Ottmar Liebert
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Ottmar Liebert (born 1 February 1959) is a German guitarist, songwriter and producer best known for his Spanish-influenced music. A five-time
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
nominee, Liebert has received 38 Gold and Platinum certifications in the United States, as well as certifications in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. His debut album '' Nouveau Flamenco'' (1990) was certified Platinum in the United States.


Early life

Ottmar Liebert was born 1 February 1959 in
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
,
West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
, to a Chinese-German father and a Hungarian mother. As a child, he spent most of his time travelling throughout Europe and Asia with his family. He began playing classical guitar at 11, and studying
flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...
guitar at 14, after he "found a Flamenco LP in the bargain bin at a local supermarket." After performing rock music in his native Germany, he moved to the United States and settled in Boston for a few years, performing in various rock clubs. In 1986 Liebert settled in
Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...
, where he began looking to create a new musical sound. Liebert cites musical influences such as "
Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...
,
Paco de Lucía Francisco Sánchez Gómez (21 December 194725 February 2014), known as Paco de Lucía (;), was a Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist, composer, and record producer. A leading proponent of the new flamenco style, he was one of the first flam ...
,
John McLaughlin John or Jon McLaughlin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John McLaughlin (musician) (born 1942), English jazz fusion guitarist, member of Mahavishnu Orchestra * Jon McLaughlin (musician) (born 1982), American singer-songwriter * John McLaug ...
,
Robert Fripp Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is a British musician, songwriter, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session ...
and
Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...
, others were horn players like
Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...
," although he cites "others yet were fine artists who taught me about space and brush strokes and dynamics and contrast."


Music career

In 1988, Liebert founded the first incarnation of his band Luna Negra (black moon). That year he recorded a self-produced album titled ''Marita: Shadows and Storms''. The initial thousand copies were sold in the gallery of Santa Fe artist Frank Howell. When the record found its way to radio stations and began generating a response among listeners,
Higher Octave Higher Octave Music is a sub-label imprint of Narada Productions. Since 2013, it is part of Universal Music Group's Capitol Music Group, which is located in Los Angeles. History Higher Octave was acquired by Virgin Records on behalf of EMI in 1 ...
Music picked it up and released a remastered version titled '' Nouveau Flamenco'' (1990). The album eventually sold double-platinum in the United States. Liebert followed up his debut with several successful albums that continued and expanded his sound, including ''Borrasca'' (1991), ''Solo Para Ti'' (1992) and ''The Hours Between Night + Day'' (1993), all three earning Gold certification. Liebert's international success continued with ''¡Viva!'' (1995) and ''Opium'' (1996), both of which earned Platinum status in the United States and Latin America. Liebert has recorded with Luna Negra since 1989. Personnel in the band have changed regularly since then, with the only constant being
bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...
Jon Gagan. Since 1990, Ottmar Liebert has released a total of 25 albums including live releases, Christmas CDs, 15 CDs of original music, a DVD, and various remixes. He has received 38 Gold and Platinum certifications in the US as well as certifications in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In 2006, Liebert contributed his song "This Spring Release 10,000 Butterflies" to the album project Artists for Charity -
Guitarists 4 the Kids ''Artists for Charity - Guitarists 4 the Kids'' is a compilation album which was produced and arranged by Slang Productions in 2006. Over 18 international artists contributed to the recording project to assist World Vision Canada and their philanth ...
, produced by Slang Productions, to assist World Vision Canada in helping underprivileged kids in need.


