Customer Reviews

Gypsy Soul: New Flamenco

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is not traditional flamenco, but rather a mixture of flamenco, Latin and jazz wrapped together to make for seventy-minutes of pure listening joy. The flamenco style is definitely the overlying theme of the album filled with tremolos, rasgueos, glopes and lightning-fast runs. Everyone that appears on this album is a master of the guitar, from those you'd expect like Paco de Lucia and Al Di Meola to those who will surprise you, namely Slash. Fourteen tracks and sixteen amazing pickers provide a varied flavor for this album.

Jesse Cook starts the album with "Rattle and Burn" and sets the tone with this rumba-sounding piece. His melody comes off effortless with elegant ease. A very nice sounding piece. There is something special about two or more guitars playing at the same time, which makes "Heat of the Sun" from Strunz and Farah a joy to listen to. Each guitarist has their own voice and they counterbalance each other well. Plus, the speed of these guys is unbelievable. A more classic sounding piece comes from Oscar Lopez from his piece "Fire and Fury". Lopez is a master of the guitar and music as can be seen from the way he changes speeds throughout this piece with fingers a blur. Ruben Romero turns in the star performance of this album with his rendition of "Malaguena". His slow intro gives way to increasing speed, and his techniques will leave your jaw dropped.

Compilations like "Gypsy Soul" are great in exposing you to many artists at one time each with their own sound and nuances. This allows you to follow up with the artists that you enjoy the most. There isn't a dud on this album, and the talent and sound will leave you begging for more.

The talent, toil, passion and devotion of the artists on this ensemble collection cannot be surpassed. Though every cut is outstanding, some prove even more dynamic. The virtuosity of Jesse Cook and emotional arrangments and percussion on Bozzio Levin Stevens "Duende" are riveting. Di Meola's "Mediteranean Sundance" can only be topped when listening to it on the live San Francisco album when joined by de Lucia and John McGlaughlin.

Anyone contemplating negative commentary on this CD needs to "take a deep one". The end sum of years of bleeding fingers, lifetimes of devotion to thier art and passionate hours of playing easily total a millenium!

An absolute gem in any collection - whether you know it or not!

Spanish flamenco is a music style that has so many cultures mixed into it. It has styles all the way from the Indians to the Arabs and to the Jews. This CD is a magnificent showcasing of great flamenco talents. I especially enjoyed pieces like Paco De Lucia's "Zyryab" and Bozzio Levin Stevens' "Duende" which have Middle Eastern touches. The playing is extremely exquisite and shows why the Spaniards are the kings of the guitar. There is just so much talent here vibrating with life and passion. The music reveals deep emotions and thoughts. There are many songs here that have hypnotic intensity. Ruben Romero's version of "Malagueña" is vibrant and rich in composition. This is a CD any lover of flamenco music will enjoy, any lover of REAL music. This is art done with emotion and sensuous feeling. Some songs will just call you back for more listenings. Great work of art.

Why can't Narada make a habit of releasing records this good?Most of the cuts on the album are good and there are a few gems.Slash of defunct Guns N Roses makes an appearence with"Obsession Confession",a hard driving virtuoistic masterpiece that he wrote for a soundtrack."Duende"by Bozzio Levin Stevens is a 7 minute mini epic that is intensity and passion personified."Malaguena", a traditional spanish guitar workout is given a go by Ruben Romero."Ritmos de Valarta"is a breezy and upbeat tune of Benedetti and Svoboda.Jesse Cook's "Rattle and burn"is just what the title implies,a fast and furious sparkler that is chez kool and packed with tremendous energy.The masterwork of the collection is by jazz great Al di Meola.His"Mediterranean Sundance"is exhibit A in virtuoistic jazz and world guitar playing.The progressions and changes in the piece are startling and evokes every image of the sun drenched Mediterranean you can imagine.This is without doubt the best compilation Narada has ever put together.Here's hoping for many more to come.

As I understand it, some purists would not call this Flamenco music of any kind, but it is wonderful and energizing to listen to nonetheless. The level of virtuosity on guitar displayed on this album is really incredible, and the delightful variety of songs is really nice. As a degreed musician and professional harpist, I have a tremendous respect for the level of musicianship demonstrated on this album. This is my first sampling of "New Flamenco" music, but it certainly will not be my last. A big plus for me is that it is all instrumental, so I'm not tempted to sing along, much to the relief of my fellow bus riders and coworkers!

The musicianship in "Gypsy Soul" is excellent by any standard. However, if your looking for a "pure" flamenco disc, this isn't it. My overall impression is that "Gypsy" is a very good collection of artists discovering new directions in which flamenco can be taken. There are tracks that lean more on the traditional side like Oscar Lopez on "Fire and Fury" and Ruben Romero on "Malaguena" but for the most part gypsy blends with other musical styles. At the low points, some of the tracks seemed tainted with a "new age" sound that added a kind of cheesiness to an otherwise beautiful performance. The high points more than compensate with performances that are technically jaw-dropping, but avoid being showy or boastful. The playing is fluid and passionate. This disk will quickly transport you to sun-drenched exotic places. I bought it a couple years ago and I still play regularly. Not one of those discs you forget about or use as a coaster.

GYPSY SOUL is the wonderful follow-up disc to Narada's earlier release GYPSY PASSION. Together the two discs comprise two of the finest compilations of the "New Flamenco" style heard anywhere.

If anything, GYPSY SOUL is even more eclectic than its predecessor, exhibiting the talents of New Flamenco stalwarts like Jesse Cook all the way across the spectrum to Slash of Guns 'n' Roses fame. Slash's contribution is a restrained, yet heady melodic instrumental which would stun most of his usual fan base.

The disc shows all its contributors to be virtuosos, and the recording style (rather raw and untouched) brings out the earthy qualities of New Flamenco at its best.

Great array of amazing guitarists. Would recommend to anyone who loves Flamenco.

A true, work of art! I must say, I am a rock, jazz, and blues fan. My interest in this CD was pecked, only after hearing that Slash, from the rock group Guns N Roses, had a cut on this CD. I have to say, not only is Slash's cut a completely amazing, stirring example of acoustic guitar, but the other 13 cuts are just as awesome. This is one of only a few CD's that I have purchased that I can honestly say, I equally enjoyed EVERY cut. This is not the kind of CD that you do not want to listen to, while attempting to do anything else, because you don't want to miss a single cord! With out any reservation, I would encourage any non, new or accomplished guitarist, to purchase this CD, because it contains the work of so many great artist and is a true work of art.

I have a huge flamenco collection, and I should say that this is an essentinal CD to any flamenco lover. A little bit different of traditional flamenco (after all is nouveau flamenco, remember?) but with great passion. A word of caution: this 20-Bit recording sounds so extremely good that any other flamenco record will sound dissapointing. Great selection, extraordinaire guitar players and superb arrangements. Buy it!!!!!