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«Un momento en el sonido» [Sony/BMG]
Five years without the guitar of Vicente Amigo is a long time. Half a decade
has passed with no solo record from the guitarist. Too long to go without
that ?splendiferous guitar? as Jos? Manuel Gamboa qualified
it. Says Vicente: ?It?s been five years during which I haven?t
stopped touring the world and recording with other artists, but now I intend
to devote more time to my own solo work?. And he returns with Un momento
en el sonido, his fifth solo record and one in which he lives up to the
sobriquet ?the guitarist of the twenty-first century? as some
call him, the great innovator, the most elegant and creative.
?I?ve
tried to redefine my identity at the same time being the person I?ve
always been. It?s a very serious album, very flamenco? says
Vicente Amigo when he talks about Un momento en el sonido. Buler?as,
sole?, farruca, taranta, tangos, rumba and bolero are the forms played
on the record. ?The bolero is dedicated to my son Marcos, so he won?t
be jealous of his brother Vicente to whom I dedicated another piece on the
previous record. And one of the buler?as? is for bullfighter
Jos? Tom?s. It was something I really wanted to do.?
The guitarist takes time out to comment on some themes from the recording
such as the farruca (?I wanted to give a different vision?),
the taranta (?I think I?ve contributed something new of my own?)
and the tangos (?I wanted this to be very flamenco?).
Un momento en el sonido is striking from the very beginning. The rhythmic
originality of the explosive rumba Demipat?, the delicacy of the
sole? Mezquita, the development of the buler?a Campo de la
verdad composed for bullfighter Jos? Tom?s, the solitude of
the taranta Un momento en el sonido, the magnificent string arrangements
of Joan Albert Amarg?s in the Bolero a Marcos… Vicente Amigo has
put everything into this album, a multi-dimensional recording in which the
Cordoban guitarist condenses his entire career and surprises us even more.
Along with his guitar there is percussion, keyboard and arrangements by
musicians such as Tino DiGeraldo, Maca, Cortina, Paquito Gonz?lez
and Joan Albert Amarg?s. Singers like Antonio Villar and Potito also
take part in the record. ?I was looking for purity, not marketable
names? says Amigo. There are also some unaccustomed instruments such
as the bandone?n: ?They add color. I had thought of leaving
the record with just guitar and palmas. In the end I added other instruments,
but I didn?t want to overload it.? An essential, contemporary
recording, Un momento en el sonido delves into the flamenco tradition for
inspiration and achieves a first-rate piece of guitar work that transcends
all styles and eras. Vicente Amigo?s permanent goal is to create a
kind of music that is born from the roots but which has universal appeal,
an objective the guitarist has always aimed for.
Born in Seville, his heart and soul is in C?rdoba. Vicente Amigo
was 20 years old when he won first prize at the International Guitar Contest
in Badajoz in 1988. A year later he won first prize at the Concurso Nacional
del Cante de las Minas de La Uni?n and the ?Ram?n Montoya
Prize? for concert guitar at the twelfth Concurso Nacional de Arte
Flamenco en C?rdoba. In 1992 he participated in the concert Leyendas
de guitarra in Seville along with Paco de Luc?a, Keith Richards and
Bob Dylan, just to name a few. Vicente Amigo was already rubbing shoulders
with the greats.
That was the beginning of his journey towards being known as one of the
greatest flamenco guitarists of all time, a reputation backed up by important
prizes: the Latin Grammy for Best Flamenco record in 2001, Best Flamenco
Guitarist chosen by Guitar Player magazine in 1993, two Premios de la M?sica,
in 1998 and 1999 and the Premio Ondas in 2002. A much-admired guitarist,
Vicente Amigo has played with Camar?n, Sting, Alejandro Sanz, Rosario,
Carmen Linares, Manolo Sanl?car, Khaled and Miguel Bos? and
has shared the stage with John McLaughlin, Al DiMeola and Milton Nascimento
among many others. He composed Concierto para un marinero en tierra, a tribute
to Rafael Alberti, along with Leo Brower, presented by the Spanish National
Ballet directed by A?da G?mez in 1998 and produced records
that opened new flamenco territory such as those of Jos? Merc?
and Remedios Amaya. Since releasing his first recording in 1991, Vicente
Amigo has been considered one of the great visionaries of flamenco guitar
and his career has been a straight upward line until reaching the culmination
of Un momento en el sonido, which is an important creative milestone for
this Andalusian artist.
With a magnificent cover design by painter Jos? Luis Mu?oz, Un
momento en el sonido represents a return, after five years? absence,
of one of our great guitarists, respected and admired for his permanent
capacity to renovate within the art. ?With Un momento en el sonido
I achieved my goal? says Vicente, ?and the title of the album
reflects exactly what I?m searching for?. His is truly a passion
for music.
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