This amazing disc is the first complete reissue album I have received using First Impression Music’s new K2 HD process. All I’ve had so far was the K2 HD Sampler, which we reviewed here. FIM’s Winston Ma has advised me that I was in error calling the K2 HD discs a variety of xrcd. Since they are produced by JVC Japan, packaged like xrcds, as with xrcds requiring no special decoding, and priced similarly, that was a natural mistake, but I’m told they are not xrcds. The process is not a gimmick – it overshadows the improvements of most xrcds and certainly gold CDs vs. standard CDs.
Winston mentions in his introductory notes that he has produced two flamenco recordings himself previously, but that this one recorded for the Philips label in Holland in l987 is in his opinion the best flamenco recording on the planet. I haven’t heard a great many of them but I would tend to agree with him. Pepe Romero is the member of the famed Romeros – The Royal Family of the Guitar – who has straddled both the classical guitar and flamenco worlds in his career, while the others have concentrated on the concert music. His brother (I believe, though could be his son) Paco is the dancer providing the explosive zapateado sounds on this disc. There are notes in the booklet by the cantedor Chano Lobato, as well as an introduction and descriptions of the various tracks by Pepe Romero. His essay “Flamenco: A Personal View” is the best short summary of the art I have ever read, and makes me want to investigate the form more thoroughly than I have previously -especially the cante (singing) element which I have found previously not as pleasurable as the other three flamenco elements: the toque (guitar-playing), baile (dancing) and jaleo (the rhythmic sounds and verbal comments). Lobato speaks in his notes of the compromises much flamenco has made, which he considers unfortunate. So I suppose he would not like the “new” flamenco which has mixed in pop, jazz, electronics and what have you with the ancient original folk form.
The notes describe the different rhythmic bases of the various flamenco dance forms such as Soleares, Alegrias and Bulerias, as well as something of their histories. Audiophiles will go nuts over the impact of the sounds from the performers on this disc. It is possibly the ultimate audio demo involving just four performers. The rich sound of Romero’s guitar is matched by the sharp percussive sounds of the castanets, but the greatest excitement here is generated by the super-explosive sounds of the zapateado from the footwork of the dancers. It has a presence and immediacy that must be heard to be believed. Your listening room should be shaking and your subwoofer jumping. All I can say is Wow!
TrackList: Farrucas, Zapateado, Aquellos duros antiguos, Soleares, Ha Entrao una fragata, Bulerias, De mi vera te fuistes, Alegrias, Sera el quererte, Mama yo quiero un lucero, Fue’ ,porque non me dio’ ganas, Y sino me daba doble, Que se ven desde el Conquero.
– John Sunier
