Guitarists to check out:
www.pacodelucia.org/ Paco de Lucia, the greatest living Flamenco guitarist ever. When he expanded the harmonic vocabulary of the Flamenco guitar, it changed everything. I probably wouldn't even play Flamenco if it wasn't for him.
www.manolosanlucar.com/ Manolo Sanlucar is also one of the greatest living guitarists in history. He and Paco were contemporaries but went down different paths. Manolo is a master musician not just a guitar virtuoso. He writes music (cifra) for guitar, voice, and orchestra. His collaboration with Sara Baras in the ballet "Mariana Pineda" is in my opinion one of the greatest acheivements in Flamenco music today. His album "Tauromagia" was a huge inspiration to me and is one of the best albums ever recorded.
www.vicente-amigo.com/ Vicente has become known as the heir to the throne of Paco de Lucia. He is a fine example of what the teaching of maestro Manolo Sanlucar can produce.
www.myspace.com/demismanos This is the official myspace of Jose Luis Rodriguez my dear friend and mentor. His compositions are absolutely breathtaking and take the listener deep inside the duende and intense emotion in which Jose Luis exudes in his playing.
www.joseluis-rodriguez.com/index1024_1152.html Here is the website of Jose Luis Rodriguez. The master guitarist and composer from Huelva, Spain.
www.pedrosierra.info/ Pedro Sierra is one of my personal favorites on the modern Flamenco scene today. I met Pedro in 2006 at the Flamenco in the Sun Festival in Miami while collaborating with Jose Luis Rodriguez and Bailes Ferrer in the festival. He gave me a copy of his new album "Nikelao" which quickly became my preferred listening for several months. The format that he used on this CD was creative genius. The first half is modern toque with additional instruments and the second half is him accompanying some of the greatest cantaors of Flamenco by way of somehow sampling recordings from over 50 years ago and playing with the new harmonies of today. A must own.....
www.gerardonunez.com Gerardo is one of the top innovaters of the Flamenco guitar. Perfect and precise technique, alternate tunings, theme based compositions with development, unbelievable speed, and impeccable taste. I met Gerardo in Sanlucar de Barrameda, Spain during his Curso Flamenco 1999. I had such a great time. He very much liked my solo Latin Americam repertoire. He was a great host and helped me enjoy Sanlucar to the fullest. His latest CD "Andando el Camino" is I feel one of the greatest achievements in the world of Flamenco Fusion.
www.juancarlosromero.info/ Juan Carlos Romero is yet another monster guitarist from Huelva. I very much enjoy his playing and his compositions. He grew up in Huelva with my friends Jose Luis, Antonio Sousa, and "El Pecas" . I have yet to meet him, but look forward to it in the future and also the possibility of collaborationg with him to do some transcriptions for FlamencoGuitarClass.com.
www.pacopena.com Paco Peña is well known to Classical guitarists because of his collaborations and frienship with John Williams. He plays mostly the music of masters Ramon Montoya, Niño Ricardo, Sabicas as well as his original falsetas. I think his gift is mainly in his arrangements of traditional toques. Somehow they have a very coherent form to them and don't sound like a whole lot of rambling falsetas which unfortunately happens naturally with many traditional players. I love transcribing his playing. It is so easy becuse of how clean it is. Recommended..
www.adamdelmonte.net/ Adam Delmonte is a virtuoso Flamenco AND Classical player. He has been a huge inspiration to me over the years and is a great friend and colleague. His Classical CD "Ezordio" is published through Guitar Solo Publications and is a wonderful addition to any Classical music library.
www.bellinati.com/ Paulo Bellinati is Brazil's premiere composer/guitarist of today. His compositions are full of virtuosity and are all based on traditional songs and dances from Brazil. His CD "Serenata" is a must own. He also has done some amazing arrangements of songs from other popular Brazilian composers.
www.latinguitar.com/ David Burgess is a Classical Guitarist that has done some heavy research of unpublished music from Brazil. His album "Silver Nuggets and Fools Gold" is a fine example of his research into the beautiful music of Latin America. I got a chance to meet him and see him perform in 2006 at "La Guitarra California".
www.peperomero.com/ Pepe Romero was one of the first guitarists that I ever heard play Classical Spanish music on the guitar. I immediately fell in love with the Spanish guitar and have continued to be inspired by Pepe over the years. I have attended several of his masterclasses and have everytime walked away with a newfound love and respect for the guitar.
www.johnwilliamsguitar.com/ John Williams was also instrumental in me picking up the instrument after hearing his early recordings. I have yet to meet him or see him play. It is said that he never plays a bad note. Some people call it robotic and un-human (he might well be an alien), I just call it downright unfair! We'll, I guess that is what you get when you had the chance to be under Andre Segovia's tutelage at a very young age.