Nouveau Flamenco

Liebert describes his musical style as "Nouveau Flamenco." In a 2004 interview, Liebert explained that once he was signed to a record label, he was required to come up with a name for what he was doing. Although there are flamenco elements to his music, it's nothing like traditional flamenco, being based on melody and using much simpler forms. As this music couldn't be considered jazz, rock, or classical, he felt that flamenco was the closest word to use that people could identify with. Liebert drew some criticism with his adoption of the term, especially since according to critics, none of his works to date followed traditional flamenco
palo Palo may refer to: Places * Palo, Argentina, a village in Argentina * Palo, Estonia, village in Meremäe Parish, Võru County, Estonia * Palo, Huesca, municipality in the province of Huesca, Spain * Palo, Iowa, United States, a town located wit ...
forms. It was also perceived by some as a marketing ploy and an attempt to associate his music with the then burgeoning school of " Flamenco Nuevo", where acknowledged flamenco artists had started to rejuvenate and reinvent flamenco through the introduction of influences from Latin America (e.g. the Rumba rhythm) and even jazz music.
Paco de Lucia Paco is a Spanish nickname for Francisco. According to folk etymology, the nickname has its origins in Saint Francis of Assisi, who was the father of the Franciscan order; his name was written in Latin by the order as ''Pater Communitatis'' (fat ...
was one such critic.Last Night: Musician and Zen Monk Otto Liebert Brought His Nouveau Flamenco to Dosey Doe
by Lisa Strain, Houston Press, November 19, 2018.
Music Notes: Ottmar Liebert’s Flamenco Revolution
by Steve Houk, Washington Life Magazine, October 20, 2018.
Despite Liebert's citing Paco as an influence, Paco described Liebert's music as "una degeneración, una caricatura del flamenco" (literally, "a degeneration, a caricature"). However, Paco later seemed to appreciate Liebert's music, with Paco's record company even mentioning him in promotional materials.


Personal life

Since 1986 Liebert has lived in
Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...
. In May 2006 Liebert was ordained as a
Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
by
Dennis Genpo Merzel Dennis Merzel (born June 3, 1944 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American Zen and spirituality teacher, also known as Genpo Merzel. Biography Early life Dennis Paul Merzel was born on June 3, 1944 in Brooklyn, New York and was raised and schoo ...
at the
Kanzeon Zen Center Kanzeon Zen Center was a Zen Buddhist center located in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was an affiliate of the White Plum Asanga, an association of Zen centers stemming from the tradition of Taizan Maezumi. The founder and Abbot of Kanzeon Zen Center ...
in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
, Utah.


Awards

* ''Nouveau Flamenco'' (1990) Certified: Platinum – US, 14 x Platinum – US/Latin, Platinum – Australia, Platinum – New Zealand, Gold – Canada, Gold – Mexico * ''Poets & Angels: Music 4 the Holidays'' (1990) Certified: 2 x Platinum – US/Latin * ''Borrasca'' (1991) Certified: Gold – US, 4 x Platinum – US/Latin * ''Solo Para Ti'' (1992) Certified: Gold – US, 2 x Platinum – US/Latin, Gold – Canada * ''The Hours Between Night + Day'' (1993) Certified: Gold – US, 2 x Platinum – US/Latin, Gold – Canada, Gold – New Zealand * ''Euphoria'' (1995) Certified: Gold – US/Latin * ''¡Viva!'' (1995) Certified: Platinum – US/Latin * ''Opium'' (1996) Certified: Platinum – US/Latin * ''Leaning Into the Night'' (''Inclinado en la Noche'') (1997) Certified: Gold – US/Latin * ''Innamorare: Summer Flamenco'' (1999) Certified: Gold – US/Latin * ''Nouveau Flamenco: 1990–2000 Special Tenth Anniversary Edition'' (2000) Certified: Platinum – US/Latin


Discography


Studio albums


Compilations

* ''Rumba Collection 1992–1997'' (1998) * ''Barcelona Nights: The Best of Ottmar Liebert Volume One'' (2001) * ''Surrender 2 Love: The Best of Ottmar Liebert Volume Two'' (2001) * ''The Best Of Ottmar Liebert'' (2002) * ''Spanish Sun'' (2009) * ''Bare Wood 2002-2012'' (2014)


Singles

* ''Havana Club 12" 45'' (1995); Vinyl * ''Havana Club'' (1997) * ''Spanish Steps 12" 45'' (1999); Vinyl * ''Little Wing - Radio Sampler'' (2001)


