Nino Josele is the stage name of guitarist Juan Jose Heredia who was born in 1974 in Almeria, Spain. Although primarily a flamenco guitarist Josele is nothing if not versatile having worked in a variety of contexts ranging from flamenco through classical to jazz and even pop.

He has worked with many of the giants of flamenco music including singer Diego El Cigala and fellow guitarist Paco De Lucia. His pop credits include Alicia Keys, Lenny Kravitz and Elton John and in the jazz field he has collaborated with bassist Esperanza Spalding.

Josele obviously feels a strong affinity for jazz and his 2006 album “Paz” was a tribute to the music of Bill Evans. This latest album was recorded in Madrid and New York and features several different line ups with the players being drawn from the spheres of flamenco, classical and jazz. The best known jazz names are saxophonists Phil Woods and Ralph Bowen and violinist Mark Feldman.

The title track is a solo guitar exploration of a tune by the great pianist McCoy Tyner. Tyner’s jazz piece is delivered as flamenco and it’s immediately obvious that Josele is a highly talented guitarist . All the guitars on the album were recorded live with no editing and he displays the crispness of attack and purity of line that one associates with all the best flamenco players. There’s plenty of flamenco’s choked emotional intensity too making for an impressive start. “Espanola” is the album’s only cover, the remaining eight pieces are all Josele originals.

“Es Esto Una Buleria?” asks the question “Is This A Buleria”. It starts out conventionally enough with more solo guitar but after a couple of minutes Josele introduces a strong jazz flavour into the mix by unleashing a posse of jazz players among them Woods on alto sax and Bowen on soprano. We also hear from trumpeter Michael Philip Mossman, trombonist Douglas Purviance plus the rhythm section of John Benitez (bass) and Dafnis Prieto (drums). The juxtaposition of styles works remarkably well thanks to the skilful arrangement and there are incisive solos from both Woods and Bowen.

“Camino De Lucia” is another beautiful solo guitar piece, this time in the Rondena form. I’d hazard a guess that the title, literally “Road To Lucia” is a homage to his mentor and sometime colleague Paco De Lucia, still Josele’s primary influence.

The rumba “Glorio Bendita” is another fusion of Spanish music with jazz elements. Angel “Papo” Vazquez’s trombone is prominent in the arrangement and also features as a solo instrument. Vazquez’s playing is enjoyable and infectious and there are also powerful contributions from Benitez and Prieto with Pedro Martinez adding extra colour with his energetic extra percussion.

“Waltz For Bill” is an enchanting dedication to the late Evans and teams Josele with Woods’ dry but compassionate alto. Benitez and Prieto lend suitably sympathetic support, the drummer turning in some delightfully detailed and delicate brushwork.

The brief but impressive solo guitar piece “Zapateado Para Bebo” pays tribute to the Cuban pianist and band leader Bebo Valdes with whom Josele once worked.

“Balcon De La Luna”, a tune in the Seguiriya form, unveils yet another line up with electric bassist Alain Perez sharing the limelight with Josele. Javier Colina’s acoustic bass can also be heard with drummer Prieto and percussionist Pirana adding extra colour and rhythmic impetus. It’s a bizarre mix of almost caricatured flamenco and Jaco Pastorius style electric bass yet somehow it manages to work.

“A Contratiempo” is the album’s second Buleria and again features the distinctive trombone sound of Vazquez alongside the leader’s dazzling guitar. Benitez, Prieto and Martinez add energetic and colourful rhythmic support.

The closing “La Partida” teams Josele with a string quartet consisting of Joyce Hammann (violin), Lois Martin (viola), Erik Friedlander (cello) together with jazz violinist Mark Feldman from John Abercrombie’s band. Colina and drummer Guillermo McGuill complete an unusual line up. There is no conventional soloing here, the concentration is on ensemble colour and texture. The strings add a sombre tinge to the piece and the string players play both with the bow and pizzicato. It’s an elegant way to end a surprisingly impressive album.

I’m in no way a flamenco purist and doubt whether I’d enjoy a release that stuck rigidly to that agenda. However the skill with which Josele blends his various sources and influences together makes"Espanola” a thoroughly engaging listen. Despite the changes between tracks of both line up and style the album still hangs together remarkably well as a coherent whole. This is almost entirely due to Josele who subtly dominates proceedings throughout. His playing is at the heart of everything and he demonstrates an easy virtuosity, assured and confident but never “show offy”.

“Espanola” is an album to be proud of and one that deserves gain Josele greater attention from jazz audiences.

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