RETURN TO FLAMENCO; OTTMAR LIEBERT INFUSES HIS SOUND WITH NEW ENERGY.Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer German-born New Age guitarist Ottmar Liebert Ottmar Liebert (born 1959)[1] is a German-born composer and guitarist, born to a Chinese-German father, and a Hungarian mother. As a child, he spent most of his time traveling Europe and Asia with his family. has always been just a little ahead of the curve. Soon after releasing his million-selling debut, ``Nouveau Flamenco,'' in 1990, pop instrumental fans went mad for flamenco, even while Liebert was drawing on influences from the Middle East and Asia, r&b, jazz and ambient music Ambient music refers to a kind of music that envelops the listener without drawing attention to itself [1] 'Ambient Music must be able to accommodate many levels of listening attention without enforcing one in particular; it must be as ignorable as it is . With his just-issued ``Innamorare/Summer Flamenco'' (Epic), the Santa Fe Santa Fe, city, Argentina Santa Fe, city (1991 pop. 341,000), capital of Santa Fe prov., NE Argentina, a river port near the Paraná, with which it is connected by canal. , N.M.-based guitar virtuoso takes a trip back to the melodic Spanish sound of ``Nouveau Flamenco,'' one of the top-selling guitar records of all time, regardless of genre. The germ of the new album came to Liebert during several months he spent in Italy in spring 1997. ``I wanted something with a lot more energy,'' he said. ``I put together a nine-member band with three drummers, a horn section In a symphony orchestra the horn section is the group of musicians who play the horn (sometimes referred to as the French horn). In non-Classical musical groups, the horn section , three guitarists and bass. I took the same lineup and made the record.'' Liebert's breezy, rhythmic sound crosses many borders: New Age, flamenco, funk, jazz. ``We're at a crossroads in culture and music,'' Liebert says. ``I'm very interested in seeing where it will lead. We need to find ways that our cultures can merge to a certain extent. While I was born in Germany and have a German passport German passports are issued to nationals of Germany for the purpose of international travel. A German passport is, besides the German ID card, the only other officially recognized document that German (and most other EU) authorities will routinely accept as proof of identity from , and while I love being a longtime resident of my chosen home, the U.S., I also feel I'm a citizen of this whole planet, with its wealth of different flavors, sounds and colors.'' The Grammy Award-nominated Liebert and his group perform two shows Saturday at the House of Blues House of Blues (HOB) is a chain of music halls and restaurants founded in 1992 by Hard Rock Cafe founder Isaac Tigrett and his friend and investor Dan Aykroyd. It is a home for live music and southern-inspired cuisine, whose clubs celebrate African-American culture, specifically in West Hollywood West Hollywood A community of southern California northeast of Beverly Hills. It is mainly residential. Population: 36,600. . Despite having 10 albums under his belt and an international following, Liebert finds radio has recently become somewhat resistant to his music. ``Airplay air·play n. The broadcasting of an audio or audiovisual recording on the air over radio or television. airplay Noun the broadcast performances of a record on radio has slowed down considerably for us because we're not smooth jazz This article has multiple issues: * Its quality may be compromised by peacock terms. * Its neutrality is disputed. * It needs additional references or sources for verification. , and I don't play soprano sax,'' he said. ``Plus, you need that hip-hop thing in there. See, when you start your career, you have to make a point and sell as many records as you can. For some people, that means doing exactly what radio wants. Or you can follow your instincts and see where the music takes you.'' Among the highlights of ``Innamorare/Summer Flamenco'' are a couple of upbeat Caribbean-flavored tunes, a mariachi-tinged number that pays tribute to Santa Fe's ``low rider'' culture and a tune featuring a cameo from Carlos Santana. ``I'm lucky I have enough fans where I don't have to take a day job again,'' Liebert said. ``I can take chances with my music, and nobody tells me what to do. I proudly tell you my home studio is a thousand miles away from the nearest record guy.'' THE FACTS Who: Ottmar Liebert. Where: House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. When: 7:30 and 11 p.m. Saturday. Tickets: $20. Information: (323) 848-5100. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Despite his previous popularity in the New Age genre, German-born Ottmar Liebert is finding airplay a bit scarce for his new ``Innamorare/Summer Flamenco'' album. |
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