The Germans have their male-voice choirs, the French the musette, the Scottish the bagpipes, and the Spanish their fandangillo, solear and tango – or to put it more concisely – flamenco. This music is far more than just folk music passed down from generation to generation for it combines strict dance form with a free vocal melody and virtuoso guitar playing. Fame equal to that of a toreador is reaped by the few who have mastered this form of art.

Paco Peña and his Ensemble rank among these few, and it goes without saying that no recording studio in the world can do real justice to the fascination of flamenco. As the short sub-title “puro” suggests, this LP certainly lives up to expectations in encapturing an electrifying live atmosphere. Thrilling flourishes on the guitar, the sharp clack of the castanets, the rapid zapateados (heeltaps), and the typical, almost harsh singing are reproduced so clearly and spatially that one cannot help looking around to see where the musicians are standing. Those of a suspicious nature can be sure here that the “Phase-4” Process is anything but a publicity stunt.