Jorge Pardo Trio

The tenth season of the interdisciplinary contemporary flamenco series opens with a renowned artist – one who has played a pivotal role in shaping the genre’s history while helping to define its future. Saxophonist and flutist Jorge Pardo is among Spain’s most important jazz musicians and a leading figure in flamenco jazz. He entered the flamenco world as a close collaborator of the legendary Paco de Lucía, developing a distinctive, expressive style that seamlessly blends musical traditions, combining elements of traditional jazz with flamenco forms.
He is touring Ljubljana with his trio – a dynamic ensemble that, in its various incarnations, consistently features top-tier musicians. On this occasion, Jorge Pardo will be joined on stage by Melón Jiménez, the acclaimed Spanish-German guitarist, and Sabrina Romero, a dancer, singer, and percussionist who embodies the series’ interdisciplinary spirit and highlights the boundless expressive potential of the body as an instrument.

The group describe their programme as a “ritual”, grounded in a visceral appreciation of the very essence of music: mastery of rhythm, the joy of improvisation, and the ability to understand and serve music as a whole – not merely as individual expression, but as a collective experience that embraces the audience. It is a holistic, immersive flamenco experience – one that avoids clichés. Soleá, seguiriya, tango, taranto, bulería, and other flamenco “palos” are approached with profound respect for their essence and a deep understanding of flamenco’s roots, while allowing each artist the freedom to transform this language into something distinctly their own – authentic, original, and contemporary.

Jorge Pardo

began his studies at the Madrid Conservatory of Music at the age of fourteen. He soon chose to pursue a career in jazz and, together with Pedro Ruy-Blas, co-founded the celebrated group Dolores, widely regarded as a key milestone in late-1970s Spanish experimental music. A prominent figure on today’s international jazz scene, Pardo has collaborated with a remarkable range of artists – including Vince Mendoza, Gil Goldstein, Arif Mardin, Camarón, Chick Corea, Astrud Gilberto, Wagner Tiso, Ketama, Enrique Morente, Nana Caymmi, Pat Metheny, Carles Benavent, Joan Bibiloni, Miguel Ríos, Elvin Jones, Yehudi Menuhin, and many others.

The Noches de tablao series presents contemporary flamenco through initiatives that intertwine live music and dance, alongside an accompanying educational and theoretical programme. The series builds an intercultural bridge between international and local artists, fostering dialogue between flamenco and other artistic genres, and exploring new creative approaches to music, dance, and performance art. Since its launch in 2017, Noches de tablao has served as a platform for new artistic projects rooted in genre-blending, spanning a wide range of contemporary forms of expression. It features a programme of concerts and dance performances that unite tradition and innovation in a variety of compelling ways.