Jim Stubblefield blends guitar with other instruments such as viola, venturing into Flamenco, Latin music and classical. On his latest CD, Guitarra Exotica his sound is clearly influenced by the Latin guitar style of Strunz and Farah.
Jim Stubblefield/Guitarra Exotica/(Natural Elements)
California-based guitar trio Incendio are one of the hottest acts on the nuevo flamenco guitar scene and one third of the band, guitarist Jim Stubblefield has a solo career that's well worth checking out. On his fourth solo CD from 2007, Guitarra Exotica, Stubblefield is backed up by bass, violin and percussion. The sound on Guitarra Exotica is expertly recorded acoustic flamenco with added sounds from South American and even Afro-Cuban music genres. Having grown up listening to jazz icon John Coltrane and nylon string classical guitar legend Segovia, Stubblefield keeps his musical palette brimming with stirring instrumental guitar-based ideas.
ARTIST: JIM STUBBLEFIELD
TITLE: GUITARRA EXOTICA
LABEL: NATURAL ELEMENTS RECORDS
This is very nice stuff. Jim Stubblefield plays sizzling flamenco-infused guitar, with extra helpings of steam. Who knew that this level of intense, sexy energy could come from a nylon string acoustic guitar? But Stubblefield can play him some fine tunes, hey. I have to confess, I didn't expect to like this as much as I do. The slickly packaged CD shows a hunky young blond rock & roll surfer-looking dude, and has a credit line for his makeup artist. Makeup?? And it was recorded in Castaic. Castaic?? Well, looks can be deceiving, and as it turns out Jim Stubblefield really does have a thing or two to offer here.
Yes, Guitarra Exotica's take on flamenco definitely has a rocker's sensibility, but living in LA, and exposed to all the great sounds available in this musical melting pot ... how could it not? So, melt it does, like burning, swirling lava that just keeps rolling through, becoming more intense the closer you come to it. There are lots of good flamenco musicians around. What makes Stubblefield stand out is the way he melds his excellent guitar skills (he's a GIT grad) with a solid feel for flamenco passions and modalities, and an LA urbanite's spot on sense of sound and pacing in this recording.
Stubblefield's sound here is well supported by Ruben Ramos and Randy Tico alternating on bass, Bryan Brock on percussion, and Novi Novog on viola. They provide a sensual grounding layer from which Stubblefield's skilled flamenco inventions can soar. To hear some of Guitarra Exotica you can check out Jim Stubblefield's CDBaby page (CDBaby.com/cd/jstubblefield2) which has samples from all the cuts of this album. Alternatively, his My Space (www.myspace.com/jimstubblefield) page has less selections, but they are full cuts not excerpts. The MySpace page also has his tour schedule, which lists a couple of upcoming California dates.
I couldn't find any video of Jim with his Guitarra Exotica band, but YouTube has a number of entries for him with Incendio, another of his flamenco-on-steroids projects. This album is a great example of how genres evolve, merge, and inform each other. Stubblefield's amalgam of flamenco sounds and stylings, with pop pacing and support, is a winner. Definitely worth checking it out." Barry Smiler is a former touring musician, retired concert producer, and all around great guy. In his doddering senescence he still retains a few opinions, and occasionally offers them in places like this.
REVIEW OF JIM STUBBLEFIELD'S "GUITARRA EXOTICA" (from a Metal Website!)
Okay, why am I reviewing a flamenco guitarist on a rock and metal webzine? Well, because sometimes I come across stuff that is beautiful, inspiring, and strikes a chord with me. And also because I find a lot of rock and metal fans and even musicians like other types of music in addition to their main passion. And because we're all bettered by the music we listen to. I came across this guy and listened to his music and it's awesome stuff. This is his first solo release in a decade and he's traveled all over the world and has been inspired by the music he's come into contact with. He's also one of those people you can't apply a label to because he plays such a variety of different music. This guy's music is well composed and excellently played and produced. All of the compositions take you on a mystical carpet ride through Latin America, Spain, and even the Middle East. He understands and respects different cultures and he takes you along on an experience that is mind blowing and that you won't forget soon. This is your ticket to world travel on a sonic level. Enjoy the trip.
