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RE: Gerardo Nuñez - BACK in Business!!! (in reply to Adam)
Good catch! And with "expedición 48h," some lucky bastard might be able to have it by Monday. Of course, I'm on another continent and am leaving town next week, and so wouldn't be able to receive it. But perhaps someone else here is in a position to order and receive it soon...
RE: Gerardo Nuñez - BACK in Business!!! (in reply to Adam)
Now available on Amazon MP3!!! I'm listening now... amazing stuff. I'm surprised he didn't tune his guitar for the opening of the first piece, though, haha.
Some of these tracks feel WAY too short though... yikes... The one minute-long solea could have safely continued for another 3 or 4. Considering the hand injury, can't complain, I guess...
RE: Gerardo Nuñez - BACK in Business!!! (in reply to Adam)
Thoughts, two weeks after the release:
The more I listen to the CD (I think my number of playthroughs is in the triple digits now), the more I can hear how specifically Nunez's hand injury has hampered his technical abilities. He uses overdubs and thumb technique in very unique and interesting ways to mask this, and I think he does an absolutely excellent job. Even the best guitarists will be hard-pressed to point out these moments.
Musically, the CD is on par with Nunez's best efforts. My only gripe is the brevity of certain compositions (and the entire CD!), particular "Tio Perico", which is a **1 minute long** solea. The first time I heard it, I was expecting the initial minute to function as some sort of introduction. Another piece, "Tio Pepe", seems unfinished -- the initial 30 or so seconds seem unrelated to the subsequent theme (aside from a passing melodic and harmonic resemblance). I get the feeling that some of the material was recorded before the hand injury (e.g., the rhythmic part of Ithaca) and spliced with newer recordings later (e.g., the opening of Ithaca -- note the weird crossfade between the intro and the actual alegrias).
Overall, I am glad that Nunez found inspiration in **something** (however an unlikely source two Africans seeking asylum might be) and didn't simply call it quits. From what I remember, he was actually working on two or three projects in the year before his hand injury, including a recording of the Aranjuez. I hope that some of that material still exists and will eventually be released.
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Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Gerardo Nuñez - BACK in Business!!! (in reply to Bulerias2005)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Bulerias2005
Thoughts, two weeks after the release:
The more I listen to the CD (I think my number of playthroughs is in the triple digits now), the more I can hear how specifically Nunez's hand injury has hampered his technical abilities. He uses overdubs and thumb technique in very unique and interesting ways to mask this, and I think he does an absolutely excellent job. Even the best guitarists will be hard-pressed to point out these moments.
Musically, the CD is on par with Nunez's best efforts. My only gripe is the brevity of certain compositions (and the entire CD!), particular "Tio Perico", which is a **1 minute long** solea. The first time I heard it, I was expecting the initial minute to function as some sort of introduction. Another piece, "Tio Pepe", seems unfinished -- the initial 30 or so seconds seem unrelated to the subsequent theme (aside from a passing melodic and harmonic resemblance). I get the feeling that some of the material was recorded before the hand injury (e.g., the rhythmic part of Ithaca) and spliced with newer recordings later (e.g., the opening of Ithaca -- note the weird crossfade between the intro and the actual alegrias).
Overall, I am glad that Nunez found inspiration in **something** (however an unlikely source two Africans seeking asylum might be) and didn't simply call it quits. From what I remember, he was actually working on two or three projects in the year before his hand injury, including a recording of the Aranjuez. I hope that some of that material still exists and will eventually be released.
I concur. Not so much arps and it is really a different style of playing overall. I always loved his thumb work and in an odd way that special sound he gets with pulgar is a sort of "too much of a good thing" on this. I was prepared for worse of course and what is here is very inspiring none the less. THe spliced buleria I agree with, interesting he didn't put palmas to the second half, I think it would have made a nice full sound. Perhaps the idea was to let the melody stand on it's own as per his brief fame for playing solo....meaning there was a buzz about him doing entire concerts several years back with his very modern synchopated playing but no "group" which is pretty standard for soloists since PDL.
THere was an other album called "salome" he did years back that showed a similar composing and recording approach....piecing together little thematic parts and short falsetas rather than full solid palos. The opening piece is neither a minera, nor alegria nor solea por buleria...rather elements of all through together. There was one impressive picado in there, and one not so impressive one. Musically I really like the whole thing, the recording is however a bit over compressed and those loud sustaining bass notes in the free palos are kind of ridiculous to me. The "Jazz group" pieces were recorded quite well though. I am also glad as you said gerardo is still doing his thing, but it really is a different style simply because of the finger issue.
RE: Gerardo Nuñez - BACK in Business!!! (in reply to Adam)
I love the new CD totally.
I lately heard an interview with Gerardo about that CD and his hand. There he says.. there was no injury. Its just the result of too intensive overuse that made his finger worn out kind off. Thats the reason he says..why his i finger is now slower than the rest. And the injury story is all made up ..a hoax.. ^^ Was interesting to hear though.. well... its not important if it was an injury or just overuse.. I think it was reversible until that point when he let a physiotherapist **** him up completely instead of going to a real doctor.
