Back in April we shared some information about the Cubero Brothers, Los Hermanos Cubero, a guitar/mandolin duo from Spain who inject a healthy dose of Bill Monroe into the traditional folk music of España. The brothers are Roberto on mandolin and Enrique on guitar. They also perform as a bluegrass group, The R.C Brothers, with a third brother, Ernesto, on banjo.
In April we noted that Roberto and Enrique had won first prize in the Premio Europeo Nueva Creación de Folklore Agapito Marazuela, which roughly translates to New European Prize for the Creation of Folklore in the style of Agapito Marazuela, a noted Spanish folklorist.
Now we hear from Roberto that the new CD from Los Hermanos Cubero, Cordaineros de La Alcarria, has been released. Included are instrumentals for mandolin and guitar, both Cubero originals and adaptations from the music of Marazuela, plus a number of songs featuring the brother in duet vocally. It is wonderful to hear the melding of European and American mandolin styles on a Spanish melody, accompanied by Lester Flatt G-runs on the guitar.
Roberto was gracious enough to translate from the liner notes to describe their vision for this project, which was recorded with the proceeds of the Marazuela prize.
“We would not understand the music as we do if we had not drunk from the sources of the great masters. The result of this album is like the basin of a source of two pipes, these pipes that feed the basin and mixed into it are bluegrass music and traditional music of Castilla, and as its main exponents we consider to Bill Monroe and Agapito Marazuela. At the same time others drank from these sources before us and inspired us. How could we not mention the Stanley Brothers and Jimmy Martin on one side, and Nuevo Mester de Juglaría or La Musgaña on the other. Of course, we also have been guided by other musicians, La Ronda del Alamin, Merle Haggard or La Ronda de Boltaña just to name a few. To all of them also our sincere thanks.”
You can hear samples from all 14 tracks at CD Baby.