REVIEW OF JIM STUBBLEFIELD'S "GUITARRA EXOTICA"
Jim Stubblefield’s latest solo album ‘Guitarra Exotica’ is a delectable feast for all of your senses that stirs with passion, evokes mysticism, and kindles the human spirit. You’ll literally feel the wind blow through your hair as ‘Guitarra Exotica’ sweeps you off your feet and takes you on a magical carpet ride that journeys through the heart of South America’s rainforests, relaxes in a quaint Spanish village, glides across a vibrant desert sunset, and lands amidst a colorful gypsy gathering. Stubblefield’s roaming spirit and respect for other cultures resonates through all of the songs on his album, as they cross borders offering listeners a taste of tradition infused with his visionary creativity that is truly ‘exotic’. From the passionate ‘Gitana Mora’ to the beautiful La Selva Negra, and from the soothing ‘The Mystic’s Dream’ to the flirtatious ‘A Gypsy’s Kiss’, you can hear the attention to detail yet feel the open melodic and rhythmic flow of the stellar the musicianship of ‘Guitarra Exotica’ that features Jim Stubblefield on nylon and steel string acoustic guitar, and electric guitar; Ruben Ramos and Randy Tico on bass; Bryan Brock on percussion; and famed violinist Novi Novog.
JIM STUBBLEFIELD "GUITARRA EXOTICA"
This collection of music, shows one key aspect in every song. Passion. This is music created within the heart and brought forth through the hands of this fine player, JIM STUBBLEFIELD, and the musicians in his band. With his guitar, he can ignite the flame of his passion. Full of beauty and grace, one should take the time to embrace this music of guitar influenced sounds.
FUSION IN ITS TRUEST SENSE
Jim Stubblefield’s “Guitarra Exotica” fuses jazz, flamenco, Latin acoustic guitar and percussion at Coffee Gallery Backstage Fitting and making peace with labels has been a prevailing theme in guitarist Jim Stubblefield’s career: “New Age.” “Fingerstyle.” “Nuevo flamenco.” “Latin jazz.” “Latin rock.” “Fusion.” “Rumba flamenco.” “Gypsy.” “Ethnic.” Over the past decade, his music has been slapped with one or another of those tags, each of which has described some but not all aspects of his sound.
Stubblefield’s music is an organic melding of the various influences accrued over time by a creatively hungry musician, from jazz trailblazer Al di Meola, metal shredder Yngwie Malmsteen and Mahavishnu Orchestra’s John McLaughlin to acoustic world duo Strunz & Farah, flamenco guitarist Vicente Amigo, fearsome country picker Albert Lee and onetime bandmate/Kuwaiti oud player Waleed Hamad. The label that’s perhaps most responsible for making it sinfully easy to take an artist like Stubblefield for granted is the dreaded “l” word: local.
A longtime Arcadia resident before relocating to the Valencia area, he was a semi-regular presence at area coffeehouses and acoustic venues in the late 1990s while promoting his solo instrumental albums “Cities of Gold” and “Rhythm of the Heart.” Then again, he’s only local for those who live in the greater Pasadena/LA area. And for the past several years, he’s made himself scarce on the local landscape. Much of the time, he’s touring elsewhere with Incendio, the heavily percussive “Latin world guitar fusion” band he co-founded with bassist Liza Carbe and fellow guitarist Jean-Pierre Durand in 1999. As a unit they’ve toured nationally, landed high on Billboard charts with half a dozen albums and garnered radio airplay nationwide. Those tours have enabled him to reach audiences less enamored of labels than genuine musical exploration. As Duke Ellington famously put it, “There are two kinds of music: Good music, and the other kind.”
