Ambar is a Paris-based chamber ensemble that made its full-length debut in 2010 with
El Diablo Suelto, an album of South American dances. Led by violinist extraordinaire
Sasha Rozhdestvensky, the quartet also includes Colombian-born, classically trained colleagues Francisco Gonzalez (guitar, vocals), Nelson Gomez (guitarron), and Juan Fernando Garcia (percussion, flute). They made their full-length album debut on the Delos label. Comprised of various South American dances -- the Colombian bambuco and pasillo, the Venezuelan vals, the Brazilian choro, and the Colombian/Venezuelan porro and cumbia -- the album features collaborations with the
Moscow Chamber Orchestra (
Constantine Orbelian, conductor), Joaquin Riaño (guitar), and Ricardo Sandoval (mandolina). ~ Jason Birchmeier