GINO D'AURI

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GINO D'AURI - born in Rome, grandson of a Gypsy and a promising classical guitarist until the day he was "traumatized" by flamenco.
"I had been studying classical guitar and done some recitals. Nothing major, just the usual repertoire. Then I saw the movie Sombrero with Jose Greco, the famous flamenco dancer. It was about a bullfighter who danced flamenco, and I got completely traumatized by his dancing and the music of guitarist Geronimo Villarino, who I later found out is one of the all time greats. I went back and saw the movie seven or eight times, to listen to the music and try to repeat what I'd heard."

D'Auri was still in his teens when Sombrero inspired him to begin investigating flamenco music and its surrounding culture, a journey that finds its culmination in Passion and Soul (Pasion y Duende), his second album for World Class, a division of Hearts of Space Records dedicated to progressive directions in traditional world music.

"These days, many people think that flamenco is about playing sixty thousand notes as quickly as possible," D'Auri says. "My flamenco is slower, very traditional and down to earth. I may use cello and percussion, but it's done in a traditional way, without a lot of notes. For me the music is about feeling and improvisation. I like to take chances, the communication is better that way."

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