Anyway. His music is awesome..and also in this interview he said, the new Gerardo plays less like a machine like he used too, but more musically. Which is right and a good development.
Of all CDs he released, I like Traviersa most. So..I see no prob there. (But the 1min solea and awesome bulerias without percussion sucks balls,..though.. So awesome...but..so short and without percussion..dang it!!)
RE: Gerardo Nuñez - BACK in Business!!! (in reply to Doitsujin)
"...sucks balls" - is that good or bad - forgive my ignorance with forum-speak!!!
I saw Gerardo play at the Sage in Newcastle UK a few years ago, I think he was performing with his wife (corrections gratefully accepted) - I took my wife to see the concert to see if she could be influenced - even she loved it!
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Posts: 15725
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Gerardo Nuñez - BACK in Business!!! (in reply to Doitsujin)
quote:
There he says.. there was no injury. Its just the result of too intensive overuse that made his finger worn out kind off. Thats the reason he says..why his i finger is now slower than the rest. And the injury story is all made up ..a hoax..
Actually he just says it's NOT focal distonia. He says doctors dont know what it is...but I doubt he went to LOTS of doctors, he plays so much. Also, he never states the cause. I remember he told us, me directly via email, of the car accident 2008 and it happened suddenly and cancelled all his concerts for a few months. Later he started playing again and over time the issue revealed itself...no hoaxes I watched it all play out. In the interview he out right states he doesn't want to talk about it and continues playing a new way..."case closed" as he says.
I like how he says some interesting things I didn't know before that he reads tablature and chord charts and that's how he did studio work with Iglesias etc. He never lead us to think that he read charts in class. Later in the interview he says he doesnt' "know music" but has awards for composition etc. Sort of a contradiction. I find that flamencos and interviewers of flamencos seem to think reading music and knowing theory are the SAME thing. Also cool in the interview his commments on technique critics and that PDL used to go to his weekly gig at Candela. Very cool interview, I only found the music industry part depressing but we already been talking about this problem for years now so no surprise. Oh also I like how he made the point I talk about in my last post, they are NOT meant to be palos. He says "its in 3/4 thats it....I dont' understand it myself". Great!
RE: Gerardo Nuñez - BACK in Business!!! (in reply to Ricardo)
This part is interesting...
quote:
The Factoria Autor played dumb, and all my recordings, those ones I was talking about, are either lost or in my garage. They left them in a box in my house.
Is he talking about his collaborations with vocalists, or about the unreleased material he was working on before his right-hand index gave out? I would be very curious to hear the latter.
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RE: Gerardo Nuñez - BACK in Business!!! (in reply to Bulerias2005)
Thanks for posting the interview Daniel.
I enjoyed reading it! It just goes to show that even at his level, he still has to deal with all the usual BS. Man, Gerardo seems like such a cool guy. I saw him in concert in madrid but i never had the chance to meet him in person.
I'd like to hear some of the old recordings with rocio Jurado etc... He must have recorded a lot of stuff. I even have a cd by Andreas Vollenweider that he is playing on called "book of roses"
I like what he said about the importance of expressing something. Even without the first finger, he can still do that as well as ever IMO.
RE: Gerardo Nuñez - BACK in Business!!! (in reply to Adam)
So is anyone else massively upset that this release was just a blip on the flamenco radar (not to mention on the music industry radar)? The CD isn't even available on Amazon anymore, and it's not even acknowledged by many flamenco websites. So depressing, ugh. I am still holding out hope that the unreleased tracks mentioned in this thread and elsewhere -- some of which Nunez actually uploaded to Facebook! -- will materialize someday. Seriously. He is one of my favorite guitarists and I can't put into words how depressing this is. :(
Im sad that I heard 3 years after release about Canizares "Cuerdas del Alma", which is baller.
That's the German Amazon site... makes sense for the album to still be available there, since ACT is a German label... but it's not available in the US. :'(
Posts: 15725
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Gerardo Nuñez - BACK in Business!!! (in reply to Pimientito)
Well, since Gerardo's injury my worst fear was about him losing this piece Trafalgar....for me the best in his repertoire. This full concert was loaded and you can see gerardo successfully adapting with some new and old music. Notice he takes the original free intro and puts it to compas and has some new falsetas, then just as it gets into the main theme the video cuts. Still it's quite inspiring to see this:
RE: Gerardo Nuñez - BACK in Business!!! (in reply to Adam)
Is it his "I" finger that bothers him? In that video, unless the mic stand conceals what's actually going on, it looks like he keeps it quite straight while the PMAE fingers are busy.
RE: Gerardo Nuñez - BACK in Business!!! (in reply to Bulerias2005)
quote:
I am still holding out hope that the unreleased tracks mentioned in this thread and elsewhere -- some of which Nunez actually uploaded to Facebook! -- will materialize someday.
When I asked Gerardo about the Buleria track he was playing in his garden and the solea por buleria tracks...he laughed and said they would be on the next CD. I hope he wasnt joking. The fact is that tracks are always "left over" when you make a record.
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