Flamenco and jazz merge on 'Del Rio a la Mar' Band leader/composer Bernard van Rossum dives deeper into the essence of Flamenco 'Del Rio a la Mar' is the title of the new album by the Bernard van Rossum Flamenco Big Band.

A big band with its own signature that allows flamenco and jazz to merge like the river and the sea.

The title refers to the water cycle, the circularity of evaporation and condensation, seawater that forms clouds and falls back as rain into the river that flows back to the sea.

For band leader and composer Bernard van Rossum it also symbolizes his process of leaving and returning to Spain.

Being the son of a Dutch father and English mother, he grew up in Spain. And even though he has lived in Amsterdam for years - and teaches at the Conservatory in Amsterdam as well as at Codarts in Rotterdam - returning to Spain every time feels like coming home.

The opening piece "A tu Vera" is about that recognizable desire to return to your country.

The metaphor of the merging (of river and sea) is also reflected in "Tus pasos me Crucé".

A piece about love and how different life paths come together.