These are the first recordings that Raphaël Faÿs devoted to flamenco, and his double album is today a reference. Faÿs, a virtuoso guitarist in his own right, was close to the genre’s master, Paco de Lucia, and this set marked the first signs of what would become Raphaël’s own signature: he used a plectrum to play delicate yet powerful phrases. Here he made flamenco’s sources his own while revisiting the classical guitar as well as its flamenco and gypsy jazz siblings. He left his definitive imprint on the flamenco repertoire in opening the way, with a personal “Impression of Andalusia”, to a mixed-origin ornamental perspective that he has continued to shape for more than 20 years. Augustin BONDOUX / Patrick FRÉMEAUX