The Scent of Light

John Diliberto’s review for amazon.com

Amazon.com: The Scent of Light: Ottmar Liebert + Luna Negra: Music
With one of his two 2008 releases, The Scent of Light, Nouveau Flamenco pioneer Ottmar Liebert opens up his music into horizons that are new, yet also recall his 1993 CD, The Hours Between Night + Day. Like that album, many of the songs here are inspired by Liebert’s travels, and similarly, rather than fiery flamenco, he takes a more introspective path with subtle, spacious arrangements. Ambient music, which he explored in the 1990s on Opium, remains an influence in Liebert’s music. He uses electronics to gently shape the acoustic space around his guitar and band with reverse percussion echoes on “Firelight,” call and response guitars on “The River: Writing in Water,” and a tamboura drone and tabla on the haunting “Candlelight.” Mellotron flutes and reverse guitar bring “Moonlight,” the most arresting melody on the album, to a haunting close as it dissolves into birds and wind. The centerpiece of The Scent of Light is “Silence, No More Longing.” It’s an 11 minute excursion that builds from a solo flamenco alap to multi-tracked guitars adding ambient electronics, bass, percussion, and finally unleashing a quiet electric storm from guitarist Stephen Duros. Like the album, it takes you from a world of interior ruminations to exterior vistas.
– John Diliberto

Going Wide-screen

The Scent of Light-Echoes August CD of the Month
The music on The Scent of Light builds slowly, each piece carving out a contemplative space until before you know it, the dynamic has completely changed. A centerpiece of the album is “Silence, No More Longing.” It’s an 11 minute excursion that builds from solo guitar, to multi-tracked guitars adding ambient electronics, bass, percussion, and finally unleashing a quiet electric storm from guitarist Stephen Duros.

John Diliberto takes a look at “Scent of Light” against my whole body of work.

You can read the whole piece here and listen to an audio version here. I love the ending of the audio-version!!

The Scent of Light

Echoes August CD of the Month
Ottmar Liebert: The Scent of Light
Nouveau Flamenco pioneer expands in cinematic colors

Ottmar Liebert created Nouveau Flamenco 18 years ago, and he’s been bending and stretching its boundaries ever since. The Scent of Light isn’t a radical departure, but a subtle shading of the Nouveau Flamenco sound with a layered and colored soundscape that brings new breadth and depth to Liebert’s music. The Scent of Light is our CD of the Month for August.

John Diliberto
((( (((echoes))) )))
Producer/Host

Thanks. I like the term cinematic colors.