.png)
Estrella Morente - Autorretrato
Estrella Morente (the woman of the pic) is Enrique Morente's (the guy of the pic) daughter. Enrique Morente, who died at 67, a few years ago, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
So, let's get back to Estrella. She is just 33. She lives in Granada, Andalucia, (South of Spain) where most of people really listen to flamenco (I even saw there some teens singing flamenco in bars at 11am). She is married to a bullfighter because that is what Andalucia's well off people should do.
She started recording when she was 20. Her most famous song appears in Almodovar's Volver (her voice is behind Penelope Cruz interpretation in the movie: http://youtu.be/vY7sabq_C1U
I knew her just a little, and I really discovered her a few months ago at the Carnegie Hall in NYC and enjoyed her show. On stage, on top of Estrella's voice, there were a couple of guitars, some kind of bongo, and.... the handclaps (palmas). Actually, there are some professional handclaps players who perform ... clapping hands. And apparently, it is not that easy. They usually all perform sitting on chairs, except the lead singer who stands.
Her latest album is called Autorretrato (self portrait). In this album, she sings with famous flamenco artists (guitar players and singers), such as Vicente Amigo, Montoyita, Paco de Lucia and her father. She also interprets some less traditional flamenco songs with Michael Nyman music. And finally, there is also a nice romantic ballad with Pat Metheny.
I believe that this album is a good introduction to flamenco for all who don't know that type of music. It is also a good illustration of all the different influences of flamenco and how this music can evolve.
More about flamenco: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flamenco
My favorite songs of the album are
- Adagio (15) with Enrique Morente
- En un sueño viniste (9) with Vicente Amigo
- Seguirillas de la verdad (2) with Paco de Lucia
- Pregón de las Moras (1) with Michael Nyman
Hope you enjoy it!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qkio4haad6dyfmy/AACLm0HprsMbGGrV5tzyojK2a
This album was a welcome change, and although there were some interesting songs, overall I wouldn't say I enjoyed it as a whole. It was nice to enjoy vocals without the distraction of actually understanding them, but I didn't feel Estrella Morente's voice was particularly strong or interesting. The third track "Find Me In Your Dreams" highlighted this for me, it was shrill and annoying and ruined the Pat Metheny accompaniment I was really looking forward to hearing.
ReplyDeleteI liked "Como la corriente" and "A lola flores" with what sounded like Indian influences. "Cancion del Bembon" was good (excluding the child-choir at the start *shudder*), the jazzy feel reminded me a bit of Arturo Sandoval, a Cuban-American trumpet player. "Le di caza al alcance" sounded like it could have been in Moulin Rouge, but there was some dodgy intonation that was difficult to ignore.
I've listened to this album about five times at work, overall I found it interesting but this isn't a keeper for me. I give it a 2.5.
A great choice. Would likely not have encountered it without the 'klub, so thanks for that. My ignorance of the language and limited exposure to flamenco makes it hard for me to fully comprehend this, but I do recognize a beautiful voice when I hear one.
ReplyDeleteMy rating more reflects my experience with music than the music itself. I could not get into it, but probably because it was too big of a stretch for my musical background.
ReplyDeleteThis one made me nostalgic of my childhood in Barcelona. I enjoyed it but I do think there is something missing when you don't have the experience of the watching flamenco with the live music to accompany.
ReplyDeleteI really struggled with this one. Some of it was beautiful, but more in moments that whole songs. I can absolutely appreciate the technical skill of the musicians involved, but it didn't last long on the playlist, I'm afraid.
ReplyDelete2/5