Talk about burning in the afterglow of a concert ! I attended the ten p.m. second show of Ottmar Liebert and his band Luna Negra at Soiled Dove last Saturday and that euphoric sense still pervades my hours like the feeling you get after drinking an aperitif for the first time. When I bought my ticket, the first show at 7 was sold out but I'm glad I decided to go ahead and do the late hours. Ottmar's music is played occasionally on a radio station I listen to regularly but I had never heard about him coming to Denver before so I'm assuming, right or wrong, that this was his first Denver gig. Actually, this was two firsts for me that night. The Soiled Dove is a venue I have meant to try for many years but one way or another I have not been able to attend this venue until last Saturday. It is equally fantastic for its small, intimate size and enigmatic atmosphere and certainly a great place to absorb Jazz, I can tell you that. When I entered the venue reception I found the room's walls were covered with Jazz greats including a photo taken there of B.B. King some years ago ! ! Everyone that worked at the venue was talkative and friendly, as well, so it was exciting and exhilarating just to attend a concert there.
Now, I have found that Ottmar's music cannot really be classified although I imagine he most likely is tagged as New Age quite often. Denver station KUVO is basically a Jazz station but they are owned by NPR which spins quite a variety of music on regular schedules and often blur outside of the Jazz genre into more eclectic fare such as Ottmar's music which shouldn't be classified at all in my estimation. As is often the case with artists like him he was born in Cologne, Germany to multi-cultural parents with only his father being of partial German descent. His genes show in his music because I heard quite a bit of Asian influence along with the almost hypnotic rhythmic patterns you would expect from a Hungarian which comes from his mother. He began playing the guitar at the very early age of eleven. Ottmar has traveled all over the world starting with a Rock and Roll career and urging him on an itinerate musical life eventually picking up a new sound when he left the Eastern United States for the East Coast and then Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1989 he started his new band- Luna Negra and apparently has never quite looked back from a Flamenco style of playing which permeates his sound and whatever influence pervades otherwise. He released an album sometime later and a local Indian artist by the name of Frank Howell, who owned an art gallery, began selling copies of his self-produced album titled Marita: Shadows and Storms.
At a time when instrumental artists have been on the wane, Ottmar's success has gained momentum since 1995 with quite a few recordings. Some titles you might want to look for are Euphoria (1995), In the Arms of Love (2002), Winter Rose (2005), The Scent of Light (2008) and Leaning into the Night (1997) and you can check him out on You Tube with the links I have provided below. His music speaks for itself so certainly check it out and go to his concerts if he comes to your town. It is worth any price to experience this man's interpretation of the Brazilian phenomenon of Flamenco and I believe you'll never forget any concert of his you may attend. Enjoy !
With passionate euphemisms,
The Castle Lady
