Spain's luminary jazz pianist, Chano Domínguez and guitarist Ethan Margolis release a beautifully crafted organic quartet album that is reminiscent of a beautiful age in Jazz.

The Blues Around Us was recorded in NYC and features Jazz At Lincoln Center musicians Carlos Henriquez (bass) and Obed Calvaire (drums).

*****

The Blues Around Us is a beautifully-crafted album of Jazz-Blues with rhythmic underpinnings from Spain. The music was inspired by jazz-blues masters such as Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, and Wes Montgomery while at the same time incorporating innovative aspects of flamenco music. The compositions, all original, were crafted meticulously - mostly by Margolis - for the interpretative style of Domínguez.

Domínguez says - "Ethan brought a deep mix of Blues styles to my apartment in Brooklyn and we experimented with some 20 styles before deciding what pieces sounded best for the album design. Some of the Blues styles he brought to the table were completely new to me and I felt like energized, like a little kid discovering new music again."

Accompanied by Carlos Henriquez on bass and Obed Calvaire on drums (both current members of Wynton Marsalis's Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra), The Blues Around Us strikes a lushly beautiful balance between classic and modern jazz. Recorded by legendary jazz engineer James Farber at Oktaven Studios in New York in April 2024, the album boasts a premier quality bar of sound akin to older classics from the Van Gelder Studio time period. The entire album was recorded live as a quartet and later mixed by Dave O'Donnell, and mastered by Randy Merrill, both Grammy-winning sound engineers.

Apart from its sonic delivery and classic-sounding original jazz compositions, the album speaks to the beauty and openness in music and how a lifetime of dedication can birth new fruit in all moments. 2025 is a year where Chano Domínguez celebrates 50 years as a professional pianist. He is one of the most in-demand musicians in Europe as well as maintaining long time collaborative credits with Wynton Marsalis, Blue Note Records, and organizations like SF Jazz. Margolis is currently living in Camarillo, CA with frequent trips to Spain and is coming directly off his 2024 album release on the label, Ropeadope, alongside Larry Grenadier (bass) and Eric Harland (drums).

Fascinated by the power of music as a tool for cultural connection, Domínguez and Margolis are dedicated to composing and interpreting music that has real longevity and bases itself in authenticity rather than on current fads. They have a powerful connection as musicians and it is one worth lending an ear.