Customer Reviews

Flamenco Espana

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Originally a poorly recorded 1959 recording, the digitial remastering has accomplished a near miracle in making this a pleasant, more than satisfactory, album of flamenco guitar. Most of the tracks are very short [total of 32 minutes] and are of the lighter, free flamenco forms, more Celtic than Arabo-Anadalus or Gypsy rooted [evidenced by castanets in the Fandango, for instance]. One exception is Soleares Jerezanas. Jerez de la Frontera is the other main center, with Moron, of Gypsy flamenco. Here, this music, supplemented by a dancer and a second guitarist, is serious and regular in rhythm and has a strong Gypsy sound. I find the guitar work very good but not outstanding; yet, Bernabe de Moron shows some compositional inspiration, particularly in track 7, Gitaneria Morisca, with its Moorish and classical [e.g., Tarrega] influences. Indeed, he often borrows from the classical guitar composers. The album closes with a fast alegria with dancer and palmeros. Considering the time, 1959, the album was designed to appeal to a more popular audience. If you are interested in deeper flamenco, seek elsewhere.

I bought the original vinyl recording in the 1960s and loved it. Bernabe de Moron is a more polished guitarist than, say, Manitas de Plata, and as technically precise and clear as Juan Serrano, but with more emotion and flair. All three were leading exponents of the flamenco form during that era, but of the three I actually enjoyed Bernabe de Moron's music the most.

I was devastated when my original LP recording was damaged and I tried for years to find a replacement, without success. Decades passed, then yesterday I happened to pass a Spanish restaurant featuring live flamenco players and I made a mental note to check online. I am elated to find this digitally-remastered edition of what had become, for me, a lost masterpiece.

ARUALAMI IS A PIECE DEDICATED TO HIS WIFE lAURA SPELLED BACKWARDS' TO MY LAURA ( A MI LAURA) 'THE DANCER ON THE RECORDING. IT IS NOT JUST A LITTLE TUNE THAT THE GUITARIST PLAYED WITH AND COMPOSED BUT IT WAS A VERY REVEALING PIECE WITH A VERY DEEP AND AT THE SAME A VERY LOVING SOUND FOR HIS WHAT WAS ONCE WAS A GREAT LOVE IN HIS LIFE