Flamenco and Tango

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.

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

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.

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).

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.