It's rare to find an audio album that utilizes a dancer to great effect, but there is occasionally a flamenco effort that captures the rhythms and excitement of the art form. Son De La Frontera is such an effort. A tribute... more » to the groundbreaking guitarist Diego del Gastor (1908-1973), the album features his songs performed by a top-flight quintet. Dancer Pepe Torres is a true artist here, not only tapping out complicated time signatures but also eliciting a broad array of sonic textures from his feet. Along with two percussionists (one which occasionally sings), the group also features precise but fiery playing by Raul Rodriguez on Cuban tres guitar and Paco de Amparo on traditional flamenco guitar, giving the songs a broader steel-and-nylon-stringed palette that is both Old World and New. With no gratuitous use of electronics, the real innovation here is the exceptional abilities of the players and their broad faith in these great flamenco songs to create breathlessly exciting music. --Tad Hendrickson« less
It's rare to find an audio album that utilizes a dancer to great effect, but there is occasionally a flamenco effort that captures the rhythms and excitement of the art form. Son De La Frontera is such an effort. A tribute to the groundbreaking guitarist Diego del Gastor (1908-1973), the album features his songs performed by a top-flight quintet. Dancer Pepe Torres is a true artist here, not only tapping out complicated time signatures but also eliciting a broad array of sonic textures from his feet. Along with two percussionists (one which occasionally sings), the group also features precise but fiery playing by Raul Rodriguez on Cuban tres guitar and Paco de Amparo on traditional flamenco guitar, giving the songs a broader steel-and-nylon-stringed palette that is both Old World and New. With no gratuitous use of electronics, the real innovation here is the exceptional abilities of the players and their broad faith in these great flamenco songs to create breathlessly exciting music. --Tad Hendrickson
CD Reviews
From the Musical Crossroads of Iberia
E. A. Guerra | Hialeah, FL | 07/14/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Son de la Frontera's debut CD is an exquisite blend of emotionally-charged, heart-stirring flamenco music, mostly drawn from Diego Del Gastor's rich legacy in Moron de la Frontera. Mixed in with the beautiful, stirring sounds of the Cuban trés played by Raúl Rodríguez; the haunting voice of Moises de Moron; and the compás of the rhythm section; their debut is an impressive work.
While others would rave on about "Como el agua entre las piedras" and the centerpiece "Cambian los tiempos", my favorite track on this CD is number three, "Bulería del corazón". It is truly a beautiful track with so much potential. Ironically, it is one of their more original works. The chord progressions are beautifully crafted like an artisan building a Spanish guitar, carefully crafting the body and winding its strings. It is truly a song that enters the heart.
Other tracks include its resounding beginning, "Bulería Negra del Gastor", the main homage piece to their master, Diego Del Gastor. Other tracks are equally phenomenal.
By the way, I saw Son de la Frontera two years ago playing at a concert at the Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami, before heading to Madrid, Spain with my school!"
Perfect blend
Molly Myers | Brooklyn, NY United States | 10/26/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Beautiful, hypnotic, Arabic-tinged Andalucian music. More naturally flowing than some of the new Hispano-Arab music. Relaxing but not new-agey or medieval."
Top-flight modern flamenco
Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 02/27/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Raw-boned, energetic Spanish flamenco, with a warm stylistic twist. Guitarist Raul Rodriguez introduces the double-stringed Cuban tres guitar into the flamenco ouvre, and the cross-cultural experiment pays high dividends. The mellifluous tres, which lends itself to melodic improvisation, adds a fluidity to the ofttimes severe flamenco style, while the crushing muscularity of flamenco gives the tres a bit of a goose, demanding it be played with more authority and force. Mostly, though, this is a traditionalist album, with Rodriguez and his cohorts taking up the mantle from one of Seville's master musicians, Diego del Gastor, who developed much of the group's repertoire. If you enjoy flamenco with its original raw, elemental power, the thunderous chords and keening vocals, then this electrifying debut will knock your socks off. Recommended! (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue music reviews)"
Beautiful !
Roger Benatar | santa monica | 03/10/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When I first heard this cd...few years back , I could not belive my hear . Who is that ? A tres plyed like a flamenco guitar , what a great sound ! I cant recommend enough this group , and I play this cd almost weekly since I bought it .
Music is about intense emotion , this cd is one of them ."
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1