Tomatito — Moods, Zurich, 2017

Filmed at Moods, the celebrated jazz club housed in Zurich’s Schiffbau, this live concert was captured in 2017 and distributed by Qwest TV, the streaming platform founded by Quincy Jones. It brings together Tomatito y Grupo for an evening of flamenco. José Fernández Torres, known as Tomatito, was born in Almería in 1958 and ranks among the foremost flamenco guitarists of his generation. He first gained recognition as the accompanist of singer Camarón de la Isla, whom he backed for nearly eighteen years until the singer’s death in 1992, and he also performed alongside Paco de Lucía. His solo career (albums such as Aguadulce and Soy flamenco) and his collaboration with Dominican jazz pianist Michel Camilo on the Latin Grammy-winning album Spain confirmed his stature. In this full concert he leads his group: second guitar is played by his son José del Tomate, alongside vocals, the percussion of El Piraña and the dance of El Torombo. The repertoire draws on Gypsy flamenco tradition and includes an alegrías and a flamenco reading of Astor Piazzolla’s Oblivion. This filmed live concert is a valuable window into Tomatito’s art of the sonanta in a group setting, performed in Zurich.