For tango, try to find some Daniel Melingo. This fellow has been heralded as the new voice of Argentine tango. He is both taking the tango back to its roots when it was created in the bordellos of La Boca as an ad campaign for prostitutes (vertical entertainment as prelude to horizontal) and putting a contemporary edgy dispair and growl to it that is bringing whole new generation of fans into the tango fold. He was described to me by a bunch of folks in Buenos Aires as "the guy who is putting the whorehouse back in the tango." I bought his first disk, "Tangos Bajos," in Argentina and it remains one of my all-time favorites. He has a new one out, too, but, try as I might, I haven't been able to track down a copy in the U.S. May have to get a friend down in BA to send me one. This stuff is definitely not Astor Piazollo nor in any way even vaguley sterilized or polite -- it's unapologetically raw (though very well produced) and, as far as I am concerned, unqualifiedly wonderful. My two cents. |
Ottmar Libert's "Barccelona Night" is fabulous, upbeat new age flamenco. Excellent recording job on CD. I never get tire of listening to it. |
Try the real thing:
"GitanerÃas", a club in downtown Mexico City (Zona Rosa). Cover is about 400 pesos... |
It my not be exactly flamenco but try Gypsy Soul, it has many artists, Oscar Lopez, Paco de Lucia,Strunz and Farra, Jesse Cook.Amirk,etc, it's on the Narada label and it's 24 bit so it sounds just great::, Nick |
Also, there is a series of wonderful Flamenco on Nimbus, I think it's called "Missa Flamenco".
Cheers,
Kiwi |
It's certainly is nice to see so much interest in Flamenco and Tango. A few suggestions...
"Two Cries of Freedom". Every other year since 1997 the Spanish government sponsers a contest to decide who are the best inmate singers of Flamenco within its prison system. Inmates from all over the country enter in these contest. In 1997 there were two winners, Jose Serrono, from Seville and Antonio "El Agujetas", son of famous Flamenco singer "Agujetas de Jerez" and grandson of "Agujetas the old". Serrono was serving a 25 year prison sentence for murder, and "El Agujetas" was serving a 15 years for possesion and distribution of drugs. The contest was so moving that the Spanish government and the Ministry of Culture allowed the two to record their talents under the guidance of master Flamenco producer Jose Delgado. The rest was kind of history. Oh, I almost forgot, the prize for winning the contest. Originally it was just to be 5000 pesetas, but because of the fame that Serrano and "El Agujetas" received the Spanish government decided to grant the two artist there freedom. Hence the titile.
This is a truly great recording. RIOR records ruscd8246.
Manolo Caracol, "Grandes Cantaores Del Flamenco"
A well performed charming recording. Ploygram Iberica 522087-2
Paco Pena, "Art of Paco Pena" a great master
Pepe Habichuela, "A Mandeli". Hard to find.
Rafeal Riqueni, "Alcazar De Cristal"
Sabicas, "Flamenco Fiesta"
Ramon Mantoyo, "Ramon Mantoya"
Uncle of famed Flamenco guitarist Carlos Mantoya on Chant Du records.
Tomatito, "Barrio Negro". New Flamenco well performed and very interesting.
Jarrez, can't remember the title, but very interesting
Also, Latcho Drom(I think that's the correct title) a soundtrack from the documentary. A recording/movie which tracks this art form from its roots in India to the European continent and beyond.
On the Tango front, I don't know much...almost everything that Piazzola did was fantastic. There is a cool group out of France called Gotan record titled "Project", very fun...kind of Tango trip hop fusion. Might be hard to find. Anyway, I hope this helps. Enjoy! |
Manitas de Plata of course. The Carlos Heredia album mentioned by Herman above is really good.
OT, David, I am really interested in those lps. Any duets? |
Speaking of Piazzola, you may wish to check out Fidelis Records website www.fidelisrecords.com . They are issuing a piazzola that is incredible! Far superior sonically to the Nonesuch recording, and (get this) a superior performance. I have a test/promo copy, supplied from the manufacturer, this is how I know. From what I'd heard, there were several copies floating around CES as well. |
If you like popular tango/flamenco,here is a few more artists.Jose Luis Encinas,Armik,Jesse cook,Oscar Lopez,Strunz & Farah. |
I'm wondering why nobody named Paco de Lucia "dos guitarras flamencas en america latina". To me this is best of the best and I've heard almost everything what was mentioned.
