Wild Muse

Latin Beat Magazine, Dec, 1998 by Luis Tamargo

STRUNZ & FARAH

Wild Muse

(Selva)

Take a look around you, and you'll find an abundance of guitarreros but only a handful of guitarristas (unless, of course, you reside in Jerez de la Frontera or some other flamenco epicenter). This is why I was taken hostage, many moons ago, by Strunz & Farah's lightning speed and flamenco based improvisations. Armed with Maldonado guitars, those lethal axes manufactured in Ernesto Lecuona's favorite Andalusian city, Jorge Strunz and Ardeshir Farah display their technical precision and graceful passion in the CID Wild Muse.

That a Costa Rican and an Iranian have found a common point of reference in the melodic and harmonic wealth of flamenco is reflective of the eloquent universality of Andalusian music. Just as significant is the fact the Strunz & Farah's L.A.-based ensemble --mostly fundamented on the interaction of strings and percussion-- additionally incorporates a wide range of Latin American, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern styles and instruments. Coincidentally, the world's only Tico-Persian guitar duo is backed by some of L.A.'s finest musicians, including bassist Carlitos del Puerto and percussionist Luis Conte. This is the perfect antidote for the prefabricated sounds of Otmar Libert and other Johnny-come-lately guitarreros.