Michel Camilo and Tomatito Are Back Together With 'Spain Again' -

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Pianist and composer Michel Camilo (see photo)and guitarist Tomatito come together again after six years to create the follow-up to their Latin Grammy-winning album "Spain." In the aptly titled "Spain Again" Camilo and Tomatito expand on the idea of combining jazz and flamenco harmonies by incorporating inflections of classical piano sounds and acoustic guitar with sensual gypsy and Latin rhythms. Today's release of "Spain Again" on Emarcy (Universal Music) will be followed by a string of performances at New York City's Blue Note on September 25th, 26th and 27th. These special engagements are part of the Blue Note's 25th Anniversary Celebration. The duo will also perform in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

Recording the new album proved to be exciting for Camilo: "It gave me so much joy to see that the magic is still there after all these years." Camilo and Tomatito have known each other since the early 1990s when they met in Spain at an album session for the nuevo flamenco group Ketama. They quickly became friends but didn't start touring together until 1997 and in August 1999 they recorded "Spain." The best-selling album quickly amassed much praise from the media, as noted in Jazz Times: "Spain is awe-inspiring" - and Mojo described the album as a "hugely dynamic record nothing short of overwhelming." Of their Carnegie Hall concert The New York Times stated, "... together the duo found an elusive grace."

Despite coming from exceptionally different musical worlds, the duo created a unique hybrid that transcends all genres. Their individual differences complement each other greatly as shown when joined together musically on "Spain Again." Grammy winner Michel Camilo is best known for combining rich jazz harmonies with the Caribbean flavors and rhythms while Tomatito is the renowned flamenco guitarist of his generation. Camilo noted that he was thrilled to see how much they both have evolved as artists: "The musical horizons we travel together on this recording are all close to our hearts. It was so amazing to see how after we shared our personal feelings for each song, we simply enjoyed the self-discovery process by letting the music tell us where it wanted to flow." The eleven-track album includes original compositions, a tribute to Astor Piazzolla, jazz standards and a collaboration with renowned singer and songwriter Juan Luis Guerra on "Amor de Conuco."

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