Customer Reviews

Gypsy Passions: The Flamenco Guitar

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It is very easy to become confused by so many different forms of Flamenco (Jazz Flamenco, Classical Flamenco, etc); to this extent, there often are flimsy recordings and interpretations of the art. Where other recordings fail, this disc SHINES!! This disc has the very boldness..the very warmth of seville as you start from the beginning of the disc to the very end. A worthy recording...indeed.

I have very mixed feelings about the mononymic Rodrigo.

He certainly has some original ideas. In addition he has considerable technical facility; but also, unfortunately, a tendency to let it run away with him to the detriment of the rhythm. A perfect example of this is the Soleares, which starts strongly for four compases and then degenerates into a shapeless mess.

Even in the pieces that remain more or less in compás, there is often a rhythmic flabbiness. A reliance on showy ligados does not improve matters.

None the less, a lot of this album makes entertaining listening if you're not too fussy.

The compositions on this disc show what a great flamenco guitarist Rodrigo was before his death in 1996. The "Danza Mora" is a toque that allows the guitarist to explore its many threads of discordant variations which Rodrigo does very well here. All twelve tracks show Rodrigo's deft touch on the guitar and a composition for his wife, Remedios, a granadinas, bulerias por solea and a tango from Ronda, are among the best tracks on this CD. Rodrigo had a unique sound he and was one of the best guitarists of his generation, in a class with such great players as Pedro Bacan and Moraito Chico. This CD may be the only session that represents Rodrogo's solo flamenco artistry and demonstrates how good he was until his untimely passing.