Jorge Pardo really set the standards as far as flamenco jazz fusion is in question. He is a living legend, He worked with literally every contemporary artist on today’s world scene. Coming from the same social group in Madrid, the beginning of his career with Paco De Lucia, one of the most influential musicians of all time, as going to form his entire career. First of all, he played a guitar wor a few years, but when he realized that the world of flamenco is really not going to miss another guitarist, he simply switched to wind instruments. First, the flute, “travesera”, which means that it is held under a 90 % angle in relation to the face. Jorge Pardo became rapidly SO GOOD AT IT, that his phrases not only overshadowed the guitar but the Camaron’s voice on some occasions too. Jorge was able to express even more than Camaron with his voice, or more than Paco with his guitar on some occasions. His legacy in flamenco art on wind instruments, (he played all sorts of exotic wind instrument types, from Africa, and Southern America), of today, is huge. His collaborations with all possible musicians, after starting with Paco, were by no means a coincidence…
Jorge Pardo brought to flamenco something totally unique, like Paco de Lucia, or Chick Korea, he also worked with and left an erasable mark in the world scene of ethnic and world music. Jorge’s probably the most prominent works are “Vientos Flamencos” (Flamenco Winds). It is like a double LP, it was published in 2 parts, one was in 2005, and the other was in 2009 if I remember correctly. He plays Mini Alt Sax, which sounds a bit like a soprano, but it is far from lyrical like a soprano sax. It makes a very interesting sound, especially with his over-blowing, and crazy never thought possible sounds that he can get out of these wind instruments. God gave him such a talent, that it is beyond belief the stuff this man does on all wind instruments. He expanded the realm of flamenco, and his role in the development of flamenco is not just obvious, but almost like – sacred…
