Customer Reviews

Latin American Guitar Music

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Although I'm honestly tired of all the "Latin collection" CDs out there, this one is played by a "real" Latin and you can hear it from the first track. It is not only believable, but compelling. The poetry in Reis's two pieces (Track 2,3) is simply beautiful and Cobo's phrasing is refreshingly provocative rather than safe. This player's music is fluid, his sound silky and detailed, and his musical thinking exciting and natural. Although I have several versions of Piazzolla on guitar, these arrangements totally rock. Cobo's arrangement of "El Choclo" is dazzling, especially the last variation. Without saying more, every track on this recording is really special. Take it from a serious student of guitar and avid listener- this CD is a must-have if you like guitar.

I had looked forward to Cobo's release of this collection of Latin American guitar music. There are few players on the planet who can match his technique and sound (he won the prestigious Guitar Federation of America Competition in 1987), and fewer yet with such direct ties to Latin American music (he's a native of Colombia and has received that country's highest honors for accomplishment in the arts). The CD doesn't disappoint. Much of the music is familiar to guitarists, although not all from guitar renditions (Cobo has transcribed some popular tangos from piano or other mediums). Cobo's talent is apparent and consistent throughout. If you like the tango or similar music, and/or if you like to hear the classical guitar played well, you'll like this recording.

This is my favorite CD of Latin American guitar music. Ricardo Cobo is a Columbian guitarist currently living in Las Vegas and his playing is among the best I've heard. As the liner-notes indicate, this CD features some well-known Latin American composers as well as some who are virtually unknown. (Outside of the Cuban composer Leo Brouwer, all the composers whose music is featured on this CD are South American.)

The pieces by Manuel Pujol are particularly moving (his work in homage to Piazzolla is alone worth the price of the CD!), as are the two works by the little known composer, Dilermando Reis. Also worth mentioning is Leo Brouwer's piece 'Un Dia de Noviembre,' a beautiful modal ballad (in the natural minor 'Aeolian' mode) that sounds almost like 'new age music' but that is more interesting and subtle. I don't particularly care for the two pieces by Astor Piazzolla (the 1st and last tracks on the CD), as I don't think they fit well with the rest of the CD's music, but overall this CD has enough beautiful guitar music to warrant many listenings. Some of the slower pieces are reminiscent of the music of the brilliant Paraguayan guitarist/composer Agustin Barrios, whose music was neglected for too long but is now getting serious attention (I would recommend David Russell's recording of Barrios' music for solo guitar -- simply beautiful).

And with Naxos' extremely low prices, you really can't go wrong with Cobo's CD!

I've been waiting for this CD to come out. It was worth the wait. The pieces are familiar Latin guitar music. The playing is the best I've ever heard on any Cobo recording. His Latin soul comes through in this recording. With his superior technique he gets an amazing sound out of the guitar. The richness of this music comes through more with each listening. Buy this CD! You won't regret it.

What can I say? Every piece on this recording I love, and Ricardo plays them all to perfection. This CD is sure to get more play than most of my other CDs. If you like classical guitar check out all the Naxos label CDs, I own like 4-5 of them, and they are all excellent listening. This one I must say stands out to me, but mainly because of my preference for Latin guitar music.