Rafa El Tachuela Flamenco Rumba Guitarras CD

The seventh album from German flamenco artist Rafa el Tachuela's work with ARC Records explores the influence of flamenco music on the rumba, and more importantly the influence of the rumba on modern flamenco guitar music. The flamenco usage of the rumba is one of the forms of the Ida y Vuelta (there and back) rhythms in use in modern guitar stylings, as the rhythms of the Caribbean and South America have come into fashion in the Spanish guitar circles. If the all-important cante flamenco is left out of the mix (as it often is in the modern tendency to focus on guitar virtuosity), then the foreign rhythms can add a surprising amount of energy to the guitar work. Here, Tachuela works his way through a surprisingly large number of tracks, accompanied only by Pablo Carcamo's bass and the percussion work of Hossam Ramzy (and occasionally some help on a drum set from Carcamo). Even with a stripped-down group though, as well as the lack of a singer, there's some quite worthwhile music here. It's not pure flamenco by any means, but that doesn't invalidate it musically. The additional rhythmic components help out what could otherwise become a tedious (though outstandingly performed) two hours of acoustic guitar. Of course, some of the luminaries of the genre are always recommended, but the talent of Tachuela is surprising and definitely worth hearing. ~ Adam Greenberg

Personnel: Rafa El Tachuela (flamenco guitar); Pablo Cárcamo (bass instrument, drum, percussion); Hossam Ramzy (percussion).