To say that until recently I have known next to nothing of Spanish music is an understatement. Thankfully there are enlightening resources at the disposal of newbies such as myself, and one of the finest (and most affordable) is Putumayo’s Espana. By combining their extensive liner notes describing themes and styles in Spanish music with repeated listening of the eleven track CD, one can even begin to sound somewhat knowledgeable in world-music oriented conversations. I won’t fake it – 90% of what you’ll read in this review I learned from Putumayo Presents: España.
Putumayo is the premier label for overviews and introductions to specific aspects of the world music scene. In an age of ever shrinking liner notes, the digipack for Espana includes a 35-page, trilingual guide to the music of Spain, notable contemporary artists, song themes, and musical influences. This English, French, and Spanish musical companion guide also includes a recipe for Spanish Bread Pudding. In the face of such generosity it feels like nit picking to point out that full translations of the lyrics are not included. Another downside is that it is anchored firmly to the inside of the digipack as a stapled booklet, and any rough handling will result in its partial, but not clean detachment.
Spain’s music offers a rich diversity of regional music styles, and the blending of many cultural influences, ever evolving, and multi-faceted. While it may be fairly undiscovered here in North America, the mestitzo (mixed) style of music pulsing outwards from Spain has gained great heights of popularity in South and Central America particularly. This combination of traditional Spanish styles such as flamenco with notable reggae, pop, ska, and electronica influences that can be clearly heard on “Cumbia Caimanera” and “Te Estas Equivocando”.
“Pasapeanas” is a fascinating instrumental piece from an equally intriguing musical collective. Biella Nuei is devoted to performing traditional music from the Aragon region. With this devotion comes a passion for playing and making local instruments such as a string drum, and Spanish bagpipe! The Celtic influences that have worked their way into Aragonese folk music are clearly heard on this track.
Xabier Lete’s “San Martin, Azken Larrosa” is performed in his native language Euskera (the language of the Spanish region of Basque), the only track on the CD that isn’t performed in the Spanish language. This somewhat melancholy ballad features the piano and sounds somewhat akin to subdued jazzy blues work with clearly Spanish guitar work.
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