David Broza: En Casa Limon

If any instrument captures the spirit of Spain, it is the guitar. Performers such as Tomatito and Paco de Lucia have helped bring flamenco guitar to a global audience, and both have recorded albums at the Casa Limón Studios in Madrid. This studio has a certain mystique about it, and is where David Broza recorded En Casa Limón . Broza has a well-established career as a singer-songwriter, but this album highlights his talent as a musician.

Broza was born in Israel, but has traveled the globe, spending time in the UK, America and Spain. He has worked with legendary artists such as Steve Earle, Wyclef Jean, and Townes Van Zandt. When S-Curve Records contacted him about doing this project, Broza was slightly unsure at first. He had never recorded an all-instrumental album, and musically considered himself more of an accompanist than anything else. His musical talent, however, is impressive. Broza is an exceptional guitarist with an obvious passion for flamenco music.

Most of the songs on En Casa Limón were recorded using Paco De Lucia's guitars, which had not been played since his death in 2014. Casa Limón Studios is described as a "magical place," and playing these guitars must have added some serious flamenco mojo. This is evident from the opening track, "Guitar Confessions," where Broza's fingerpicking technique is nothing short of amazing.

While the album has a strong flamenco foundation, it is far from limited to that style. There are hints of other genres as well, which is not surprising considering Broza's musical background. As he says in the liner notes, "I am giving people 12 views of my influences."

Some selections, such a "Tom's Song," feature an obvious classical influence. Delfina Cheb's background vocals help to emphasize this. The playing here also seems somewhat reminiscent of Leo Kottke's guitar style. Hints of classical music are also apparent in the song "Saturday Morning," which has a sort of baroque flavor mixed with a slight Celtic feel from Tali Rubinstein's recorder accompaniment.

There are elements of jazz here as well. The song, "I'll Never Ride a Horse Again," for example features a mixture of jazz styles. As Borza mentioned in an interview, the inspiration for this song "was a cross between a jazzy Spanish guitar tune with the gypsy Django Reinhardt feel, and some Stephane Grappelli and Scott Joplin-style swing all mixed up."

"Flor En Masada #3" is another song which blends traditional Spanish sounds with jazz. Much like some of Paco de Lucia's music, the basic sound is flamenco, but jazz elements are present as well. The jazz feel is enhanced by Randy Brecker's excellent improvisation on trumpet.

En Casa Limón showcases both Broza's broad musical palette and his exceptional talent as a guitarist. At the core, though, this album is a worthwhile celebration of flamenco music and the Spanish guitar.