Rating:
Genre:
New Age
Release Date: 08/20/2002
Armik's lifelong love affair with the
flamenco guitar began on his first visit to Spain at age 20, when he saw the legendary
Paco de Lucia perform. Driven by a fire for the tradition that has defined his musical life ever since, the young musician immediately switched from his electric Gibson CS175, trading his
Wes Montgomery licks for an in-depth journey to the heart of Spanish music. Launching his solo career with 1994's
Rain Dancer -- a Top Ten
Billboard New Age hit, like his five subsequent releases -- he drew upon his
jazz roots and
flamenco passions to create a revolutionary twist on the emerging nouveau
flamenco sound.
Armik's
Bolero Records debut,
Lost in Paradise, paints a lush landscape of a unique style he calls "gypsy
jazz," joyfully blending classic elements of
rhumba,
cha-cha,
bolero,
jazz, and, taking a rhythmic sojourn down to Brazil, a bit of
bossa nova. The bold, percussive opening
rhumba track
"Barcelona Sunsets" thrusts the listener full throttle into the raw, emotional power of the
Armik experience; his powerful fingerstyling is enhanced by a lively piano harmony. This is balanced by the gentle intimacy of the title track, a slow
rhumba featuring a dreamy, seductive guitar line. The snappy cha-cha-cha piece,
"Golden Rule," features
Armik's plucky strains over a spirited, rolling groove. After the romantic sizzle of
"Bolero Passion" (parts of which feature a harp like guitar sound), the fast
rhumba "Almeria" brings back the fire for an aggressive, percussion-dense jam session. The Fender Rhodes-enhanced
"Gypsy Love" demonstrates the true fusion that defines
Armik's style, a
soul-jazz meets
flamenco jam that almost singlehandedly creates a new genre.
~Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide
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