Flamenco... All You Wanted to Know

If you're looking for some lessons in how not to spell or punctuate, this is possibly your starting point. But it is also a good place to start to learn about flamenco. Unlike other guides to flamenco culture, this one lacks airs and graces, and is not all about the author.Martínez deals with flamenco forms, history, culture and lore fairly comprehensively. There are discussions around authenticity and controversies regarding what is and is not flamenco. She names some of the key figures in flamenco, past and present, and suggests recordings with which the uninitiated could start to get an idea of what is good flamenco. There is also a useful history of the development of the Spanish guitar.Despite the undoubted value of the contributions of Federico García Lorca to the promotion and understanding of cante jondo, Martínez is nevertheless quite rightly scathing of his self-appointment as an arbiter of good taste in flamenco, though his role in this respect is no different from many intellectuals of his day, and in fairness he appears to have been very popular with the gitanos he associated with. Unlike some authors, she does not romanticise the marginalised status of gitanos, and is happy to sacrifice some of the "pena" of the music in exchange for a better life for them.It doesn't quite deliver all it promises: there are still more things I'd like to know, but as a primer it's more than adequate, better than Robin Totton's Song Of The Outcasts, although that book has the bonus of a CD as illustration of the various styles. It's an enjoyable read and one which should help anyone wishing to understand flamenco a little better.

Like other reviewers here, I found 'Flamenco ...All you wanted to know' an excellent book. The lack of photographs does not detract from the narrative I feel. Emma Martinez clearly has a very wide range of knowledge in all things Flamenco.If you're looking for a 'One Stop Shop' for getting up to speed with Flamenco then this is it.The theme of the book is somewhat on the side of pure Andalucian gypsy flamenco - one reason for excluding anything to do with Manitas de Plata or the Gypsy Kings - which I suppose if fair enough from that point of view. That said, there is no mention what-so-ever of Paco Pena - very odd because Paco Pena has promoted Flamenco world-wide for many years, and continues to do so which is why I'm surprised at his omission. He is regarded as one of the world's foremost traditional flamenco players... The style of the book means you can always sellotape the Wiki pages for Paco Pena at the back (or the front) for a more complete reference!!

...but a lot. Emma Martinez writes well. She doesn't presume a high level of knowledge of music theory in her reader, but some enthusiasm for music. As a Spanish speaker (but not native language) and a flamenco enthusiast, her prose is neither condescending nor irritatingly superior - it hits the right spot. She knows her subject well and transmits that knowledge in an entertaining and accessible way. And for all that she says, fairly enough, that words cannot describe Paco de Lucia's genius, she probably makes a better fist of it than any other author I've read.

After reading this book you will have a great knowledge of Flamenco, I found it a really enjoyable experience and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in flamenco music and/or it’s history.

Great history lesson about flamenco music.

Emma Martínez is a professional classical guitarist. She is also half Spanish by birth, bilingual, and has an extensive knowledge of Flamenco such as few anglophones can achieve. Since her other virtues include the ability to write clearly and interestingly, the result is a very worthwhile book. Although one might imagine it to cover the same ground as Donn Pohren's seminal  The Art of Flamenco , in fact there is very little overlap; although the underlying facts are obviously the same, the approach is quite different (Donn's being much more personal). In addition, Ms. Martínez deals far more extensively with modern Flamenco than does Pohren. So none who buy both books will feel they have needless duplication.Consonant with the title, the chapter headings take the form of Frequently Asked Questions: "What is Flamenco?", "Who invented Flamenco?", and so forth. The depth of knowledge displayed is very considerable, but the book is never dry or pedantic; one always gets the sense of the writer as someone involved in Flamenco, rather than an academic researcher. I certainly learned quite a lot, and I've been following Flamenco for over forty years.For back matter, there is a Glossary, a Bibliography and a list of Recommended Listening (but no index).On the debit side, there are some rather curious (although mostly trivial) errors: for instance, the legendary singer Manuel Torre is usually (but not consistently) referred to as Manuel Torres. This is a common mistake even in Spain, for in Andalusian Spanish the two names are homophones; but his legal name was Manuel de Soto Loreto, and he was given the nickname Torre (tower) because of his height. Even stranger is the information that the Beatle who introduced the sitar to the West was John Lennon (!).And although the cover features a first-rate photograph of Paco de Lucía, it is the only photograph in the book, which contributes to a rather drab layout.By and large, though, this is an excellent introduction to Flamenco for anyone interested, and a fine contribution to the literature in general.

Very interesting

Great book and very interesting about the history of flamenco music. Great service Amazon and thank you.