In Spanish, “Vacilon” refers to the contrast tension between two forces, working together in either opposition or harmony, creating a unique relationship. The term is used mostly for relationships, but also quite often in music.

When Michel Camilo, a Latin jazz virtuoso who pushes straight jazz to the realms of a Latin beat, meets Tomatito, the neo-flamenco guitarist, known for improvising jazz in his pieces, the two come up with a unique Spanish jam session, constantly fluctuating.

The common bond of these two musicians, jazz, forms the backbone of the album, while their uniqueness, Latin jazz piano and flamenco guitar, brings the details and originality to Spain.

On the first cut, “Spain Intro” the musicians move into a jazz rendition of Joaquin Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez”. On the title cut, the interpretation of Chick Corea’s “Spain” turns into a jam session. The first two cuts, without a doubt, set the mood for the interplay of the two musicians. Throughout the album, the contrast is orchestrated so poignantly, that the difference between the instruments is blurred, the guitar becoming the underbelly of the piano and vice versa.

Once the groundwork is laid out, Spain moves into various compositions which highlight each musician’s unique abilities, while the other provides a background, as in a whisper of a tango “Para Troilo y Salgan” for Tomatito and “Two Much” for Camilo.

Many times the album sounds more like a series of conversations between Camilo’s fluid piano, an occasional Cuban montuno, and Tomatito’s classic flamenco sharp strings, with a good spoonful of jazz thrown in, as in the haunting rendition of “Besame Mucho” and the great jam “La Vacilona”.

So in essence, we can call Spain, a Vacilon, a balance between two very different yet surprisingly complementary musicians.