Miguel de Maria -> RE: Hey Fire Fingers! (Nov. 16 2004 15:36:15)
|
I do think that marketing is one thing, but there is bad taste, too. I hate how Esteban's advertising copy always mentions that he is the protege and heir to Andres Segovia, a patent falsehood (although there is a picture of a young, goofy Esteban with the old man). He also refers to himself as a virtuoso guitarist. Now, there is no objective definition of virtuoso but general consensus is that he is quite average. I believe I have seen Ottmar Liebert called the heir to Paco de Lucia's skills and prestige, another out-of-bounds marketing leap. And I agree--the word flamenco must be used with respect. My thoughts are that people like Ottmar, Esteban, and Dedos de Fuego can call themselves "Nouveau Flamenco"--that silly phrase Ottmar made up but is now pretty ingrained in the marketing scene, but not Flamenco guitarists. I actually cringe when I am introduced as a flamenco guitarist, because I although I probably know more about it than these fellas, I am not one. I'm just a guitarist. I played a recital with some classical guitar buddies the other night. As I walked into the music school where the recital was to be held, I saw a disturbing thing: The flyer. The flyer read: MIGUEL DE MARIO and ALEX ZAVILAK, playing FLAMENCO GUITAR! I cringed because we were going to be playing a few rumbas, a few jazz tunes, and a couple South American tunes. We had extra time at the end, so I got up and played a solo granaianas, solea, and bulerias for the audience. I also explained that the name was MIGUEL DE MARIA! The owner of the school kept referring to me as "Mario."
|
|
|
|