Spain: Carmen Linares Cante Flamenco en Vivo

The casual listener who comes in contact with flamenco, particularly in live performance, is most often overwhelmed, but may find duplicating the experience on recording flabbergasting. An alert, then, for this disc, which is one of the more exciting recordings ever produced in any genre, let alone flamenco. This well-produced session from a distinguished series of international recordings presents one of the ultimate masters of the jondo style in front of an instrumental trio in which guitarists Paco Cortes and Miguel Angel Cortes duel vividly. Percussionist Jesus Heredia could conceivably have palpitations keeping up with the vocalist's handclapping, and so could the listener. The handclapping and the instrumental rhythms that go with it are particularly ferocious and beg the question: Just what is it that is passing for rhythm in so much other music? Well-done liner notes are provided in German, French, and English.