Featured performances

* ''
Leap of Faith A leap of faith, in its most commonly used meaning, is the act of believing in or accepting something outside the boundaries of reason. Overview The phrase is commonly attributed to Søren Kierkegaard; however, he never used the term, as he ...
'' by
Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977. His ...
(1991) * ''Lonely Chaplin'' by Goody's (1992) * ''Edith Piaf Tribute: My Legionaire'' (1993) * ''Monsoon'' by Asiabeat (1994) * ''Hemispheres'' by Dan Siegel (1995) * ''Burning Whispers'' by
Nestor Torres Nestor may refer to: * Nestor (mythology), King of Pylos in Greek mythology Arts and entertainment * "Nestor" (''Ulysses'' episode) an episode in James Joyce's novel ''Ulysses'' * Nestor Studios, first-ever motion picture studio in Hollywood, ...
(1995) * ''
Take Me Higher ''Take Me Higher'' is the twenty-first studio album by American singer Diana Ross, released on September 5, 1995, by Motown Records. Ross' first regular studio release in four years, following '' The Force Behind the Power'' (1991) and the holida ...
'' by
Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...
(1995) * ''
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'' by
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(1996) * ''Voci e Chitarre'' by Lavezzimogol (1997) * ''Leda Battisti'' by
Leda Battisti Leda Battisti (born 24 February 1971) is an Italian singer-songwriter. Background Born in Poggio Bustone, Rieti, Battisti graduated in classical guitar at the conservatory of Rieti, then in 1992 she won the Pippo Baudo's television show ''Parti ...
(1998) * ''Sundance Flamenco'' by James Bobchak (1999) * ''Azul'' by Alan (1999) * ''Soul Encounters/Encuentros del Alma'' by Chuscales (1999) * '' Ancient Journeys'' by
Cusco Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the list of cities in Peru, seventh m ...
(2000) * ''Transit'' by Jon Gagan (2004) * ''Transit 2'' by Jon Gagan (2006) * ''Thira'' by Stephen Duros (2006) * ''Tu, l'amore e il sesso'' by
Leda Battisti Leda Battisti (born 24 February 1971) is an Italian singer-songwriter. Background Born in Poggio Bustone, Rieti, Battisti graduated in classical guitar at the conservatory of Rieti, then in 1992 she won the Pippo Baudo's television show ''Parti ...
(2007) * ''The Art of Live Looping'' by Matthew Schoening (2008) * ''Split Decision'' by
Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...
(2009)


Produced albums

* ''Soul Encounters/Encuentros Del Alma'' by Chuscales (1999)


Videos

* ''Wide-eyed + Dreaming – Live'' (1996), VHS and DVD


Other compilation appearances

* ''Guitar Music For Small Rooms'' (1997) (WEA) * ''Gypsy Passion: New Flamenco'' (1997) (Narada) * ''Obsession: New Flamenco Romance'' (1999) (Narada) * ''Gypsy Fire'' (2000) (Narada) * ''Guitar Music For Small Rooms 2'' (2001) (WEA) * ''Gypsy Spice: Best of New Flamenco'' (2009) (Baja Records) * ''The World Of The Spanish Guitar Vol. 1'' (2011) (Higher Octave Music)


See also

*
Johannes Linstead Johannes Linstead (also records under the name Sevaji) is a Canadian guitarist and instrumentalist who fuses virtuoso Spanish-style guitar with Afro-Cuban, Middle Eastern, and Latin American percussion and instrumentation. In 2017, Linstead wa ...
*
List of ambient music artists This is a list of ambient music artists. This includes artists who have either been very important to the genre or have had a considerable amount of exposure (such as those who have been on a major label). This list does not include little-known ...


References


Notes


Citations


External links


Official Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra Site



Ottmar Liebert Diary

Gold and Platinum Album Certifications (RIAA)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liebert, Ottmar 1959 births Living people German guitarists German male guitarists Musicians from Santa Fe, New Mexico New flamenco Guitarists from New Mexico 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians American male guitarists