Hey guys
Today, I went to my local Borders and was listening to the Gipsy Kings and was so intrigued w/ the guitar playing…I just recently picked up a guitar myself so I could appreciate how how playing flamenco is…
Anywho, I was wondering if you guys could recommend me some songs (preferrably just instrumental) that you guys like…and if possible tell me some facts about flamenco…like where it originated from…etc etc…I doubt I’m gonna get much response but it’s worth a try 
Thanx
Reoch
Hey reoch,
I can’t tell you much about flamenco, except that it is very cool music!
However, if you are looking for good instrumental guitar music with that Spanish-Arabic feel, you may want to try Ottmar Lebert and Luna Negra. I own a couple of their CDs and have seen them live–awesome!
Here are some links you can check out:
Hope this helps you. Luck to you with the guitar!
I can’t answer your questions, but I’ll answer anecdotally to keep this thread bumped.
When I was in Seville, Spain, last summer, I spent an incredible evening at a flamenco show. I was absolutely blown away by the intensity, beauty, and passion of the performance. It’s the only time I’ve ever been moved by a dance performance, and the music had a lot to do with it.
AFAIK, Gipsy Kings is more of a fusion than it is pure flamenco, but someone more knowledgeable than myself will surely be along soon.
There is a great film I saw on the Independent Film Channel entitled Flamenco. The director was Carlos Saura. Incredible dancing and guitar. Try renting it or check out that website, they may have more on just the music aspect.
Personally I don’t care that much for flamenco but there is very good classical guitar Spanish music. Check out Andrés Segovia and others.
At any rate, I believe flamenco music and dancing originated among the gypsies in southern Spain. While I cannot offer any information on the origins of flamenco itself I have a vague recollection of the origin of the word “flamenco”. The original meaning was (and still is) “Flemish”. About four centuries ago, by connotation, it came to have several other meanings. One of them was “red” because the Flemish who went to Spain easily got red in the Sun. From there the bird was also named flamenco and it became flamingo in English. Another meaning for Flamenco was a general meaning of “smart, elegant, witty, etc” and that is where the music and dancing got their name. Just some useless trivia.