A Platform for Ethnically and Culturally Inspired Music
ABOUT
TAIFAS is a Flamenco Jazz Quintet led by the renowned saxophonist and ethnic flutist Javier Paxariño (Radio Tarifa Group) along with flamenco guitarist Nono García (Chano Dominguez), both of whom have been benchmarks on the national and international music scene for over twenty years. TAIFAS's sound has a strongly marked Flamenco and Jazz foundation that deftly draws upon a rich sonic palette of Mediterranean, Sephardic, Balkan, and Middle Eastern musical traditions. These influences are elegantly interwoven into a mosaic that tells a story about shared histories. Each of its members' unique style and extensive musical background contributes to TAIFAS's captivating ambiance. Building a bridge between the East and West, TAIFAS brings their unifying pulse into a contemporary context filled with experimentation and improvisation. There are jubilant rhythmical conversations that exude the relentless energy of the Spanish fiesta under a cool starry night in a town of alabaster shell-colored homes hidden among lush gardens. You'll hear pieces that conjure up the calm of a silent sea of olive trees and the suspense of a Flamenco cave. The Arabic, Sephardic, and Flamenco modes with tastefully interspersed jazz licks swirl together to create truly Mediterranean as well as Balkan-flavored melodies and solos that evoke an aura of mystery, passion, and spiritual enchantment. Within the music of TAIFAS, you can hear the echo of mystical hymns from Spain's past, and you'll be reminded of a special time when Spain's three thriving religions lived in harmony in a world of cobblestone streets, castles, cupolas, and murals. Indeed, TAIFAS's hodgepodge of thoroughly coalesced influences faithfully reflects the vast cultural heritage out of which the project was born. TAIFAS has performed in both national and international venues, in Jazz, World Music, Flamenco, and Folk festivals. In Spain, they've performed at the Jazz Festival of Madrid, ETNOSUR, in Switzerland at the Festival of Five Continents, at the Concert House in Copenhagen, Denmark as part of the showcase at OFF WOMEX SOUNDS FROM SPAIN, among many others.