Daniel Pardo’s Bolero Album

Flutist Daniel Pardo on the cover of the album being discussed (from the Amazon.com Web page)

One week from today will see the release of Ese Momento, consisting of twelve tracks of “classic” boleros performed by flutist Daniel Pardo. I deployed those scare quotes because many (if not most) listeners probably have misconceptions about the bolero. This is because they know it only through the music of Maurice Ravel, which, it turns out, has its own misconception about the Latin dance form.

Even those that cannot read music probably know that there are three beats to the measure in Ravel’s “Bolero.” That alone makes his title a misconception! The bolero dates back to Cuba in the late nineteenth century. It was originally a dance in 2/4; but, as the genre matured, more sophisticated versions expanded to 4/4 time. Bearing in mind that I have not examined any of the charts for the performances on Ese Momento, I can say (with at least moderate confidence) that 3/4 time never shows up on the album!

That said, I must confess that there is such a rich diversity of themes, harmonies, and rhythms that I have not yet gotten my head around the concept of a “classic” bolero! The good news is that my shortcomings have not detracted from the pleasure I have taken from listening to each of Pardo’s tracks. Indeed, the only tune familiar to me on the album was “Besame Mucho.” Within the context of a rhythm that almost seems to play with the downbeat, Pardo drew upon recording technology to concoct a “choir” (as it were) of fourteen flute parts. The charts for this arrangement might make for a thoroughly engaging “live” performance at an end-of-term conservatory recital!

Pardo is clearly the sort of performer that likes to play with the music, rather than just play it. What is interesting is that he can exercise this playfulness not only in combo settings (whose membership was not made available to me in the material I received) but also in performing with the Czech National Symphony in an orchestrated version of Ernesto Duarte’s “Como Fué.” In other words, this is an album that will definitely hold up to multiple listening experiences.

According to the Amazon.com Web page that has been created, the album will be available one week from today. However, as is usually the case, that Web page is processing pre-orders, with one track available for “preview listening.” Nevertheless, as of this writing, the only available option is for MP3 downloads.