My audio recording of Dave Soldier‘s flamenco suite Caló for violin has been released. [New videos of Caló are posted HERE] Caló is the language of the Spanish Romani or gitano people.

This has been an ongoing years-long project with Dave Soldier, me, and Pedro Cortes, who grew up among generations of flamenco artists. He produced the recordings and plays some percussion on the piece. Musician/dancer Jose Moreno is on palmas and cajon. Dave (aka David Sulzer) is a neuroscientist in his “day job”, but he was a professional musician for years and has always been active on the music scene as a composer and performer. Thanks to him and these wonderful flamenco artists for a great collaboration!

Check out the whole recording. There’s no “correct” order to the pieces, which are in a range of tempos and moods. With some albums, you want to make a narrative sequence. This is a collection of flamenco numbers, a kaleidoscopic assortment to enjoy however you want.

I’ve loved flamenco since I went to a show by Maria Benitez’s company in New Mexico years ago. This project has been fun and also fascinating because, while the violin or a similar bowed string instrument is a major element of many folk traditions, flamenco mainly features guitars, voice, and percussion (including palmas, or clapping). The guitarists play with a lot of gutsiness and percussive effects and flamenco singing is powerful and raw even when the emotion is tender and sweet. Figuring out how to play this music on violin (with Dave who is also a violinist) was a lot of fun. The cantabile music is natural to bowed strings, but playing the fast chordal music with the rhythmic definition needed is an exciting challenge. I love this music’s fierce passion and pulsing rhythms, and taking subtle freedoms within and around it.

Traditionally in flamenco, the guitarists are men, but the dancers, singers, and percussionists comprise both women and men, and the women’s roles are equally ones of tremendous strength, skill, proud dignity, and intense emotions. Flamenco is also music of today that continues to evolve. Check it out!