Occasionally, while scrounging through obscure records, one finds a gem. This was part of the Spanish issue of Edison cylinders, dating from 1910. It's old-school Flamenco - nothing fancy, just sincere and honestly spellbinding. All I
know of the performer is what I found at the "City of London Phonograph and Gramophone Society": she apparently was visiting New York as part of a travelling
troup and made seven cylinders at Edison's studios while there in 1909. This record is one of those seven, and it's a shame there aren't more: a hundred years later, her intensity is vital. The recording is remarkably clear and vibrant. And,
from the looks of the pristine surface, I think I'm the first person to play this record. (More information about the variety of Flamenco performed here can be found at
"MojacarFlamenco.com".)
