Piano Jondo

Diego Amador's last name translates loosely into English as "lover." His album title, Piano Jondo, translates loosely into English as "deeply felt piano." The photo on the cover shows him shirtless, with downcast eyes and black, flowing tresses cascading down over his naked shoulders. And yet Amador records on the Milestone label, so you know he's not some kind of goopy new age guy. On the contrary, it turns out that he's something of an experimentalist, a pianist of substantial gifts working to expand the musical language of flamenco (a style of music not usually associated with the piano at all). To that end, on Piano Jondo he plays a variety of bulerías, soleás, and other typical dance pieces, imbuing all of them with an idiosyncratic rhythmic freedom and effusive romanticism that is somewhat at odds with the more controlled passion of traditional flamenco. It is also, to be perfectly frank, just a bit tiresome. The solo piano piece "Pa los Viejitos" is sprawling, impressionistic, and something of a mess, as is "¡Vivan los Gitanos!," a densely complex and thoroughly impressive tour de force of technique that somehow ends up being not much fun at all (though the special effects he pulls out toward the end of the tune's 12-minute length really are a hoot). "Soleá del Churri" and "Comparito" are more engaging, though, and the album overall is certainly not a failure. It just feels like it needs more focus and discipline.