Zorongo Blu

Zorongo Blu offers an accomplished but not entirely comfortable fusion of jazz and flamenco. The group take their name from the Bojaira irrigation channel that runs through Granada, the capital city of flamenco and home of bandleader Jesús Hernández. Stylistically, the band allow the Bojaira to flow across the Atlantic and up the East River to the heart of the modern jazz scene in Brooklyn, where the album was recorded.

The flamenco elements work best when deployed subtly, such as the handclaps that give jazz standard ‘Round Midnight’ a gentle groove. When the album goes full-on flamenco, the jazz instrumentation can undercut the intimacy of the genre, which typically pairs stripped-back accompaniment with powerful storytelling through vocals and dance.

Those not already enamoured of flamenco's impassioned vocal style may struggle with Alfonso Cid's raw delivery, though guest vocalist Sergio Gómez provides a softer approach. Gómez is not the only guest to enrich the record. Fusion heavyweight Randy Brecker lends his flugelhorn to ‘El Demonio Llama A Mi Puerta’, an inventive opening track that the album does not quite live up to.