Rodrigo y Gabriella

After one replacement battery and four years of near constant use my second generation iPod finally spun down. A disaster as such for me as I threw out my old portable CD player with the advent of the little white iMusthaves. For almost two weeks (an eternity I know . . .) my ears have taken leave from the thumping assault of Django and The Rosenberg Trio that they're used to on public transport. So where do ears go on holiday?



MEXICO! A CD kindly bought by Simon & Carolyn for my birthday recently has taken residence in this particular holiday camp. Rodrigo y Gabriella are an act not to dismiss by the odd artwork of their album cover. I'd briefly seen this reviewed in Word Magazine and sitting at the front of music stores but thought no further of it.

These two are in fact not gifted lizards, but a super-tight, wonderfully melodic and powerfully rhythmic latin guitar duo. I've been obsessed with learning Rodrigo's lead licks until watching videos of them on YouTube and noticing Gabriella's amazing rhythm technique. On first listens to the album I had suspected overdubbing, but no, it's Gabriella's right hand creating the bass drum, bass line, chordal work, triplet compas and occasional second lead line. The pair of them sharing and overlapping their individual sounds with outstanding control.

This is the kind of music that makes me want to learn these fantastic rhythms. It's anything but easy though. Some serious rasgueado practice is called for to play like a true Mexican reptile. Now that my replacement iPod has finally been delivered my ears have returned from their vacation with a much appreciated gift. I can once more enjoy decent entertainment on the Tube journey to work, drift away with the fairies and miss my stop at Waterloo while my brain has flown to Seville for an intimate flamenco show outside a tapas bar . . .