But don't by all Paco de Lucia without listening first, there are exceptions from the rule
. |
Bwhite, your points are well taken. Paco De Lucia is one of my favotite artists and I agree that his explorations of other genres in no way detracts from his artistry. For one of his albums that blends traditional Flamenco with a little twist try "Solo Quiero Caminar" on Phillips. The rhythms, progressions, and singing draw heavily on the traditional with some non-traditional instruments thrown in to good effect.
As for pure flamenco being difficult, it is the singing that is the hardest to acquire a taste for. It can sound a bit like a spanish cat with his family jewels in a vise to the uninitiated. But I like it.
Another good album in a more traditional style is "gypsy flamenco" by Carlos Heredia on Chesky. Very well recorded to Chesky's usual standards. A lot of the aforementioned cat wailing, excellent stuff. |
I am not very organized right now, but the last two CD's of this type that I picked up are:
Enrique Morente "Lorca" on the Marada label
Flamenco Highlights from Spain (six artists) on the International Passport label.
Both are a good listen.
Another gut string guitar player to check out (if you enjoy this instrument) is Juanjo Dominguez, who pushes it to the edge (his edge anyway - which is nice).
Sorry, all of the Tango is buried right now, but there should be some recommendation's if you do a search (seems like there was a thread in the past year on this and/or world music).
Kelly can kid, but I just purchased a huge mint Lesbian LP collection for $12. So, don't laugh, or do laugh (I'm not quite certain on this one). |
I agree with Herman (above) on the Paco De Lucia - however I wouldn't say that since he has slipped into other genres of music for special appearances - or interests - that he is not a traditional Flamenco artist. By most accounts, he is one of the finest guitarists (flamenco or otherwise) who has ever lived. I know Paco has received a great deal of criticism on the internet from Flamenco "fans" regarding his jazz performances and solo ventures but how can any astute listener let those efforts detract from the man's capabilities and flawless technique when playing Flamenco in its PURIST form? To me, that is just asinine.
Also - Flamenco in its PURIST form is very (and I mean VERY) difficult to listen to. Try some Paco De Lucia with El Camaron De La Isla if you want an example of pure flamenco which will spend maybe 30 seconds in your CD player before you destroy the disk...
Most people tend to confuse Flamenco with Rhumba (which in turn can be categorized as music from The Gypsy Kings - among others). Many of Paco De Lucia's efforts can also be categorized as Rhumba.
What most people do not realize is that Flamenco itself is more about the dance than the guitar, which is simply there for accompaniment purposes. Traditional Flamenco in a purist sense is a form of dance (not guitar).
The training of a Flamenco guitarist and the art in its most simplistic form focuses on whether or not the guitarist can keep the "PRaT". A great "purist" flamenco guitarist keeps the beat/rhythm for the dancers. Style and added flair given by the guitarist is secondary.
Just my two pesetas -
Oh.. if you want some "popular" sounding "flamenco" music try Luis Villegas. The Spanish Kiss album is a good place to start and very well recorded. This is Nuevo Flamenco and most likely the type of music people are looking for when they request Flamenco music. |
herman: i still have a couple of manitas de plata lp's that i bought in the late '60's-early '70's. i loved then. i love them still. good recommendations. -cfb |
For Flamenco, Paco De Lucia. While some recordings are not flamenco in the purest sense of the word, he is an amazing guitarist and if not pure flamenco, very close. He did a series of albums on Phillips that are very good. Check out "Friday Night in San Fransisco" with Al Dimeola and John McLaughlin as well as his solo projects. For more traditional flamenco try Ricaardo Ballardo. He is known as Manitas de Plata, which translates to hands of silver. I have a 1965 book of the month club box set that is outstanding. I just looked on eBay and there a few sets up for auction. Look under Manitas de Plata. Carlos Montoya is also a well known artist but not my favorite. A lot of his playing sacrifices artistry for flash. But he is worth checking out as he may be more to your tastes than mine. Avoid Ottmar Liebert like the plauge. A bunch of new age schlock masquerading as flamenco. |
Thank you cfb, I hope mr. dekay reads and responds!
KP |
kp: remember, "it takes two... ." well, you know the rest. a really interesting disc in this genre is: gidon kremer, "hommage à piazzolla" (nonesuch 79407 2). authentic tango from the source. BTW, dekay is a real fan of this and other forms of latin music (as long as its available in flea markets). :o) -cfb |
