Flamenco purists might be upset that so many contemporary artists cop the centuries-old legacy of the music for their own pop-minded purposes, but the new age and worldbeat charts reflect a modern interest in this ancient style. Windham Hill has long been a label dedicated to creating samplers designed to appeal to both longtime fans and new converts to all types of music, and this collection is no exception. It features six popular genre classics from the last decade and four new tracks by
Adam Del Monte and new age artist
Sean Harkness. Individual songs were produced by veteran label artist and producer
Brian Keane and others. The new material includes "Night in Marrakesh," a duet by
Del Monte and world-renowned Turkish ney flute and oud master
Omar Faruk Tekbilek;
Del Monte's "Sombra Del Paraiso"; and
Harkness' "A Mi Hermano" and "Corazones Diferentes."
Tekbilek duets with
Keane on the Middle Eastern-tinged "Imaginary Traveler," which first appeared on the
Keane-
Tekbilek collaboration album Beyond the Sky in 1992. There's a mix of old and new, from "Tres Notas Para Decir Te Quiero" (from Spanish great
Vicente Amigo's
City of Ideas) to
Strunz & Farah's "Jardin," from the duo's 1995 album
Heat of the Sun. ~ Jonathan Widran