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Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ
Son of Firefingers
Simon, and some of the guys might remember the incomparable Firefingers from last year. Now...see this. Especially check out the videos on the DVD page...if you can bring yourself to do it!
You know, I was about to accuse Todd of moonlighting as this guy. But Todd, you cut your hair. Okay, I believe you, You're not Benise!!:) Hey, I was just joking!
Watching these videos left me with a slightly sick feeling in my stomach. This guy reminds me of an 80's rock guitarist. He's an 80's rock guitarist who got him an A/E and now jams on stage with looks to be the same stage moves. I guess Ottmar started this, but this guy has really brought it all the way, hasn't he? I wonder if he got the idea from that guy in Florida who plays the duet with his son while muting the guitar.
WooooooW, this guy is the best thing since canned bread!!!! ;)
Nevertheless, I remain very impressed and envious, for all the wrong reasons.
The documentary trailer is like Spinal Tap Flamenco version. And PBS picked it up? Shame, shame. Thank goodness he is not coming to my town and disturbing my peace with his "pieces".
Katy and I watched a few minutes of his program as he was on all the PBS stations over the weekend. Not flamenco and not our cup of tea.
Benise was very careful to point out all the important aspects of his production. There are those who will love this production and those that will not. There was enough electricity used to light a small city. Such is life.
Just imagine all the money put into this show? Wow! You could feed a thousand starving children for a year! Well, what is PBS for after all?
Now this might be political but it is true.
Karl Rove (the Bush administration man) is a personal friend of Ken Tomlinson, who was appointed the President of PBS. Now you know – PBS - the Public Broadcasting System – that entity that is receiving less and less funds from the federal government?
PBS and Fox News were at opposite ends of reality until Mr. Tomlinson took over PBS. Mr. Tomlinson saw to it that PBS did not get our of line with Fox News or the Administration's point of view.
Being a Vietnam vet I am reminded of the position of PBS during the period of 1965-75 in Vietnam. For many years during the Vietnam War only PBS would speak out about other than the administragion line.
Well, after all the nice things that Mr. Tomlinson did to get rid of objective journalism on PBS (Bill Moyers as an example) we have a legacy of excretion for entertainment. There is a four-letter word (Old English) for excretion but regardless of what you call it is smells the same!
Perhaps someday PBS will return to a source of programming worth watching. In the mean time it is off to the bank for the great entertainers that we are presented with.
What is important though is that the masses enjoy themselves. Just like the Roman Circus.
Watching these videos left me with a slightly sick feeling in my stomach.
Ditto
quote:
I bet he laughs all the way to the bank!
Fortunate for me, I don't need money/laughter bad enough to bastardize an entire genre of music.
quote:
PBS and Fox News were at opposite ends of reality until Mr. Tomlinson took over PBS
Interesting, since Rupert Murdoch (who owns Fox) also owns CNN. There are no 'fair and balanced' sources of information left, are there?
Oh well, I'll leave you with some Yeats: "A statesman is an easyman, who creates his lies by wrote. A journalist creates his lies, and rams them down your throat. So sit back, drink your beer, and let the neighbors vote." Or something like that.
I was going to write something about how who cares, blah, blah, but after watching his video trailer, think this guy's show is really a fraud. He even has his musicians thinkin they are doing some kind of flamenco. And the dancer thing, man, I hope none of those girls are really flamencas, that would be sad. PBS sucks to support this crap. To think what kind of flamenco show they could have presented the public, and with tax money they give us this crap. Ole you smucks.
Hehe, i gues all the sudden Manits de Plata dosent seem like such an imposer :-
LOL!
Manitas wasn't that bad really...I still have a soft spot for him. I think he was a genuine guitarist happy to play just for himself and friends, before the marketing people descended upon him and told him that he could make heaps of money with their help. (after they took their cut off first of course.. LOL) I haven't been able to download the video, but the mp3 tracks I can. He's a strong and confident player, with a good sense of (albeit 4/4) rhythm, but it's all pretty one-dimensional, mainly focussed on this "trill" picado style. For me, as a Flamenco enthusiast, it gets boring pretty quickly. But he's got a flashy, "in your face" style, that I can appreciate relates quickly to entertainment audiences who care little about music. He also seems to be very image conscious, which I think plays a big part in that style of music. At the end of the day, who am I to say if it's good or bad... It's certainly got nothing to do with Flamenco whatsoever. But if he's happy playing that stuff and audiences are willing to pay to hear him, then that's what it's all about... Good luck to him. It's very hard to make any money in music for most musicians.
Ron, you've got to see the video to understand what it's all about. I wasn't offended by the music, but by the show, and the mindset behind it. It's an impersonation.
I came across the Benise website a few months ago, when I was first getting into Flamenco and Nuevo Flamenco. Never actually bought any of his albums, though. But let's not forget that his website clearly labels his work as "NUEVO" Flamenco rather than Flamenco "PURO" and so it is bound to contain a mix of styles.
I think this MP3 is a good example of what he does:
I'm not sure if its actually a Fandango (as the title suggests), but maybe some of you guys can clarify that one. Anyway, there's this bit about half way through where he lets rip with a shred/heavy metal style lick. Definitely NOT Flamenco style, perhaps more like Yngwie Malmsteen (as another member said) or even Ritchie Blackmore.
But IMHO, its okay to mix styles as long as you don't "pretend" your music is something other than what it is. For every Flamenco Puro fan there are two Nuevo Flamenco fans, and for every two Nuevo Flamenco fans there are three heavy metal fans. Perhaps the floccinaucinihilipilification of any of these genres is slightly childish.
Good points Jbashorun. I didn't realize he was labeling his work as neuvo. Perhaps I should thoroughly investigate prior to passing judgment. It still nauseates me on some level when I watch his videos, but like you say, live and let live, albeit not in my CD/DVD collection.
But IMHO, its okay to mix styles as long as you don't "pretend" your music is something other than what it is. For every Flamenco Puro fan there are two Nuevo Flamenco fans, and for every two Nuevo Flamenco fans there are three heavy metal fans. Perhaps the floccinaucinihilipilification of any of these genres is slightly childish.
Live and let live!
James
If you show a video of him doing just a few compasses of seguiriya, soleareas or sth. like that ( yes with the fingers! ) it might change ones opnion on him. Now it just feels like he is not the one to mix flamenco with other styles. He only seems to know some phrygian modes and a lot of speed. Has nothing to do with flamenco.
He often plays a note twice or more when playing a lick. So it sounds fast but his lefthand is actually slow and thus the lick. But I havent listened to all songs.
To me this is the most poor Nuevo Flamenco ive ever heard. Ottmar Liebert is miles away from this guy, tonewise and also musically IMO.
In my modest view, he has kind of crossed a line in simplifying music, so it is too much degenerated/reduced now.
Ps: No its not fandango its 4/4 and fandango has either 3/4 or 12compas afaik...
Printable Version
......well...eh.. 
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