Raynald Colom:
Constellations

The idea for the album Constellations was most likely born at Barcelona's Miró Foundation, during an impromptu conversation about the Miroglyph —a language you have to learn to be able to read Miró's painting-poems—and the synaesthesia between painting and music. The conversation was inspired by Duke Ellington's rap tribute Blues for Miró.

At the intersection of various musical genres, this project is primarily a unique fusion of jazz and the rhythmic form of flamenco bulería, or a meeting of contemporary music and "groove." The bright and compelling musical expression of Raynald Colom, a Barcelona-based French trumpeter, considered one of the finest trumpeters in European jazz today, intertwines with vocal and piano invocations and a proficient jazz rhythm section that merges with the rhythmic patterns of flamenco. In this concert-cum-performance created especially for the contemporary flamenco series Noches de tablao, Colom joins forces for the first time with dancer Urška Centa, whose presence invests the project with the narrativeness and rhythm of the body as a movement score. With a backup of internationally renowned musicians – flamenco singer Antonio Luque "Canita," jazz pianist Marko Črnčec, versatile bassist Jošt Lampret, and percussionist Kike Terrón, already featured in the series with Juanfe Pérez – the evening brings a unique constellation of flamenco, jazz, and contemporary classical music, providing room for unexpected abstract and expressive dialogues.

As a young musician, Raynald Colom was mentored by jazz legends such as Clark Terry, Roy Hargrove, and Jerry González, establishing close artistic bonds during his stay in Madrid. Today considered one of the most accomplished trumpeters in European jazz, over the past twenty years Colom roster of collaborators has included David Sánchez, Greg Osby, Jesse Davis, Eric McPherson, Omer Avital, Dafnis Prieto, Mulgrew Miller, and others. With Nicholas Payton, Colom collaborated on a tribute to the legendary album Sketches of Spain, led by Bob Belden.

An internationally renowned dancer, musician, and author, Urška Centa works at the intersection of flamenco, contemporary dance, and music. She started out on her career in Madrid, studying with leading flamenco masters and becoming involved in the jazz and improvisation scene. As an artist, she has performed at numerous venues and festivals at home and abroad (Cankarjev dom, Teatro de la Ciudad Esperanza Iris in Mexico City, Teatro Juárez in Guanajuato, Festival de Jazz Zacatecas, FIAC Contemporary Art Festival in León, CerModern in Ankara, Teatro Verdi in Italy, etc.) and worked with prominent musicians such as Guillermo McGill, Tadej Kampl, Jure Pukl, Robert Jukič, Miron Rafajlović, Zvezdana Novaković, Katja Šulc, Izidor Erazem Grafenauer, and many others. With her own company, Sentido Project, Centa has developed a distinctive hybrid style that has met with favourable reception on international tours. She is the author of several choreographic works and dance performances. Her work is marked by virtuoso physical presence, an exceptional sense of rhythm and improvisation, and a commitment to creating art that opens up space for intercultural dialogue and innovation.

The Noches de tablao series presents fresh artistic initiatives in the field of contemporary flamenco that intertwine the disciplines of live music and dance, with an educational and theoretical accompanying programme. The series builds an intercultural arc between international and local artists, who establish a dialogue between flamenco and other artistic genres, and tap into new creative approaches to music, dance and performance art. Since its launch in 2017, Noches de tablao has served as a platform for new artistic projects based on genre blending, running through a wide gamut of contemporary forms of expression. It features a series of concerts and dance shows that marry tradition with innovation in a variety of fascinating new ways.