Favourite CDs

... by Ailsa

• This changes week to week, but here's what's next to the CD player right now:
• The Silk Road
  Listening to Steve Homes' latest CD, The Silk Road, a question came to me. How difficult must it be to create music within the traditional flamenco forms, but still say something new and personal? I'm pretty certain the answer to that is 'extremely difficult'! But I think Steve Homes has done it.
  
  Along with the energetic percussion of Demi García, the distinctive voice of Ulises Diaz-Ropero and some spirited jaleos, Steve has come up with 8 original tracks which fit into a flamenco song form (with the exception of one track - Friends). At the same time his sharply pulled strings, bent notes and sometimes unexpected harmonies give it a flavour of its own.
  
  The playing is clean and clear and the feel varied, from the restless Bulerías to the joyful Alegrías. But I'm not surprised that it's the Seguiriyas moving into a Bulerías that was chosen for the title track. Not only is this beautifully played it's a great lesson for guitar students. I'd long been wondering exactly how you get from Seguiriyas to Bulerías. After some patient listening and counting along to this track I now know!
  
  I said 8 tracks, but actually there's a hidden track. The nameless track 9 really is something special and unique. Accompanied by a simple Seguiriyas compás, the spare harmonies reminded me of a Japanese koto. This definitely is something new and personal to Steve. To find out more visit Steve's website www.stevehomes.org
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• Flamenco
  From the World Music Series www.thegiftofmusic.com Guitarist Rafael accompanies Lola who sings and dances through Soleá, Bulerías, Alegrías, Tangos and more. Rafael also plays a fabulous Rondeña, Cabo de Minarete (my favourite track!) and Tarantos. This is a completely unpretentious recording - no big production values, just the real thing. I absolutely love it.
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• Alicia Gil: Cantaora de Bareto
  This was recommended to me by flamenco guitarist Florian, who is making a name for himself in Australia. Alicia Gil's voice is rich and slightly husky, and the guitarists are innovative and subtle in their accompaniment. El Aire is the funkiest Sevillanas I’ve ever heard! But unaccompanied she also sounds great - the Martinete and Debla that finish the CD are spine tingling.
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• Ricardo Marlow: Madera Sonora
  Ricardo is a young American flamenco, skilled at playing and a fine musician - he really knows his stuff about theory too. You can see lots of his advice for free on foroflamenco.com! This is his first CD, and he is currently transcribing the pieces for sale on his website. So if there's one you really like you can buy the tab from his website and learn it too. All the tracks are exquisitely played, but I guess my favourite has to be the Soleá, Plaza del Cabildo.

 Books

... by Ailsa

• About Flamenco
  
• Song of the Outcasts by Robin Totton
  There is an unbelievable amount to learn about Flamenco. This book tries to make it manageable. It comes with a CD, much of which was recorded by Totton while he was in Spain. It has chapters on song, dance and guitar, but most useful to me has been the chapter on the song forms or palos. To write about them, he organises them into similar or related groups - there are a lot more than you might think!
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• A Way of Life by Donn Pohren
  Donn Pohren was an American who embraced the Spanish and flamenco way of life, and for a while ran a house in Morón, near Jerez, where people could come to learn and experience flamenco. This is a fascinating account of that time before computers and mobile phones dominated our lives. A brilliant read for anywhere!
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• About Spain
  It's not really possible to get involved in flamenco without getting involved in Spain too. Here are a few books I've read while waiting for my next trip to Spain.
• Ghosts of Spain by Giles Tremlett
  Written by an English journalist who has lived in Spain for the last 20 years, this is well researched and easy to read. It contains chapters on flamenco and on that contentious aspect of Spanish culture - bullfighting. The overwhelming impression from the book is that the author absolutely loves Spain, everything about it. That really shines through the writing, and that can’t help but engage you.
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• The New Spaniards by John Hooper
  Just reading it now – coming soon!!
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• The Spanish Civil War - A very short introduction by Helen Graham
  As I read more about Spain I pick up hints of the impact the Spanish Civil War had socially and culturally, and that impact persists today. It was a complex time and this slim volume gives you enough basic facts to get a handle on the history. It's written in a factual and academic way - definitely not a book to chill out with!
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• Duende by Jason Webster
  This book has sold well and been translated into many languages, though not into Spanish I've been told! It's presented as an autobiography, but as I read it I thought, “Could all those things really have happened to just one person?” It seemed as if it was a compilation of several people's experiences. However it is engagingly written. Just my opinion - a great beach read, but feels like more of a novel than an autobiography.
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• Driving over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucía by Chris Stewart
  The story of how he and his family bought an old property in the Alpujarras. It's an English perspective on the landscape and the people, which he tells with affection.
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• Spanish language
  In my attempts to become more fluent in this beautiful language I've collected more Spanish language books than I care to mention. However here is my absolute favourite: Breaking out of Beginner's Spanish by Joseph J. Keenan. This book achieves the rare feat of teaching and entertaining at the same time. It's not often that I laugh out loud when reading a book about language!!
  
  Spanish is not Keenan's first language so he knows what it's like to not be able to find the right word or say something hilariously incorrect! The book will help you to sound more natural and fluent, by explaining some of the colloquialisms used in the Spanish speaking world, including guidance on which words not to say in front of your grandmother.