At a recent release party for “Guitarra Exotica,” Stubblefield’s first solo CD in several years, a cursory study of listeners — fellow musicians from various backgrounds, esoteric jazz hounds, guitar geeks, well-heeled pop lovers and sophisticated executive types — left no doubt as to which category they assigned his nimbly fingered solos. They were less concerned with whether he fit some preconceived genre definition than with the fluidity of his fretboard articulation and the quality of his melodic ideas. Backed by a tight combo (violinist Anna Stafford, percussionist Bryan Brock and fretless bassist Ruben Ramos), Stubblefield’s live shows are less thunderous than Incendio’s yet driven by a refined rhythmic pulse that sparks excitement. He ably melds myriad sonic influences, sweet tone and spiraling guitar patterns that reflect his tastes and travels over the past decade — fusion in the truest sense of the term.
Jim Stubblefield takes the listener around the world with his Guitarra Exotica, mixing and melding a wide variety of international music styles with an assuredly Latin-flavored rhythmic foundation. With the guitar as his centerpiece, Stubblefield examines the rhumba, the bulerias, the tango, and flamenco, among others, interchanging fluidly from traditional to more modern sounds. His sound is passionate and expressive, always gripping and intricate. Stubblefield also backs himself with talented musicians, especially the brilliant viola of Novi Novog, which serves as the perfect complimentary instrument for much of the disc. The result is an album that sounds like a true group effort instead of a solo project, adding a depth and breadth that makes for a truly classic piece of work. My favorite tracks include the nouveau-flamenco of Gitana Mora and the epic, driving sounds of Eye Of The Sun, Parts I & II.
Jim Stubblefield - Gitana Mora (featured song)
The guitar work is superb, but what makes this album stand out is the addition of violas transporting my spirit to a Moorish village to watch the dancers pronounce benedictions on Ruben, Randy, Bryan and Novi enchanting Jim on to flourishes that are found only when inspired by other superb musicians bringing out powers previously unknown. A powerful group effort bringing a vision to my ears that allows me to travel far distances in mere moments. I have to also make special mention of Novi Novog. All the musicians add depth to this music, but the interplay between Novi and Jim on several tracks is breathtaking. Shoutouts for La Selva Negra, Rumba Arabe, Eye of the Sun Pt 2, and A Gypsy's Kiss.
Jim Stubblefield - Guitarra Exotica
Native Californian Jim Stubblefield, who formed the Latin guitar group Incendio in 1999, shows the versatility of the guitar in “Guitarra Exotica.” Rich with traditionally exotic sounds and propelled by Latin rhythms, “Guitarra Exotica” is a veritable exhibition of international styles of acoustic guitar. In the album’s opening track, “La Selva Negra” plays on percussive and exotic sounds, and Stubblefield masterfully presents a traditional rumba melody. What makes this track even more enjoyable is the alternation of guitar with brass and strings, creating a well-rounded, evocative rhumba piece. Another excellent track in “Guitarra Exotica,” “Gitana Mora” is a richly percussive flamenco made passionate by the melody played by the guitar and strings. “Eye of the Sun – Part I” and “A Gypsy’s Kiss” are arguably the best tracks of the album. “Eye of the Sun – Part I,” in particular, breaks with the tradition of the previous tracks in the album by evoking what can only be an ominous desert scene. “A Gypsy’s Kiss,” on the other hand, capitalizes on a simple melody, which cleanly closes “Guitarra Exotica.” Stubblefield’s “Guitarra Exotica” is enhanced by the members of his band: Anna Stafford, violin; Brian Brock, percussion; and Ruben Ramos, bass and guitar. Also featured on this album is Novi Novog on viola, Bryan Brock on percussion, and Randy Tico on bass. Together, Stubblefield and his band present a colorful and fairly diverse album, one I would recommend to any listener.
Reviewer's Rating: 8/10
Jim Stubblefield - Guitarra Exotica (CD, Natural Elements, Instrumental)
... the best way of summing up these instrumental tracks would be to say that Jim writes and records exotic modern instrumental music that incorporates sounds and ideas from a wide variety of sources from all over the world. Stubblefield surrounds himself with some really classy players. His band features Anna Stafford (violin), Bryan Brock (percussion), and Ruben Ramos (bass, guitar). These tracks are polished to perfection and were recorded with minute attention to detail." Ten cool cuts including "One Quiet Night," "Eye of the Sun - Part 1," and "A Gypsy's Kiss."
(Rating: 5+)