By: Richard Foss

ombining flamenco music and jazz isn't an entirely new idea - guitarists like John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola and Paco De Lucia have done it before. Most of their efforts had the distinct sound of an artist out of their element - you could tell it was a jazz artist trying to play flamenco or vice-versa. The music was good, even excellent, but there really wasn't a merger of ideas. The fusion is complete on This Is Flamenco Jazz, emphasizing not only the lightning fret board runs and technical proficiency common to both styles, but the meditative quality that can make a great jazz or flamenco album a transcendent experience. Though six of the eight cuts are standards by the likes of Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter, and Miles Davis, the two original cuts by guitarist Dirk K are every bit as impressive. Dirk comes from a straightforward jazz background, and this all-acoustic album is quite a change from his previous efforts. He and his partner Dan Sistos make some extraordinary music on this disc, genre-crossing music that is beautiful both in the moments of flash and fire and at it's most quiet and contemplative.