Pedro Iturralde Jazz Flamenco

Pedro Iturralde was born in 1929 in Falces, Navarra. He received his first saxophone lessons from his father and soon started to play in all kinds of orchestras and learned a repertoire of popular music which included compositions by Falla, Albéniz and Granados.

His permeability towards local folklore also awakened in him a great interest in the musical traditions of countries such as Lebanon, Turkey and Greece, places he would visit before turning 30 as part of several orchestras.

The German pianist Paul Grassl joined his quartet, and they worked on adaptations of traditional songs, especially those collected by García Lorca, until the reception by public and press of Miles Davis' "Sketches Of Spain" brought about the favourable conditions so that their jazz interpretations could be performed on the stage of the renowned venue of the Marqués de Villamagna street.

At that point Pedro Iturralde still performed in a quartet format, made by the German drummer Peer Wyboris, Swiss bass player Eric Peter and the aforementioned pianist Paul Grassl.

The participation of a flamenco guitarist was not part of Iturralde's initial plans, who always intended to explore Andalusian traditional melodies rather than pure flamenco.

However, the suggestion by the music journalist and producer Joachim Ernest Berendt, a key figure of the German jazz scene, to include a guitarist in the formation prompted the saxophonist to audition some for the projects he was about to start.

Paco de Antequera, at the time a usual guitarist at the best tablaos in Madrid, was chosen to be part of Iturralde's first recordings for Hispavox in June 1967.

But another name replaced him on the recordings later on: Paco de Algeciras, a pseudonym for a young guitarist who couldn't reveal his true identity due to contractual requirements.

This enigmatic artist was none other than Paco de Lucía. "Jazz Flamenco" was originally released in 1967, while "Jazz Flamenco 2" came out the following year.

Both albums would be compiled on one CD by Blue Note later on, but their vinyl editions have remained for years in the exclusive record collecting circuit, with prices that match the most sought-after Spanish records.