This is where it all began. Ten years ago, Ottmar Liebert brought flamenco music to the world with a new style of playing he dubbed, appropriately, nouveau flamenco. Ten years later, despite such adventurous CDs as Opium a... more »nd The Hours Between Night and Day, Nouveau Flamenco remains his most popular CD. The reasons are obvious. Although Liebert is a technically gifted player, he lets the melodies of his flamenco-inspired tunes ring out over his own virtuosity. That's what makes songs like "Barcelona Nights" and "Sante Fe" so memorable. Nouveau Flamenco spawned countless imitators, some of them even very good, but this CD instantly reveals why Liebert has managed to be the top-of-the-brain name for modern flamenco music. On Nouveau Flamenco: 1990-2000, they've remixed everything, extended some tracks out a bit and brought in five additional pieces recorded at the same time as the original CD. The resequencing may throw off your memories of the original, and the mix here tends to be thinner and less reverberant, but one decade and millions of CD sales later, Nouveau Flamenco still lives up to its title. --John Diliberto« less
This is where it all began. Ten years ago, Ottmar Liebert brought flamenco music to the world with a new style of playing he dubbed, appropriately, nouveau flamenco. Ten years later, despite such adventurous CDs as Opium and The Hours Between Night and Day, Nouveau Flamenco remains his most popular CD. The reasons are obvious. Although Liebert is a technically gifted player, he lets the melodies of his flamenco-inspired tunes ring out over his own virtuosity. That's what makes songs like "Barcelona Nights" and "Sante Fe" so memorable. Nouveau Flamenco spawned countless imitators, some of them even very good, but this CD instantly reveals why Liebert has managed to be the top-of-the-brain name for modern flamenco music. On Nouveau Flamenco: 1990-2000, they've remixed everything, extended some tracks out a bit and brought in five additional pieces recorded at the same time as the original CD. The resequencing may throw off your memories of the original, and the mix here tends to be thinner and less reverberant, but one decade and millions of CD sales later, Nouveau Flamenco still lives up to its title. --John Diliberto
Buy the ORIGINAL-- nothing is "special" about this edition!
01/19/2003
(2 out of 5 stars)
""Special" doesn't always mean better!Get the original album that was released in 1990. This flat re-release boasts "extra tracks" that in reality are just remixes masquerading as new material. Note that the above editor's review mentions the "thinned" out sound of the special edition versus the original release. I agree completely, and that is the bulk of my complaint about this cd. The original version was meatier, had more purposeful arrangements, and the sound was unique without being flashy.This new edition, however, is a castration. New age guitar music already teeters dangerously on the edge of the easy-listening abyss, and this remastering has pushed 'Nouveau Flamenco,' a recording that barely evaded the evil clutches of Lite Jazz, into the bubble-bath music category.Bottom line: if you want MUSIC, purchase the original release in all of its dynamic acoustical glory; if you want a collection of lullabies or a smooching soundtrack, pick up this so-called "special" edition, complete with its extra synthesizers and a computer's sense of rhythm."
Summer Music at its Best
Dawn Woolcott | Vancouver WA | 06/07/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a wonderful cd I love to listen to. Perfect for background music during those warm summer nights during your barbecue party or as you cook dinner with friends gathered around. This was my first introduction to flamenco music and truly enjoy it. The songs are of a consistent nature, yet with distinct melodies so that they don't drone on together into one mass. They are just unique enough, yet similar enough so that they make good background music without becoming boring or irritating. I recommend it."
Soothing and Energizing - all at once
Liz | Reynoldsburg, Ohio USA | 08/01/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album is soft, gentle, makes you want to sway - and dance! If you regularly sit in traffic - play this album and you'll wish the traffic jam would last. Is it possible to be in a bad mood while listening to this? I don't think so..."
Integrated Forms, Beautiful Sounds
Donald Beale | 05/10/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"In this album, Liebert integrates flamenco and pop forms. The result, to my ear, is a different balance of rhythm and melody. And many of Liebert's melodies are quite beautiful. Several tracks stand out, including "Santa Fe" and "Barcelona Nights," yet there is a sense of unity, a consistent emotional tone throughout the album. If you're looking for authentic flamenco, this album is probably not for you; however, if you enjoy the sound of guitar and are open to something a little different, something with a flamenco flavor but not quite, you'll find this album quite pleasurable."
First experience with Nouveau Flamenco
Ernest Jarman, Ph.D. | Sacramento, CA United States | 06/04/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For someone new to Liebert's work this disc was a pleasant eye opener with excellent quality and variety. I found it relaxing, exciting, soothing, romantic and fantasizing. I could actually picture myself at a Mexican resort on the beach with dancers sourrounding our table.I could also visualize myself at home in a meditation listening to this CD; yes, exciting and relaxing at the same time. After listening to this CD a couple of times on the radio, I heard that Liebert was coming to town in an outdoor concert in three weeks and like a fantasy come true, I got a couple of friends together, played the CD in their car, and got three tickets for dinner and a concert. We are all psychologists, and this concert is our weekly gathering for business, pleasure, and entertainment."