Thursday, December 13, 2012

José Luis Montón, Solo Guitarra

The spirit and tradition of flamenco guitar finds some brilliant extensions for today in the music of José Luis Montón, whose Solo Guitarra (ECM 2246) I have been listening to with great pleasure.

As the title makes clear, it is just Maestro Montón center stage with his nylon-stringed guitar in a series of pieces he composed and a singular arrangement of a Bach Air.

All the technique of the flamenco greats is implied and sometimes directly invoked in Montón's exceptional playing. But there is a modern, original element at play in the music too, in the more elaborate melodic details, in the more developed harmonic spelling, in some of the finger picking.

It's a beautiful recording in every sense, sure to grab the ears and hearts of guitarists and their friends everywhere.

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