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A few new (to me) CDs have come my way, all of them first-rate and all very different. Thought I might inform you about them in case you haven't come across them.
1. Yerbaguena - Pepe Habichuela and the Bollywood Strings (NM 15 788 CD) A very interesting record which unites flamenco and Indian musicians. I had never heard Pepe Habichuela before (many of you will be fully familiar with his playing) and I am knocked out by him. There is not a single jazz chord on this recording - the perfect antidote to the soft elevator/South American style which I am not a fan of. The Bollywood Strings sound a bit cheesy at times, but the tabla percussion seems a natural complement to the cajons for flamenco rhythm. I hope these musicians come together again to search a bit deeper into the Indian roots of flamenco. This recording is a good start in that direction, but I get the feeling we are only looking at the tip of the iceberg.
2. Locura de Brisa y Trino - Manolo Sanlucar con la voz de Carmen Linares (Mercury 06012 157202 2 8) A unique recording due mainly to Monolo's new system of composition. I don't know what that system is, but he clearly is able to transcend the mechanics of it, and has created a very beautiful and moving recording. Some great 'sonidos negros'. Just occasionally I get the feeling that the singer is a little unsure of where things are going, but mostly the singing is superb. The verses come from Lorca, but these are not arrangements of Lorca songs. Manolo is both a superb guitarist and master musician (the two are rarely together in one person) who always chooses the musical phrase over the flash gimmick. A recording you will need to absorb over many listenings to fully appreciate, but is well worth the effort.
3. Tributo Flamenco A Don Juan Valderrama The great Don Juan sings only on the first track - but what an ubelievable track it is: A Mi Tierra De Linares (Taranta). How often does Paco de Lucia (the accompanist here) get pushed into second place? The voice is everything on this track. The most controlled passion I have heard in flamenco - controlled in the positive sense, so that every nuance (and it is all nuance) is directed to the external utterance of the inner pain. This track alone has convinced me that the cante is the true soul of flamenco - how inadequate the guitar seems in this context...even in the hands of PdL. The rest of the album is crap!
I've been trying to get hold of Moraito's Morao y Oro but have been told it is out of print and is currently unavailable...
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