Ketama - De Aki A Ketama

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Ketama is that kind of group. They are gypsies from Andalusia, country of flamenco, sun, beautiful beaches, desert lands, and mountains of forest and even snow. Land of fiestas, (go to Sevilla for Easter, you'll see the dimension the word fiesta can take) and religion, palm trees and "tapas", local snacks to eat with a St. Miguel beer, whilst listening to rich Spanish music. ...
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Ketama is formed by two brothers and their cousin. Antonio and Juan Carmona, and cousin Juan Carmona (rather confusing as they have the same name). Ketama's first album, "Ketama, Ketama" was released in 1985. Even if they aren't famous in our countries, (i say that because i live in France, and here neither) i can assure you that elsewhere, these guys are largely listened to. ... more

I'm sure very few of you know this group, that's normal. I've always found that there is so much English music in England, that it leaves very little time and space for foreign music, (apart fom usa music) especially Latino music, to be precise. OK, it's not in English, and little of us understand what they say. How does the rest of the world cope with English music? They don't all speak our language. It's all in the rhythm and the melody. Sometimes the music is so good, it could be sang in absolutely any language, and be just amazing! Yes, even without understanding a word. That music just carries you elsewhere, your brain imagines the landscapes where these artists come from. You've all heard African music one day, sang in a dialect far from our understanding. The beat, the harmony of the chant, the atmosphere just works wonders on our profound inner self. You can travel without moving, it's amazing, and affordable financially!

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Ketama is that kind of group. They are gypsies from Andalusia, country of flamenco, sun, beautiful beaches, desert lands, and mountains of forest and even snow. Land of fiestas, (go to Sevilla for Easter, you'll see the dimension the word fiesta can take) and religion, palm trees and "tapas", local snacks to eat with a St. Miguel beer, whilst listening to rich Spanish music. Andalusia is amazingly rich in its diversity of landscapes and inhabitants. I recommend to anyone the Andalusia experience one day in their lives.

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De aki a Ketama, title of this album, meaning "from here to Ketama", in reference to their first live playing experiences (Ketama is in Morocco), is what i reckon to be, their best album. Having spent many months around the Almeria area (south east coast) i can affirm that their popularity is huge there. They are considered to be one of the leading modern flamenco groups, or as they call this newish movement "el nuevo flamenco".

This album was released in 1995, and consists of one unique, but magical CD. It is a "live" album, performed in the Madrid studios of "Cinearte" the 28th and 29th march that year. It stayed more than a year in the top Spanish album hit parade, and won an award at the "Primos Ondas" for the best Spanish album.

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How can i describe this album? To try to be as precise as possible, I'd say it was a huge mix of many musical movements. At first approach, I'd say it's flamenco. The more I'd listen to it, the more i noticed the other influences such as Cuban rhythms, salsa, jazz, funk, hip-hop, rock or even reggae. I'd say the word "rhythm" describes it globally, but with a gypsy way of singing that gives us that "travel" experience.

Don't ask me to translate each song, i would be incapable to do it. What i do know is that I've listened to it hundreds of times and keep wanting to. The titles of the tracks are; (and my dictionary translates as) :

1. No estamos lokos (Kalikeno) => which means "we are not crazy". (OK that one was easy)
2. Verdadero => meaning "real" or "true".
3. Se dejaba llavar por ti => "He leaves you the key"
4. Loko => "mad" or "crazy"
5. Flor de lis => "Lily" (the flower)
6. La cuesta la cava (instrumental) => "The coast of the cellar" => i have a big doubt about this translation, if anyone out there knows precisely what this means, let me know!
7. Acaba de nacer => "finished being born"
8. Diamana Djana => Nothing in my dictionary, maybe a name???
9. Problema => yes, we've all guessed this one! "problem" (isn't it great that English still contains some Latin in it?)
10. Vengo de Borrechera => "i come from Borrechera"
11. Vente Pa Madrid => "you went to Madrid"
12. Buléria del Olivar => "Buleria from the olive plantation " (Buleria is a type of flamenco rhythm).

Wow, that was tricky!!! If anyone has more accurate translations on these titles, I'll be glad to change what's wrong. Let me know.

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Ketama is formed by two brothers and their cousin. Antonio and Juan Carmona, and cousin Juan Carmona (rather confusing as they have the same name). Ketama's first album, "Ketama, Ketama" was released in 1985. Even if they aren't famous in our countries, (i say that because i live in France, and here neither) i can assure you that elsewhere, these guys are largely listened to. They've played with many "stars" such as Paco de Lucia, Camaron de la Isla, Enrique Moriente, Celia Cruz, Michel Camilo, or even played the first part of concerts such as Prince, Rolling Stones, or Frank Sinatra! They also appeared in a film by Carlos Saura, "Flamencos~Craig Harris, All Music Guide". They collaborated with Tonmani Diabate (a multi-instrumentalist from Mali, in Africa) to produce "The songhai project".

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Ketama are issue from the forth generation of musicians, their ancestor being "Ico Habichuela". They are really virtuous and highly gifted. The flamenco guitar harmony, combined with the gypsy chants are completely enthralling. Anyone who would like to discover flamenco would do himself (or herself) a big favor by listening to them. Everyone knows the Gypsy Kings, well I'd say that Ketama is the level above, better guitarists and better singers too. Of course much less commercial. Not to mention that they are "real" gypsies (from Andalusia).

What more can i say? For me it's a MUST for those who appreciate this type of music, or for those who want to discover it. Don't even hesitate, it's wicked!!!!

Thanks for reading, Olé !!!!

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