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Latin, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet's homage to the music of Latin America and Spain, opens weakly with a tune called "Fragile," a bit of melodic fluff composed by Sting. After that's safely out of the way, however, the four virtuosos go on to play much more satisfying works by such composers as Leo Brouwer from Cuba, Astor Piazolla from Argentina, Egberto Gismonti from Brazil, and Joaquin Rodrigo from Spain. The music ranges from the passionate, earthy flamenco of "Sevillanas" to the austere, almost abstract tone poem "Cuban Landscape with Rain" and on to the jazzy harmonies of "Forrobodo." The most exciting piece is the six-movement "Carmen Suite," which the quartet plays with a thrilling blend of passion and precision. But no matter how disparate the music, the impeccable technique, musical intelligence, and emotional delivery of John Dearman, William Kanengiser, Scott Tennant, and Andrew York find the common thread to tie it all together.
--Michael Simmons
