Emma Maleras y su Ballet Español

Here is a lovely find on the internet today! A vinyl rip of the legendary Emma Maleras and her Spanish Ballet performing four numbers.

1. Punto Cubano
A happy cubanesque number. Maybe a little trivial, but the castanet arrangement is spot on!

2. Fiesta de los Fandangos
More somber than the preceding piece, it showcases the versatility of the castanets - that it is not only suited for expressing ligther moods.

3. Ole Tus Pies
As you could expect from the title, it not only features the castanets, but also what I believe to be Señora Maleras stampeding footwork! The second half offers a change in mood, but the rolling castanet licks combined with the sound of her heels makes this, for the general public, the quintessential "spanish" music.

4. La Clara Fuente
Here the ferocious playing of the castanets totally overpowers the entire orchestra, leading to what almost feels like a battle between the two. Need I say who goes away with the victory? ;)

I couldn't find any dates for this, but the orchestral backing does give it a very 60's mood, for whatever reason, and I think that would be an educated guess.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

[Originally posted at cantaresviejos.blogspot.com!]