Review: José Barranquero - Exosfera (José Barranquero Music)

For far too long we've waited for the next thing in jazz guitar, and here he is, José Barranquero with ' Exosfera'.

Rock/Blues guitarists are ten a penny but in José we've got a cross between a fan of jazz guitar and Carlos Santana, a Spanish Steve Hillage (in his ambient/Balearic/dance period) and traditional falmenco of a Paco de Lucía; check 'Opmeit Le' ('el tiempo', or 'the time' written backwards) on which he is joined by a renowned Flamenco vocalist, Ismael Tamayo.

Pretty varied as the lead track is a jazz dancer 'Totoro'  featuring horns from Melisa Bertossi and soaring and powerful guitar and sax solos from Barranquero and Bertossi.  'El Maestro y Serenísima' (The Master most serene) is actually a little on the edge of Carlos Santana before we get some sunny drenched 70s synths whilst 'Un Murciégalo' raises the tempo once again for "an irresistible jazzy groove, perfectly built to house more of Barranquero's hooky and muscular soloing".

Inma Gomes features on the tile track and the whole album is produced by  DJ GarcyNoise (Rubén García Zarranz with strong Spanish influences on jazz-funk, rock, Balearic fused tracks; 'Skylanders' being typical of an acoustic guitar 'Spanish' track.  And then, 'Micoco' is the opposite on electric guitar; with a solo-mo beat and dreamy'n'dirty synth backing.    

Get ya funky yachts out for 'Totoro', as played on Jazz FM and BBC Radio 3, that features Melisa Bertossi and prepare yourself for the brilliant 12 minutes of 'Opmeit Le'; the one with   'Mediterranean' chant/poetry/vocals of Ismael Tamayo.

José was spotted as a talent in his 20s having been in masterclasses with the likes of Pat Metheny, Gary Willis and John Scofield! That's pretty cool in itself before moving to Barcelona and then into teaching.  He certainly can spot musicians that would be a great band as these tracks encapsulate the music rather than the players, even if there's some peacockery at times.  And why not?

BUY LINK: https://www.diggersfactory.com/vinyl/324607/jose-barranquero-exosfera

Artist: José Barranquero 

Title: Exosfera

Release date: 1st May, 2025

Label : José Barranquero Music

Catalog Number : BARRANQUERO01

Format:  LP / Digital / Bandcamp