Customer Reviews

La Guitarra Flamenca

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In case you're not familiar with Sabicas (1912-90), he was one of the greatest flamenco guitarists of the 20th century and a major influence on all his successors, most notably Paco de Lucía.

Around the end of the '50s, he recorded three albums for the Elektra label, known to aficionados simply as Sabicas Volumes 1, 2 & 3. The first and third consisted of pure Flamenco, but in the second (possibly just for a bit of variety) he played several stunning arrangements of pieces from other genres that had caught his fancy -- this despite his total inability to read printed music.

This CD comprises volumes 1 & 2 in their entirety. The contents are:

01) Bulerías

02) Farruca

03) Fandango

04) Soleá por Bulería

05) Granadina

06) Soleares

07) Siguiriya

08) Malagueña

09) Alegrías

10) Tarantas

11) La boda de Luis Alonso [Jiménez]

12) Fantasía Inca [Martínez Oyanguren]

13) La Malagueña [Lecuona]

14) Guajira

15) Farruca

16) Czardas [Monti]

17) Gran jota [Tárrega]

18) Milonga Flamenca

19) Danza Mora

20) Gallegadas «Aires del Norte»

21) Capricho Español [Rimsky-Korsakov]

Tracks 1-10 embrace the material from Volume 1, which overlaps considerably with that of the seminal Flamenco Puro album (apparently now re-released) that made such an impact in Spain. It covers the gamut from 'light' to 'deep' Flamenco styles (including the deepest of all, the siguiriya, of which Sabicas recorded comparatively few examples).

The next track is a cheery little tune from a zarzuela (Spanish light opera). Fantasía Inca makes ingenious and evocative use of parallel fourths, bonks on the face of the guitar, and 5/4 time. The Malagueña is of course the famous one, of which Sabicas's arrangement (which can also be seen on the DVD King of the Flamenco Guitar) has become legendary.

Perhaps the most amazing performance is Monti's violin showpiece, which is performed at full speed, and which inspired a later version by Lucía which is feeble in comparison. Aires del Norte is a medley of pipe tunes from the artist's native Pamplona, and the Milonga is a flamenco arrangement of a Latin American rhythm. The Guajira, Farruca and Danza Mora are pieces from the lighter side of Flamenco.

Several tunes are double-tracked. However, although many of Sabicas's later albums used the same technique with exemplary stereo separation, Vol. 2 (frustratingly and incomprehensibly, for Vol. 1 is stereo) was only recorded in mono.

This is a wonderful album of historic recordings, and the total time is over 69 minutes.

P.S. The photograph on the rear is printed back-to-front -- Sabicas wasn't left-handed!