scene) and flamenco vocalist Diego "El Cigala," whose half-croaked, Arabic-tinged inflections offer a fine counterpoint to Valdes's trademark sleek, supple piano runs. Cigala sounds like he, too, must be an ancient old-timer, un viejo, like all those Buena Vista dudes... But in fact he is a youngster, a ponytailed whippersnapper who just happens to channel weight of the the ages... Quite a lot of gravitas, subtlety and artistic firepower is assembled here; just to spice things up, they bring in some highpowered guests, such as jazzman Paquito D'Rivera, Milton Cardona and Brazilian superstar Caetano Veloso, who duets with El Cigala on a version of "Coracao Vagabundo," which closes the album. Also included are classic compositions by Miguel Matamoros, Maria Teresa Vera and other Latin American and Iberian legends. Mighty classy material.