Tierra Negra & Muriel Anderson: New World Flamenco

Flamenco music came out of Andalucía in Southern Spain to spread its vibrant and majestic rhythm across the world. Time brought in changes, as the music absorbed different styles and approaches. Flamenco Nuevo, as the name suggests, is an approach that wraps in modern sounds into an ancient genre. Two of its protagonists, Raughi Ebert and Leo Henrichs, have carved a niche for themselves, blending pop and folk music into the earthy beat of flamenco.

Ebert and Henrichs met Muriel Anderson at Nürnburg's Gitarrentage Festival. After an impromptu session, they found that they shared a common love for the music, a feeling underscored when Anderson met them again while touring Düsseldorf. It was then that they decided to record together.

The music of New World Flamenco is ravishing, captured in the heady swirl of flamenco and in the gentle distillations of Anderson's classical and harp guitars. The melodies, beckoningly beautiful and achingly ethereal, add to the overall impact.

While Ebert and Henrichs found their muse in exotic European locales, Anderson was inspired, among other things, by the fun of the three being together and by a little sunshine in Seattle on an autumn day. The former emerges in "Nosotros," the joy communicated through Anderson's undulating melody before the trajectory becomes linear and open in its evocation. The autumnal muse appears in "Cloud Cover," with a snap and bounce testifying to its sunny disposition, but it is "Fiesta De Fuego" that opens the field. The sound of three guitars is rich in its sonority, with the melody and chords in seamless lock, while Sabina Amadia tops it with the percussive dazzle of her palmas and flamenco dancing.

"White Horses" may have a pop feel to it, but the passion in Ebert's playing is inherent in bringing in a commanding presence. He lets the melody soak in before ushering changes through pulse and tempo. On the other side of the spectrum, "See You in the Bar" not only has a more traditional rhythm coursing through, it also has a happy melody.

Technique and creativity join forces to make the music on this CD truly engaging.