Andreas Arnold – Ojos Cerrados (Bayla Records/Galileo Music, 2016)
Andreas Arnold, the virtuoso German guitarist and composer with a Spanish heart, released this album in 2016. As in other recordings, Arnold combines flamenco and jazz effortlessly. He plays the guitar Spanish-style, influenced by Vicente Amigo, Paco de Lucía and Josemi Carmona.
On Ojos cerrados, Arnold invited flamenco bass innovator Carles Benavent, who played with Paco de Lucia many years. Other guests include flamenco singers Antonio Lizana and Alfonso Cid; the fantastic Jordanian singer Farah Siraj, who also spent many years in Spain; Spanish singer Carles Denia; talented flamenco jazz flute performer Maria Toro; flamenco percussionists; and a string quartet, among others.
Most of the compositions are based on Flamenco forms known as palos, including rumba, buleria, fandango, tangos, granaina, and seguiriya. Arnold currently lives in the United States and he incorporates American jazz and Latin American influences on “Bolero de Brooklyn” as well as Morricone influences as well.
Overall, “Ojos Cerrados” is a captivating Flamenco guitar fusion with emotional and graceful performance.
Lineup: Andreas Arnold on flamenco guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki, mandolin; Antonio Lizana on lead vocals; Alfonso Cid on lead vocals; Farah Siraj on lead vocals; Vitor Gonçalves on accordion; Maria Toro on flute; Juanma Gómez on flute; Juni Distasio on trompa (French horn); Tania Mesa on violin; Layale Chaker on violin; Jocelyn Pan on viola; Colin Stokes on cello; Carles Benavent on bass; Ricardo Piñero on bass, palmas (Flamenco handclap percussion) and jaleos (shouts of encouragement); Luis Carrasco “Periquín” on palmas and jaleos; and Carlos “Vikingo” Ronda on percussion, palmas and backing vocals.
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Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.