The Whole Music Experience

Gabriel Ayala & Will Clipman Passion, Fire & Grace Canyon Records I spent the weekend fighting off a lung infection. Fortunately, Yaqui classical/flamenco guitarist Gabriel Ayala and master percussionist Will Clipman’s recording Passion, Fire & Grace arrived in my mailbox. I listened to the recording several times over the weekend, even hitting the replay button. And at times I had wished for a long-play or a double CD because I found the music here enticing, healing, and comforting. There’s nothing worse than dealing with a sickness when you’re alone, and music can often bring comfort as this recording did. The recording supplies its listeners with plenty of flamenco guitar including renditions of work by nuevo flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucìa ( Entre Los Aguas ) and a younger flamenco guitarist Vicente Amigo. Most of the work here was composed by Ayala from the catchy opener Sonoran Nights to the nuevo flamenco piece Allegro that closes the CD. Native ...

Gabriel Ayala Portraits (Music for Classical Guitar) Canyon Records According to the Canyon Records website where Yaqui classical guitarist Gabriel Ayala is featured, classical guitar playing takes much dedication. Not only that, to learn the techniques which must later be augmented by a palette of musical emotions, involves many lonely hours of just getting it right. However, any loneliness an artist feels would be compensated by performing such luxurious music. On his debut Canyon Records album, Portraits (Music for Classical Guitar) , Ayala performs challenging compositions and does this so well that it seems natural and easy for him. His dedication has paid off in numerous ways. First he chose a wide canvas in which to express himself that includes French composer Erik Satie's popular Gymnopedia No 1 , Spanish composer Isaac Albeniz's Leyenda from Suite Espanola , J.S. Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D minor and the Celtic Wild Mountain Thyme , among other clas...