Amazon.comIn 1934 the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca wrote "LLanto," a haunting poem dedicated to a fallen matador named Ignacio Sánchez Mejías. The brilliant Andalusian composer Vicente Pradal composed a four-act, flamenco-flavored oratorio based on Lorca's poem. On this CD version, recorded in France, Pradal is joined in a vocal chorus consisting of Raquel Villar, Luis de Almería, and Chango Manzo, augmented by violinist-cellist Emmanuel Joussement, pianist Franck Monbaylet, saxophonist Hélène Arntzen, and flutist Luis Rigou. From the pizzicato-bassed "No Quiero Verla" to the intricate gitano dances on "Por las Grandes" and the festive "Los Hombres," Pradal beautifully blends Moorish, Arab, and Gypsy melodies and rhythms. Monbaylet's Chopin-Bill Evans pianisms and Arntzen's silky Lester Young-ish sax lines bridge classical and jazz instrumental traditions. Echoing Manuel de Falla and Miles Davis's Sketches of Spain, Llanto is a timeless work dedicated to the dancing musical traditions that choreographed the Iberian heart. --Eugene Holley Jr.