Almoraima

I would normally say an album full of acoustic instrumental guitar songs is too much, even being a guitar player myself, but this album is full of unbelievable virtuoso. Reading the wiki page I understand this is a groundbreaking flamenco album and they are not kidding. Great entry!

Enjoyed this a lot - nice to get something a little different!

Wait…we can add albums that aren’t emo or indie folk?!??

I don't really know anything about Flamenco, and yet I can still sense the groundbreaking elements in this album. There's the Arabic harmonies in the genre being enhanced through middle-eastern scales and instrumentation in the opener and title-track, for example... I even wish that song had explored those influences a little more -- the fade-out at the end, just as the oud fully takes over, is a little frustrating... But it's the sort of frustration that also makes you want more, so it can't be a bad thing... There's also the jazz voicings found in quite a few tracks, grounded by the root notes played by the electric bass... Or the gipsy (and possibly also Brazilian) influences displayed in "Rio Anchor".... "Olé" sounds like a quintessential banger in the genre, up to its very name. Harmonically tense and texturally lush... "Plaza Alta" is also excellent, between its first "ambient" part and its livelier last section... I tend to prefer the second half of the record overall, but everything is impressive. With so much elegance, expertise, music writing genius, and virtuosistic moments in a purely technical standpoint, giving anything less than a perfect mark to this record will probably feel stingy for true amateurs of the genre. Even when you're not an expert, it's still very obvious Paco De Lucia placed himself within an old tradition he had quickly become the master of, but also challenged the codes of this tradition at times. And this distinctive impression really gives you the incentive to learn a bit more about this music style taken as a whole... In truth, I can't give full marks to this thing, because subjective leanings also play a part somehow, and I can't pretend I'm 100% passionate about the genre. That being said, *Almoraima* definitely comes off as perfect entry point for me (at the very least to know more about contemporary strands of flamenco). I'm still wondering whether it would be great idea to place so-called "traditional music of the worlds" in a supplementary 1001 items list (a list not merely dependent on the modern album format this time, given that gems in this very wide umbrella genre can also be found in pivotal compilations). But this sort of personal question is a bit abstract and "virtual" anyway. So at the minimum, I *got to* consider the inclusion of this Paco De Lucia album in my own potential list of keepers... 4/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 9/10 for more general purposes (5 + 4) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 77 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 98 (including this one) Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 190 ---- Émile, tu trouveras ma dernière réponse sous le *Inside* de Bo Burnham

Very cool classic Spanish guitar music. It sounds very impressive to play

Why aren't the albums like this the 3 hour ones?

Banger

Incredible top tier flamenco album.

Truly phenomenal! As a guitarist I appreciate the skill, the passion and intensity delivered from every song. The album really resonates with me. Time is impeccable, even throughout the fast picado the groove remains, the control is perfect and it sounds so relaxed and effortless. I'm in awe by the colour he brings with the classy jazz voicings and modal shifts. Magnificent and inspiring!

God, I love spanish guitar. This gave me a lot of that, without any distracting nonsense, A+

I have to admit I wasn't super excited to see this, but I ended up really digging it. Amazing guitar playing. 4 stars.

Great choice

Great music to study to.

A wonderful addition – thanks, recommender. The world needs more flamenco – nuevo, viejo or otherwise. Virtuosity may be apparent in even unfamiliar art forms and it's utterly obviously here, with such fierce precision. One's always found it odd how formal and structure Latin musics can seem (tango being the other glaring example). Belongs on list proper – many options to replace but will seem out of place for genre and geographical reasons (similar to South Asian and various West African artists) for its traditionalist depths, for commitment to variations within long-established (and justifiably so) contexts.

Guitar virtuoso pushing the boundaries of Flamenco? Yes that is why we are here

Flamenco, jazz. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

Flamenco is not something I'm usually listening to, but whenever I'm exposed to really good examples I'm entertained and impressed. I'm a fan of any kind of virtuoso guitar playing and this is top notch. I don't know much about it but it seemed a little bit more out on an experimental limb in some of the pieces, which I liked a lot.

Cool to hear some classical guitar wizardry on the list, I don't play even a tenth as well as Lucia but I'm still psyched to hear the instrument represented in its own light. This LP does open up a thorny can of worms, though, as it broaches on modern classical – would contemporary arrangements and other symphonic pieces be up for inclusion here? The list has always seemed more focused on music aimed toward popular culture. It's an interesting discussion to have, the musicianship shown here is insane at the end of the day and does stand on its own two feet. Kinda straddles the line between the two worlds, thanks for adding an LP that first of all rocks and second made me think deeply about what the 1001 is about for the first time in a while.

This is a pleasant change and I really enjoyed this. The musicianship is amazing. I can't imagine how good you'd need to be to play like this. It's more classical than popular but I don't care. We need more of this on the chart.

Fuego ❤️‍🔥 More like this!

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Almoraima, Plaza alta

Music can just be really nice sometimes, can't it?

Fun, even if I didn't really know what was going on at points. I found myself involuntarily clapping along more often that I would like to admit, and pretty much every song put a massive smile on my face.

While a fun listen and a good primer into classical guitar and Latin Jazz, Paco's technique is on full display yet the album feels slow and repetitive. 3.5/5

While the guitar work on this album is fantastic and may have been revolutionary for flamenco, I can’t find myself loving it. It’s definitely good. It’s easy to listen to and works nicely in the background, but maybe my knowledge of flamenco guitar work is lacking to truly understand the praise this album receives. 6.5/10

Bro was in a flow state

Not a type of music I ever listen to. Having said that I can really appreciate the skill and talent and passion displayed.

Almoraima shows off some incredibly skilful guitar work and gives an insight into flamenco that we've just not had anywhere in the list so far. Not entirely my thing but it's a spectacular listen in and of itself and it doesn't outstay its welcome, it's done quickly and with so little waste. Easy 3 on respect.

Spanish guitar noodling. Then more Spanish guitar noodling. He's a good noodler.