Incendio, by the group of the same name, is – as promised by its name – fiery! Combining Latin or Spanish guitar with a variety of styles – flamenco, Middle-Eastern, Celtic, trance, jazz, rock, and classical – the album is truly a global experience. I like 'Zocolo' for its powerful bass line, and 'Isis' for its Middle Eastern drums and sensuality. Fans of Latin and flamenco music will find Incendio a sexy, passionate, energetically charged album that will warm winter nights.
Jim Stubblefield: Press
One of the reasons I was interested in this CD was because although I'm not particularly a lover of Spanish guitar music, I did like the sound of the flamenco, Middle-Eastern, Celtic, jazz, rock, trance and pop amalgamation. It sounded spicy and interesting and to be honest it is. The underlying sound is always the Spanish guitar but it is combined with so many other types of music, some subtle, some more obvious that it makes it a pleasure to listen to. Happy, rhythmic, yet calm and easy, I dare anyone not to have a little boogie when listening to it. It reminds me of warm evenings and good food while relaxing on holiday. Brilliant!
"Incendio" is the Italian word for fire. Considering the aural pyrotechnics on display with this release, it's not hard to see that the name is quite fitting. INCENDIO is an album of Spanish guitar virtuosity with a healthy dose of ethnic spice thrown into the mix. The music has a smooth fluidity, reminiscent of "nouveau flamenco" innovators like Ottmar Liebert or Jesse Cook. The four-member group gets points for style with their sinuous Middle Eastern flavors, energetic Latin rhythms and playful jazz. Passion, however, remains the music's central attribute, and INCENDIO proves that the group can still balance fire and romance with the greatest of ease.
Music Design
Describing music has got to be one of the most difficult things for me to do. Would it help if I told you I audibly gasped when I heard the first strains of this recording? And that when I accidentally left it at a friend's house, it ended up in his car's CD player for a solid week? The group Incendio (Italian and Spanish word for fire) is comprised of five culturally diverse artists — three are North Americans, one is French, and one is Peruvian. Talk about a global musical experience. This release features Spanish flamenco guitar, energetic Latin rhythms, exotic Middle Eastern flair, as well as a touch of Celtic and Jazz influences.
JAZZIZ
Review of Incendio's "Misterioso"
The four-piece ensemble Incendio's debut, Misterioso, is driven to varied-tempo levels of exotica and energetic excitement by the Strunz & Farah-like dual-guitar interaction of leader Jim Stubblefield (who plays the lead melodies) and Jean-Pierre Durand (who carries the rhythm lines). The two are certainly capable of those astounding, lightning quick passages that sound like dueling bumble bees. On "Luna," for instance, Stubblefield darts off the main melody line every few bars for sparkling solos that dare Durand to roll along faster.
But the real joys of the disc come when the two go after a more lilting sound closer to that of Ottmar Liebert, but with more aggressive percussion pizzazz. The title track is a fitting example: the guitars swirl like hypnotic harp strings over a tender soundscape and then Nicole Falzone's pitter-patter percussion. Stubblefield and Durand then sway along beneath a lush, emotional violin solo by guest Novi Novog. While the guitar and percussion weavings are the core of the Incendio sound, Novog's few appearances and the staccato horn-section accents of "Festival Del Luces" add some necessary color. Durand also reveals a nice touch on acoustic piano, calling forth lush harmonies beneath Stubblefield's sweet, loping melody on "Emerald Sea."