Flamenco Shops:
http://www.flamenco-world.com/flamenco.htm This is my favorite Flamenco site. It has interviews with all of the top Flamenco artists. Also an extensive collection of CD's, DVD's, and just about everything Flamenco.
http://www.flamencon.com/ Flamenco Connection is a store in DC with an amazing inventory of CD's, DVD's, books on all things Spanish - poetry, letras, sheet music, and dancewear. I recommend calling their 1-800 number and request a catalog. If you want to buy a CD from Spain, and you live in the States, this is who you call. 1-800-Flamenco.
http://www.stringsbymail.com/ My one stop shop for strings hands down. They are committed to getting your strings to you in a timely fashion. My favorite thing is that they sell individual bass and treble sets. This means no more mounds of un-used treble strings lying around. I typically order about 10 sets of Labella Flamenco medium tension basses and six sets of Hannanbach Flamenco trebles. I am usually good for a few months after that... Toll free in the U.S.: 1-800-513-8271.
http://www.gspguitar.com/ The ultimate collection of sheet music for Classical guitar and all things guitar. Request their catalog and you'll see what I mean. They also have an extensive collection of CD's and accessories. I recommend calling them and ordering a catalog for a few bucks. 1-415-896-1144
http://www.bfwoodguitars.com Bruce F. Wood is a guitar luthier in Santa Barbara and a dear friend. Beautiful instruments with punch. Aside from building Flamenco guitars Bruce also offers Jazz cutaways and Classicals. All guitars are made to your own preference at a reasonable price.
http://www.guitarsalon.com/ This is a great site not only because of all of the great guitars they have for sale, but also they have a huge collection of Classical guitar CD's. Make sure to look for the Laureate Guitar Recital Series. These CD's are from prize winning guitarists from all over the world performing some of the hippest music for Classical guitar. Not to mention that they are all $7.99.
Other Musicians, Bands, and Friends
http://www.luismunoz.net/home.html Luis Muñoz is a phenomenal composer of Latin American music from Costa Rica and a friend. His lyrical compositions have been a big inspiration to me. His CD "Vida" is a must own.
http://www.flametal.com/ Ben Woods of San Francisco is a close friend and an incredible guitarist who is the creator of a unique combination of Flamenco and Metal. That's right Flamenco and Heavy Metal. Beware it is scarrrrry!!!!!
http://www.incendiomusic.com/index.asp My friend and student Jim Stubblefield leads one of the only few cool Rumba bands that actually have some chops and don't call themselves Flamenco. Several CD's to pick from, a performance DVD and lots of live shows in California and throughout the U.S.
http://www.francoshea.com/index.htm Frank O'Shea is a Fretless Bass player who plays Flamenco Fusion with some of the best Flamenco musicians in the world. His group includes Juan Manuel Cañizares, Jorge Pardo, and Rubem Dantes. He is like me, a Celtic Soul with Spanish blood. Great player and very interesting music. Check it out!!
http://enjoyincubus.com/ My cousin Brandon is the lead singer for this rock group.
Flamenco, Spain, and Information
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flamenco Here is the link to Wikipedia's information guide on the "Art of Flamenco". This is for those that want to learn about Flamenco and its origins, history, song forms, important figures, etc... Happy reading!
http://www.flamenkos.com/ This site hosts alot of the main Flamenco artists in Spain including Paco de Lucia, Jose Luis Rodríguez, Mayte Martín, Cristina Hoyos and more.
http://www.affedis.com/transcriptions.html Alain Faucher is a friend of mine from France who is the top transcriber of Flamenco sheet music in the world. If you are interested in Flamenco transcriptions look no further.
http://sfflamenco.com/ San Fransisco's official Flamenco site. There are lots of really talented artists performing in the Bay area. This site will give you all the info you need for performances and workshops.
http://www.donquijote.org/culture/spain/tuna/ Crazy about Spain and want to know more about it? This is the site for you. This site contains everything about Spanish culture including bullfighting, fiestas, food, cinema, languages, painters, even "Tuna groups" who at night played beneath balconies, serenading the women they had their eyes on while equipped with a wooden spoon and fork in their pocket ready to dive into a bowl of soup to reward their efforts. strange huh?
http://www.oscarnieto.com/ Oscar Nieto's site has one of the most extensive Flamenco directories I've ever seen. Includes a worldwide list of instructors, organizations, educational resources, shopping, etc...
http://www.yourweddingday.ca.com The ultimate resource for brides. My sister and Brother in-law own this magazine and handle all of my graphic needs.
http://creativestonemassage.com/ Pete Artusio is my massage therapist in Santa Barbara. He specializes in Hawaiian Lomi Lomi and Hot Stone Therapy my personal favorite.
www.mypartyplanner.com Party planning services for Santa Barbara and the rest of the U.S.
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