8. Pepe De Almeria And His EnsembleFlamenco

It’s four guitar pieces played by Pepe De Almeria, I love the rhythms, melodies, the castanets, the unusual jangling like false teeth or something. This single was one from mum’s Apapa Club jukebox, a funny little EP that spoke to me very much. I think I gravitated towards it because my dad always said that we had Spanish ancestry and that his ancestors had come over with the Spanish Armada, that they were shipwrecked and ended up in Ireland. I like to think it’s true. So I think I gravitated towards that ancestry via these sorts of tunes. We also had the Rodriguez guitar concerto and Sketches Of Spain. Once I heard the Spanish vibe that became my natural way of playing the piano. The Spanish blues – that’s me. Stuff like ‘Black Heart’ [on Marc And The Mambas’ Spain-influenced album Torment and Toreros] was very natural to write.