October 8, 2021- Today's Topic: Flamenco Jazz
American jazz was first introduced to audiences in Spain when Sam Wooding performed in Barcelona and Madrid in the 1920s. Spanish musicians were first influenced by New Orleans style jazz.
In 1934 Spain’s first jazz club opened in Barcelona but in 1936 the Spanish Civil War put an end any inroads being made at the time. There was a movement to eliminate western ideas
from the country which resulted in a censorship that discouraged any further developments.
By 1946, things began to change and two “Hot Clubs” opened, one in Barcelona and one in Madrid.
Eventually there was a fusion of Flamenco music and american jazz which led to the Flamenco Jazz style.
Pedro Iturralde is the Spanish musician most associated with Flamenco-jazz. Several american jazz musicians became interested in Flamenco and experimented with it. The most prominent was Miles Davis.
Miles Davis became interested in flamenco music in the late 1950s which led to the classic Miles Davis-Gil Evans Sketches of Spain. Other american artists that incorporated Spanish elements into recording projects included Lionel Hampton, Jim Hall, Chet Baker, Bill Holman and Chick Corea.