Ottmar Liebert

在新世紀及世界音樂榜上名列前茅的，當今西班牙吉他高手Ottmar Liebert，他對自己創作音樂的定義是：在世界音樂裡摻入佛拉門哥的味道。 Ottmar Liebert的音樂正反映出他那與眾不同的多樣文化生長背景，父親為中德混血、母親為匈牙利人的Ottmar，出生于德國科隆。11歲時，母親送給他一把吉他做為圣誕禮物， 從此Ottmar就和吉他結下不解之緣。后來進入學校研習古典吉他的Ottmar，在多年嚴格訓練再加上他自己高人一等的優質天賦交相影響下，一手出神入化的演奏絕技自是不在話下。而在七○年代末、八○年代初，將事業發展重心自德國轉移至美國波士頓的他，亦因杰出的技巧而被當時一些Fusion、Funk甚至搖滾樂團延攬為客座樂手。之后Ottmar則與他自組的Luna Negra （黑月）樂團在新世紀及世界音樂圈內闖出一番字號，而在移居美國西岸圣達菲后，Ottmar更以他的數張個人專輯接二連三成為全美新世紀音樂排行榜的常客，并且多次榮獲葛萊美獎的提名. Liebert has said that "flamenco is a music both romantic and dangerous; it is an attitude as much as it is a musical genre." Therein lies the philosophy that catapulted him to fame at the end of the '80s with an engaging mix of subdued flamenco guitar and South American percussion, rock, jazz, and pop influences. Liebert's "attitude" actually suppresses the more challenging and "dangerous" aspects of flamenco in favor of the romantic -- and the stylish. He's not a technical wizard on the guitar, but he has a feel for the music's innate sensuality and a gift for creating memorable melodies. Born in Cologne, Germany, to a Chinese-German father and a Hungarian mother, Liebert traveled throughout Russia and Asia before moving to Boston and eventually settling in Santa Fe, NM. After years of trying to hit the big time in various jazz-funk bands, he began playing acoustic guitar in Santa Fe restaurants. His first (self-produced) cassette, Nouveau Flamenco, was basically recorded for friends, but the album received heavy radio airplay on WAVE in Los Angeles. Higher Octave Records re-released it nationally in 1990. After his subsequent album Borrasca quickly climbed the charts, Liebert was picked up by a major label, Epic. With his exotic good looks and enigmatic stage presence, Liebert has brought flamenco to mainstream America with a certain level of class and accessibility. His prowess as a composer and instrumentalist has steadily improved over the years.