Spanish Guitar Hero Niño Josele Debuts Latest Album

Close your eyes and listen to flamenco guitarist Niño Josele’s fifth album Española (out November 3). There is no need for vocals here. Not when you have an uncompromising musician who can make strings sing. Widely lauded as a risk-taker, the 35-year-old has crafted nine beautiful tracks that openly flirt with jazz and big hip-shaking Latin sounds (tell me you don’t want to dance to “A contratiempo”). He also pays homage to American jazz pianist Bill Evans in the sophisticated “Waltz for Bill” and big band Cuban pianist Bebo Valdés with the booming “Zapateado para Bebo.”

I got a chance to listen to the live version last night in New York’s legendary Village Vanguard, where the Spanish virtuoso is holding court until this Sunday. The intimate, subterranean space was the perfect setting to hear him play. Accompanied by bassist John Benitez, drummer Horacio “El Negro” Hérnandez and saxophist Ralph Bowen, Niño Josele hit all the right chords as he navigated between jazz and flamenco, not exactly settling for either. And that was just right by his audience.

Check him out in this solo performance: