THE WORLD'S BEST NEW MUSIC

Juan José "Niño Josele" Heredia is a master of contemporary flamenco guitar from Almería, Spain. Descended from a distinguished gypsy musical lineage, he gained international renown through his years touring with legend Paco de Lucía and his pioneering collaborations with jazz titan Chick Corea and Latin jazz giant Bebo Valdés. Renowned for his flawless technique and open-minded musical curiosity, Josele has continuously expanded the boundaries of flamenco without sacrificing its deep Andalusian soul.

Named after the Caló word for guitar, Bajañí arrives adorned in a striking Sgt. Pepper-style collage cover that signals its ambitious, world-spanning scale. Conceived alongside filmmaker Fernando Trueba as both a landmark album and a companion documentary, the 16-track recording transforms the flamenco guitar into a vibrant intercontinental crossroads, tracing an extraordinary narrative arc from deep Andalusian roots to North American jazz and Brazilian MPB.

The 3-disc, 135 minutes-long album’s compositional brilliance shines in its seamless cross-cultural dialogues. On "El Pastorcico," Josele weaves a poignant, sacred tapestry incorporating archival vocals from the late flamenco revolutionary Enrique Morente alongside his daughters Estrella and Soleá. The narrative shifts across oceans on "La Flamenca," where salsa legend Rubén Blades and jazz bassist Ron Carter join Josele to build a fiery bridge between Caribbean storytelling and flamenco compás. Meanwhile, on a haunting cover of The Beatles' "Because," Caetano Veloso’s delicate vocals drift gracefully over Josele’s intricate nylon-string arpeggios, demonstrating the guitar's power to unite disparate musical worlds into a singular, breathtaking vision.

Ultimately, Bajañí stands as an essential l listen for anyone passionate about virtuosic string craft and the endless possibilities of global musical fusion.