Over the Rainbow

Album review

In the 2010s, Spanish pianist Chano Dominguez has investigated the music of Miles Davis, as he did on 2012's large ensemble album Sketches of Miles, and paired with like-minded guitarist Niño Josele on 2014's Chano & Josele. Both of those albums showcased his adept gift for bridging the gap between traditional flamenco music and jazz. On 2017's Over the Rainbow, Dominguez continues this approach, moving to a solo piano format and focusing on a set of some of his most-beloved cover songs and strongly identified original compositions. Hoping to achieve the drama and energy of a live performance, Dominguez chose to forgo a studio setting and instead record at Barcelona's Palau Falguera. Captured in October 2012 and culled from both pre-show and in-concert performances, Over the Rainbow is a sophisticated, intimate, and deeply felt album. Beginning with John Lewis' elegant "Django," Dominguez steadily works his way into the song, leading the listener through the melody with a ballroom dancer's assured grace before launching into spiral of virtuosic improvisational swirls. He applies a similarly dance-like technique throughout the album, evincing a fractured, tap-dancing kineticism on Thelonious Monk's "Evidence," a sweeping balletic intensity on Violeta Parra's "Gracias a la Vida," and a modern dancer's yearning, muscular grace on Marta Valdes' ballad "Hacia Donde." Elsewhere, he delivers a kinetically ornate version of his own "Mantreria," and moves from spare, heavy-browed balladry to swinging, sprightly Fred Astaire twirls on his "Marcel." Ultimately, Dominguez brings all of his dancer-esque skills to bear on the title track, a gorgeous, poignantly rendered version of the Harold Arlen classic.
© Matt Collar /TiVo