Noninó

Aigua is a duo formed of two contrasting life experiences: guitarist and singer Joan Peiró Aznar was born in Potríes, Valencia and, after studying classical guitar, jazz and flamenco, has pursued a career dedicated principally to Spanish music. Accordionist Lies Hendrix grew up in Belgium, studied world music at the Academy for Music and Drama in Gothenburg, Sweden, and, according to her own press spiel, has sought her ‘musical identity [on] a journey through traditional flamenco songs, Swedish polkas, Valencian jotas and French bourrée, all seasoned with jazz and musette waltzes. ’

For this album, the focus is Aznar's home turf, and Noninó offers us 11 gentle, lilting habaneras, jotas, mazurkas and lullabies. Valencian folk often makes use of the medieval-sounding dulzaina (Spanish oboe), but the squeezebox is an effective deliverer of ditties as well as drone effects. A lot of it revolves around dancing, and there are a couple of lively, skipping songs here, including ‘Ja Ve L'horabaixa’ and ‘Borreiada’. Both musicians like to jazz up their style, improvising away from set melodies and rhythms; on ‘Delicate Genius’, Aznar gets stuck into a banging, twanging solo. But the overriding tone is reflective, ruminant, even solemn. If the ‘water’ of the album title is Mediterranean, then this is the sea mainly in autumn and winter – romantic, slow-ebbing, shades of grey.