REVIEW: LIEBERT'S NEW AGE FLAMENCO SOUND FILLS THE TRALF

Concert Review: Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra, Tralfamadore, May 2, 2011 (Buffalo Spree)

The Spanish guitar has been put to fine effect in the history of jazz. Charlie Byrd brought the instrument to its zenith during the bossa-nova jazz era of the early 60s and Paco de Lucia virtually created the flamenco jazz sub-genre in the 1970s. Flamenco is Itself a form of world music, formed in the 19th Century from Spanish, Middle Eastern, and African influences. Flamenco jazz is a relatively new musical fusion with few accomplished practitioners.

Sunday evening saw one of the leaders of this fascinating musical niche when Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra brought their Nouveau Flemenco sound to the Tralfamadore to open their spring 2011 tour in support of their 2010 Petals on the Path release. The veteran quartet featured two percussionists and a five-string, fretless bass. They played to an enthusiastic crowd which filled most of the Tralf’s first floor.

The quartet possessed a sophisticated and distinct ensemble sound, best described as a kind of new-age jazz flamenco. Liebert’s comp…